I have noticed more and more FanFiction authors following the route of posting models or actors to portray their characters. I started doing this when I was writing Renesmee's Childhood Story so I've definitely been doing it for a while. I just wanted to point some things out that I have learnt in my 5 years of writing FanFiction.
Where you find your child models is EXTREMELY important.
You can be SUED for inappropriate use of pictures of children (If you dont know what the words 'lawsuit' or 'copyright' mean, GTFO the Internet or google both things IMMEDIATELY) this includes something as simple as reposting it onto your website/blog without permission to do so. Now a few of you are probably rolling your eyes and thinking I'm talking nonsense or that 'I won't get caught' but YOU WILL. Famous actors are okay, people like Mackenzie Foy who has her picture everywhere, or basically anyone that's ever been in a movie or TV show. The issue comes when you use unknown or new child models. Some websites are okay for this and I am going to list my source websites but some are a NO GO zone.
The thing you need to look out for is where you are getting your pictures, if you know of a child model and are googling them, make sure you go to their official website/twitter/facebook first. A lot of child models are on the Internet with the permission of their parents but that does not mean you are free to take and repost their pictures. A prime example of this is Gemma Devine. She became extremely popular in 2008 when Breaking Dawn came out. I was on the internet a lot back then and Gemma, along with Mackenzie Foy were fan favourites for Renesmee. Gemma's mother is a photographer and has been putting pictures of Gemma and her siblings on the Internet for years but only on her website, the moment people started to remove Gemma's pictures her mother didn't like it.
Another example is Grace Dever, there was a huge big thing where her fansites even went offline for a while because people were reposting their pictures without permission and their family became very upset. You're not even allowed to make fanvideo/youtube videos of Grace.
If you do not have the mothers permission DO NOT repost the pictures.
Right now you're probably thinking that I have pictures of children on my blog without permission and that is correct. Every time I find a model I want to use I double and triple check that there is no copyright on the pictures or that there isn't a specific request not to take the pictures. You are normally perfectly safe if there is no written word not to remove the pictures. For example, most model fansites or actresses are free for all really but there are some you will find warnings.
Here are some examples for you: (click to enlarge)
I personally use all three of the actors in these galleries as characters so instead of trying to find an alternative all I did was post a link directly to the galleries instead of reposting the pictures. It is vital that you read these kind of messages and you don't just enter the gallery without reading them.
When it comes down to it, if you dont have permission or you're not sure DO NOT REPOST THE PICTURE.
I am serious and I'm not joking, you can be sued and even if you're thinking 'I'm just 15, they can't sue me' I dont think your parents would be happy.
I have had a few emails in the past from mothers of the models I have used. I received one only recently and I'm normally extremely careful but I have had 2 in the past asking me to take them down and I was given permission for another (young Chantelle). I have been lucky that the mothers didn't take any further action but they could easily have.
Example of an email I have received
I know it seems silly, after all, we're not using the pictures inappropriately or maliciously, we're only young girls writing FanFiction but some mothers out there still don't like it. I personally don't understand them at all, I mean if you don't want your child on the internet you shouldn't be putting them up anyway but sadly we can't do anything about it.
This is just a warning to my fellow FanFiction friends, just please be careful. I think this is an issue not a lot of you are aware of and I am writing this from experience from what I've gone through in the years that I've been writing FanFiction.
Hope this is useful and you are now more aware. Google it and educate yourselves and be careful what children you put on your blogs.
~Nikki
Websites I know are safe:
http://www.fashionbank.ru/models/
http://www.fkids.ru/
http://www.star-kidz.net/imagearchive/index.php
http://www.childstarlets.com/
Some models I know you should NOT post: (these are just some I've come across, not all)
Gemma Devine (and siblings)
Grace Dever (and siblings)
Mia Hays
Tyree Brown
Sadie Som (and siblings)
Lexi Jourden
Savannah Davis
Nikki Hahn
