Consent for Photo, Video and Audio Recordings
Obtaining consent is important when taking photos of students, employees and other community members. These instructions refer to photography but apply to video and audio recordings as well.
What constitutes photo consent?
You must inform the individual:
- Who will use their photo (what institutions)
- To what end the photo will be used (what purpose)
- Where their photo will appear (what platforms)
- For how long their photo will be used (how many years)
Remember that even if it is obtained, consent can be withdrawn at a later date.
Who do you need consent from?
Consent is required from recognizable individuals who are the object of a photo. It is not required from every person in a photo (ex. from individuals appearing in the background or for generic photos of crowds).
For minors (those under 18-years-old), either they or their parents can provide consent.
Does Dawson College have a standard Photo Consent Form?
The Fédération des cégeps provides a standard Photo Consent Form for use by all Cégeps.
Can I get verbal consent instead of written consent?
Both written and verbal consent are legally valid in Quebec. However, verbal consent presents challenges, since it is harder to demonstrate after the fact.
Dawson College requires departments to obtain written consent, unless a prior agreement has been established with the Communications Office.
For more details, please consult the Legal Obligations and Best Practices document provided by the Fédération des cégeps (available in French).
Photo Library
The photos in our library are available for download and non-commercial use.
