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HarryT, I think it's the edge of the "slippery slope." Suppose you take a photograph of a book cover illustration? Are there limits to where you can post that? Certainly if you buy an original painting, you may not be purchasing reproduction rights, and it could well be illegal to photograph it and post images anywhere (but one would expect an exception if you were selling the painting online.)
In this case, you're probably right that your use of your own photo of a model, especially given that you have the modeler's permission, is legal-- or at least, it would be in the US. But I'm not at all sure that this is clear.
Let's say, for example, that I want to make an illustrated story and post it online. I buy some action figures at a toy store, set them up in the poses I want, and use photographs of them as my illustrations. It's probably legal if I post the images and my original story online... unless the story is about the personalities represented by the action figures. But even if the story has nothing to do with the trademarked characters, I probably can't use my photographs as illustrations in a fiction book for sale. Whereas I could use my photographs as illustrations in a book about collecting action figures... I think. I might actually have to get permission from the trademark owners to do that, if the trademarks are still active. I don't know enough about IP law in the US, let alone the UK, to know the answer to that one-- but I know I'd get the advice of an attorney before attempting to publish any such book.
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