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Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Headshot Hotel provides professional headshot, portrait, personal branding and commercial photography services.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, the data controller is:

Headshot Hotel
Operated by Peter Morgan / Morgan James Photo
Based in Penarth, Cardiff, Wales, UK
Email: info@headshothotel.co.uk
Website: www.headshothotel.co.uk

This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect your personal information when you visit our website, make an enquiry, book a session, attend a shoot, purchase images or communicate with us.

2. The personal information we collect

We may collect and process the following types of personal information:

Information you provide directly

This may include:

  • Your name

  • Email address

  • Phone number

  • Business name

  • Job title

  • Billing details

  • Booking information

  • Details about your photography requirements

  • Messages you send through contact forms, email, social media or booking systems

  • Preferences relating to your session, image choices or delivery

Photography and image data

As a photography business, we may also collect and process:

  • Photographs and digital images of you

  • Image selections, favourites or purchasing choices

  • Retouched versions of selected images

  • Usage preferences or agreed image licensing terms

If you can be identified from a photograph, that photograph will usually be considered personal data under UK data protection law. The ICO gives similar guidance in relation to identifiable photographs. 

Website and technical data

When you visit our website, we may collect limited technical information such as:

  • IP address

  • Browser type

  • Device type

  • Pages visited

  • Time spent on the website

  • Referring website or search engine

  • Cookie preferences

This may be collected through website analytics, cookies or similar technologies.

3. How we collect your information

We collect personal information when you:

  • Fill in a contact form

  • Book a photography session

  • Email, call or message us

  • Attend a headshot or photography session

  • View, select or purchase images through an online gallery

  • Subscribe to updates or marketing emails

  • Interact with our website or social media pages

  • Pay an invoice or purchase a product or service

We may also receive limited information through third-party services we use to run the business, such as website hosting, booking platforms, gallery providers, payment processors, email marketing tools and analytics providers.

4. How we use your personal information

We use your personal information to:

  • Respond to enquiries

  • Arrange and manage bookings

  • Provide photography services

  • Prepare for your session

  • Edit, retouch and deliver your images

  • Host private online galleries

  • Process payments and invoices

  • Manage contracts, licences and client records

  • Provide customer support

  • Send service-related messages

  • Send marketing emails where you have opted in or where we have a legitimate business relationship

  • Improve our website, services and client experience

  • Keep appropriate business and tax records

  • Protect our legal rights and prevent fraud or misuse of our services

5. Our lawful basis for using your data

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for using your personal information. Depending on the situation, we may rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We use your information where it is necessary to provide the photography services you have requested, including managing bookings, delivering images and processing payments.

Legitimate interests

We may use your information where it is necessary for the legitimate running of our business, such as responding to enquiries, improving our services, keeping business records, managing client relationships and protecting our work.

Consent

We may rely on your consent for certain uses, such as:

  • Sending marketing emails where consent is required

  • Using cookies that are not strictly necessary

  • Using your images for promotional purposes where separate permission is needed

Legal obligation

We may need to keep certain information to comply with legal, accounting or tax obligations.

The ICO recommends that organisations are clear and transparent about their lawful basis and how they use personal data. 

6. How we use your images

Your photographs are used primarily to provide the service you booked.

We may use images for:

  • Editing and retouching

  • Private gallery delivery

  • Print/product fulfilment

  • Client proofing and selection

  • Portfolio, website, social media or marketing use, but only where we have an appropriate right or permission to do so

We will not sell your personal images to third parties.

For corporate or team headshot sessions, your employer or commissioning organisation may receive selected images depending on the agreed booking terms.

7. Marketing

We may send you occasional updates, offers, useful photography-related information or news about Headshot Hotel services.

You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link in the email or contacting us directly.

We will not sell your contact details to third-party marketing companies.

8. Cookies and analytics

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to help it work properly, understand visitor behaviour and improve the user experience.

Cookies may be used for:

  • Essential website functionality

  • Security

  • Remembering preferences

  • Website analytics

  • Marketing or advertising, where used

The UK rules on cookies are covered by the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, known as PECR, and analytics cookies generally require user consent unless they are strictly necessary. 

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. Where required, our website will ask for your consent before setting non-essential cookies.

9. Who we share your data with

We only share personal information where necessary to run our business and provide our services.

This may include:

  • Website hosting providers

  • Email providers

  • Booking systems

  • Online gallery platforms

  • Payment processors

  • Accountants or bookkeepers

  • Print labs or product suppliers

  • Cloud storage providers

  • Retouching or editing software/services

  • IT support providers

  • Legal or professional advisers

  • Law enforcement, regulators or public authorities where required by law

We only share the information needed for the relevant purpose.

10. International transfers

Some of the services we use may process or store data outside the UK.

Where this happens, we will take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as recognised contractual protections or adequacy arrangements where applicable.

11. How long we keep your information

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary.

Typical retention periods may include:

  • Enquiry details: up to 24 months

  • Client booking and contract records: up to 7 years for accounting and legal purposes

  • Invoices and payment records: up to 7 years

  • Final delivered image galleries: for a reasonable period after delivery, unless otherwise agreed

  • Edited image files and archives: retained for business continuity, portfolio, backup and client service purposes

  • Marketing data: until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove you

Photography archives may be retained for longer where there is a legitimate business reason, such as re-orders, client support, portfolio history, copyright protection or record keeping.

12. How we protect your data

We take appropriate steps to protect your personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure.

This may include:

  • Password-protected systems

  • Secure cloud storage

  • Access controls

  • Device security

  • Backup systems

  • Secure gallery links

  • Limited access to client files

  • Keeping software and systems reasonably up to date

No online system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we take data protection seriously and use appropriate measures for the type of information we hold.

13. Your data protection rights

Under UK data protection law, you have rights over your personal information. These may include the right to:

  • Access the personal information we hold about you

  • Ask us to correct inaccurate information

  • Ask us to delete your information

  • Ask us to restrict how we use your information

  • Object to certain uses of your information

  • Withdraw consent where we rely on consent

  • Ask for a copy of your information in a portable format

  • Complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office

You can contact us at [insert your email address] to exercise your rights.

You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you are unhappy with how your data has been handled. The ICO is the UK’s data protection regulator. 

14. Children’s data

Our services are generally intended for adults, professionals, businesses and organisations.

Where we photograph children or young people, we will usually do so with the involvement and permission of a parent, guardian, school, organisation or responsible adult, depending on the circumstances.

15. Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, platforms or services.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites. You should read their own privacy policies before providing personal information to them.

16. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our business, website, services or legal obligations.

The latest version will always be available on this page.

17. Contact us

For any questions about this privacy policy or how we use your personal information, please contact:

​

Email: info@headshothotel.co.uk

​

Phone: 079 9999 6473

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