Photography Rules?

[Robin Binder]

Are there rules to Photography - I've recently heard other photographers bashing other photographers about what photographers should and shouldn't use in props with models.

Do models have to be a certain age to?
* hold a gun
* hold a wine glass
* hold a cigarette
* hold a cigar

This is a simple part of acting (not real). Do they have to be 21 to have a photo taken like this?

Are their rules posted somewhere that covers this? If you sell the picture to an ad agency do they have rules about this stuff too?

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

Hold a gun is a bit of an open thing-if it can be descerned as a toy then a small child, if it is a BB gun I would say no younger than 9, a 22 then 11, pistol 16+, military style weapon 18+.
Holding an empty glass-4+ (don't put glass in the hands of a 2 year old) Wine glass with liquid I would guess would be 21+ even though in some countries 18+ would work.
Cigarette-18+ unless you are doing a anti-smoking campaign
Same with Cigar.

I don't think that there are any real laws on the books other than showing an under 18 with a lit cigarette in their mouths.

So I say just use common sense and be sure to have proper documentaion on the model releases (photocopy of ID or Birth Cert on young models attached along with a minor release signed by an adult).

Maybe some one else here can come up with specific laws, I've never heard of any and to be honest a 4 year old could grab am unopened can of beer for his Dad and not be violating the law while a person 20 years and 364 days old could try to buy a beer and be breaking the law.

[Robin Binder]

Thanks for the info -

The age range in 17 to 20 is what you see in Teen magazines and if it's just a picture and no acohol is there or if the gun is just a prop - does anyone know do you have to find a model that is over 21 to take the picture for a paying client?

[Steelsun]

It's all according to your tastes and mores.

For instance, many senior photos depict the person's hobbies/goals. Many schoold will not allow them if they show guns, so hunting, target shooting, and ROTC people get kicked about.

The age of consent in Texas as an adult is generally 18 (sometimes 17) for purposes of contracts (i.e. modeling), so that should be the standard to use, unless the parents/guardians sign the model release for you.
Also avoid nudity if under 21, and have proof of age on file. 18 is usually safe, but you may get a visit from the friendly Feds to "review" your records to be sure.

[JMI]

As far as the guns are concerned - It is the unsupervised access to the gun that is the problem with law enforcement. Since we’re talking about photo shoots and parents/guardians will be there anyway, that’s hardly an unsupervised environment. Where you could conceivably run into trouble is in the event of an accident with the weapon where someone is injured or worse. You would have to demonstrate that you’d taken reasonable precautions to prevent the accident from happening.

Lets face it... It's an imperfect world. People choke to death eating peanut butter in front of their TV's. Absolutely EVERYTHING you touch puts you at some kind of risk. Some things, of course, come with inherently more risk than others. There is, of course, a way to manage/minimize these risks. Where something like firearms are involved, I suggest you spend some time with someone who works with them in a professional capacity to develop a methodology and be absolutely certain that it is strictly adhered to at all times. (Please note: I do not necessarily mean a police officer. Some of them are competent. A very few are accomplished. Most, sadly, range between mediocre and completely inept.)

Since these are still pictures and not a movie, non-functional (demilled) firearms or replicas would be preferable. The problem with most “prop” type weapons is that they don’t look real. Non-firing replicas will look real and be safe at the same time. If you anticipate the need for such props with any regularity, I’d suggest you purchase some replicas and keep them on hand. If your concept does not require historical or contextual accuracy then one of the props would suffice. If, on the other hand, your concept does call for a specific firearm and a real one must be used then I really recommend having someone on set to exercise control over the handling of the weapons.


I am a competitive shooter and been involved in the defensive shooting arenas for quite some time. For the past two years I have been an assistant instructor for John Farnam of Defense Training International, Inc. when he teaches in the Houston area. I also share instructor duties at weekly defensive shooting workshops at a local range. If you’d like, I’d be happy to work with you on such matters.