Subject Protocol

Absolute rule

Consent in writing, before publication

Every named subject of an archive entry signs a written consent before the entry is published. The archive supplies a release template. The release covers: appearance in photographs and prose, archival permanence (the entry stays online indefinitely unless the subject later withdraws), reproduction in archive-affiliated print and exhibition contexts, and the 15% subject share of print sales of frames in which the subject appears. The release names the contributing photographer and the editor. It is signed by the subject, the contributor, and the editor.

Verbal consent is not sufficient for first publication. A frame taken at a public event, where the subject is not the documentary focus, may proceed under the standard documentary fair-record practice for public events; a subject profile or location-hub feature requires a signature. If you cannot get the subject to sign, the archive cannot publish.

Absolute rule

No publication of vulnerable subjects without an additional safeguard

A subject who is a child, who has a recognised cognitive impairment, who is in temporary distress (bereavement, illness, financial hardship), or who is currently subject to legal proceedings is treated as vulnerable. The archive will not publish a profile of a vulnerable subject without an additional safeguard - typically a co-signature from a family member or professional carer, plus a six-month minimum waiting period between the visit and publication, and a re-confirmation of consent shortly before publication. If the additional safeguard cannot be put in place, the archive declines the entry, even where the subject themselves wants to proceed.

Absolute rule

No posthumous publication without family sign-off

If a documented subject dies before publication, the archive does not publish the entry until a surviving family member authorised to speak for the estate signs off in writing. This applies even where the subject signed the original release. A death changes how a profile reads, and the archive will not override the family’s wishes about whether and how it appears.

Process rule

Publish, send the link, edit on request

When editorial review is complete and consent is signed, the archive publishes the entry. The subject is sent the link the same day with a short note: “Your page is now live. If anything on it is wrong, or if anything you would like changed has struck you on reading it, write to me and I will fix it.” Edit requests are handled promptly. This way the work moves at its own pace and the subject is never left waiting on the page.

The archive can hold an entry as a draft if a subject specifically asks to read it before going live. Use that sparingly; the default is publication.

Process rule

Withdrawal at any time, on any grounds

A subject may, at any point, ask the archive to withdraw their entry. The archive will do so. The subject does not need to give a reason. Withdrawn entries remain in the registry as retired records (the archive ID is preserved per the stability rule), but the public page is removed. The contributing photographer keeps the credit for having documented the subject in good faith; their tier and badge standing is unaffected. The contributor will be informed of the withdrawal but does not have a veto.

Process rule

The print share opt-in

At consent time, the contributor walks the subject through the print-share model. The subject is offered a 15% share of the gross margin on print sales of frames in which the subject appears. The subject may accept, decline, or defer. Subjects who decline will see their share roll to the Apprenticeship Fund. Subjects who defer have a reasonable window to come back before the share defaults to the Fund.

The archive expects many subjects to decline on principle - retired professionals, parish clergy, certain craftspeople for whom commercial association is unwelcome - and this is held as a perfectly proper response. Do not push. The opt-in is an offer, not a sales pitch.

In practice

First contact and the visit

First contact

Polite and brief, in writing where you can. Introduce yourself and the archive. Link to one or two existing entries so the subject can see what the archive actually looks like before they say yes.

Before the visit

Confirm date, time, address, what you plan to do (talk, photograph, both), and whether anyone else is coming with you. If you’re visiting alone, share your plans with someone the subject can call if they need to.

On the day

Arrive on time. Bring a printed release. If the visit runs longer than agreed, ask. If photography becomes intrusive, stop. The visit is the subject’s day.

After

A thank-you note within a week. Confirm what was discussed and the timeline for the draft. Stay reachable.

In practice

Categorising the subject

The archive sorts subjects into six categories - Makers, Keepers, Carriers, Rememberers, Stewards, Gatherers - and the choice matters. Confirm with the subject how they describe their own role; the prose follows their self-description, not ours. The Rememberer category is reserved for people who carry the memory of a place or tradition, usually after their working life is over - it’s not a polite synonym for an older Maker still at the bench. The editor can help if the right category isn’t obvious.