Alice the Camera – Privacy Policy

As part of the new GDPR regulations I have to let you know a bit about what data I need from you, how I use it and how I store it. Please forgive me if this is horrendously patronising but I have to do it to be compliant and so you don’t try to sue me! Please don’t try to sue me.

What data do I need in order to work for you and why?

In order to do my job I need data. I need data in the form of email addresses so I can communicate with you about the job and send you your images afterwards; sometimes phone numbers if it’s easier to talk and arrange things on the phone and in case of emergency; names so I know who I’m speaking to; and dates and addresses so I know where to turn up to at which time. These are basic things that I will need in order to carry out my work and without them I probably won’t be able to do it.

Due to the nature of a lot of my work (weddings especially) I may also ask for more personal information from you relating to your relationship/family etc. I might ask if there are any familial issues so I don’t put my foot in it when organising your family photos. I might ask for some background on your relationship like how you met, how you got engaged etc. for the purpose of helping me to get to know you which means I might have a better idea of what kind of photos you’d like me to take and how I might best engage with you to get that result.

Whilst you are in no way obliged to give me any non imperative information of that nature I do just think it is nice to get to know my clients on a personal level so that a level of trust is built up. Shooting weddings especially is a fairly intimate thing to do so it would be weird if we barely got to know each other at all and, in my opinion, would affect the quality of my work. That said no one is ever obliged to tell me any personal information I just think it helps and, you know, being a human being and all, I do occasionally like to have proper conversations with other human beings who happen to also be clients.

How might I use your data in ways not directly relevant to the job you’ve asked me to do?

I might:

• email you with relevant offers I think you might be interested in for example wedding print sales
• very occasionally I get the compulsion to write up a newsletter and send it to past clients. This so far has happened once in the years I’ve been full time so don’t expect loads of those.
• contact you on a personal level if we got on well in person and said we’d go for brunch or out swing dancing.

Do I share your data with anyone else?

If I have someone working for or with me on a job I will give them the information they need to carry out the work. This is usually just names and an address but often it makes sense to send them a contact number of a client especially if they are working separately to me.

I am not involved with any data miners and I do not sell information on or do data profiling. I wouldn’t even know how to do that.

How do I store your data?

The majority of my business is run over email so any names, addresses, email addresses and phone numbers are stored there which I access from my computers and phone. I keep contracts stored in Lightblue software and my Day in Detail forms are kept on hard drives on my computer. On the day of an event I will bring the information up on my phone for reference. My email account, software subscriptions, computers, hard drives and phone are all locked with scary long passwords so I’d be very unlucky to get hacked and I don’t share my passwords with anyone except in the case of serious emergency (illness/death). In the case of serious emergency I have a trusted associate who will be able to access these things in order that clients can be looked after/contacted if necessary.

Does your face in a photograph qualify as data and how are your photos stored?

We’re not sure yet. The GDPR gods are yet to decide but in the meantime, just so you know where your faces are kept, I store my photographs on encrypted external hard drives in my office and at home. I also keep your faces on password protected online galleries which are GDPR compliant. No one else (except for trusted-in-case-of-emergency person) has access to the passwords for these things and my home and office are protected by sufficiently secure locks.

How do I share photos of you?

Regardless of whether or not photos qualify as data I’m really sensitive to the fact that some of you may not want your photos to be shared publicly. When you read my contract you will see there is a clause in there about copyright belonging to me and how legally I can use photos I take however I like, HOWEVER, if you do not want me to share your photos I will respect that so please discuss it with me if you are concerned. Ways in which I might want to share your photos are:

• on my website
• on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Linkedin
• in marketing materials pertaining to my photography work for example newsletters, printed albums, in prints or material I might use at wedding fairs, in online galleries I might share with prospective clients.
• on my blog and on other wedding blogs
• occasionally newspapers/media outlets may want to buy your images in which case I would be in touch with you to see if you’d be happy about that.

In a nutshell if you do not want me to share your photos I won’t. Despite the fact I own the copyright of any photo I take (unless we arrange to sell it) I am a nice person and I will not share anything if you have expressed concern. If you have concerns about your images being shown in any of the ways I have outlined above please let me know and we can discuss it.

Right of confirmation, access, rectification and erasure

You have the right to ask for confirmation, access, rectification and erasure of your data at any time, just email me if you have cause to need to do this. This might not be a great idea if we are in the middle of a job or if I’m yet to complete work for you but essentially if you really want to do that you have the right to. If you do it before you pay me there may be legal ramifications but essentially you do have that right.

Basically…

The only data I will ask for is data that I deem necessary or beneficial to completing the job you’ve asked me to do. I am a morally responsible person with common sense and no desire to exploit you or your information and I just want to do the best job possible so really you have nothing to worry about. However if you do have any concerns or feel uncomfortable at any time about how I’m using your data just get in touch and we can talk!