contracts and agreements for photo shoots?

Can someone please provide me with any specific information or examples of what forms are needed for photo shoots to protect the photographer? I am new to this and was working with a professional photographer who was going to show me her forms, and then she never did. So I decided to google to see if I could find examples, and have found so many different things that I am kind of confused on what I'd need my own clients to sign before I could take pictures of them?

You need to cover your payment policy, copyrights, permitted use, editing (so you aren't going back and forth with them demanding you do a bunch of free editing that you didn't originally do), limit of liability (you can't promise you get a very specific shot), rescheduling/cancellation policies, and a model release.

Ok and I'm sorry to come off like a complete idiot about this (but I admit I am), but are there copies of these forms anywhere - free? Do/can you just make your own?

Quoting MilkieWay:" Ok and I'm sorry to come off like a complete idiot about this (but I admit I am), but are there copies of these forms anywhere - free? Do/can you just make your own?"

You can google 'photography portrait contracts' but there aren't too many out there for free. You can make your own as well.

Are those forms the same thing as model releases?

Quoting MilkieWay:" Are those forms the same thing as model releases?"

Well, most contracts include the model release but you just need to put the specific lines in it. My model release is technical part of my contract but it has it's own blurb, since most people don't even read the contract lol.

Ok thank you for your help. I appreciate you taking the time to explain this stuff to me!