Last updated: 25 October 2026


Privacy Policy


At Emily Edgar Photography, I take your privacy seriously. Whether you're enquiring about photography, booking a session or receiving your final photographs, I want you to feel confident about how your personal information and images are handled.


This Privacy Policy explains what information I collect, why I use it, how it is stored and shared, and your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable privacy laws.


1. Who Is Responsible for Your Information?


Emily Edgar Photography is operated by Emily Edgar, an independent photographer based in Lewes, East Sussex, United Kingdom.

I am the data controller for the personal information I collect and use in connection with my photography business.


Contact: contact@emilyedgarphotography.com

Website: www.emilyedgarphotography.com


You can contact me using the email address above with questions about this policy or to exercise your data protection rights.


2. What Information Do I Collect?


Depending on how you interact with my business, I may collect:

  • Your name, email address, telephone number and other contact details.
  • Information you provide about your wedding, portrait session or photography enquiry.
  • Event dates, venues, locations, schedules and relevant supplier details.
  • Billing information, transaction records and delivery addresses for physical products.
  • Communications exchanged through email, WhatsApp, enquiry forms or video calls.
  • Photographs and other information created while providing photography services.
  • Gallery activity and information necessary to manage photograph downloads or purchases.
  • Website usage information, including technical data collected through cookies or analytics tools.


I may also receive information from a partner, wedding planner, venue or another person involved in arranging a booking.


Where reasonably necessary to provide a service, you may choose to share information about accessibility requirements, health considerations or other personal circumstances. I will only use such information for the relevant purpose and where an appropriate lawful basis and any required additional condition apply.


I do not intentionally collect more personal information than is needed.


3. How and Why I Use Your Information


I use personal information for the following purposes:

  • Enquiries and communications
  • To respond to questions, prepare quotations, arrange consultations and discuss potential bookings.
  • Photography bookings
  • To prepare agreements, process payments, plan photography sessions, communicate with Clients and fulfil the services agreed.
  • Photographic services and delivery
  • To capture, edit, organise, store and deliver photographs through private galleries.
  • Business administration
  • To maintain appropriate booking, financial and transaction records, manage disputes and comply with legal obligations.
  • Website operation and security
  • To maintain the website, understand its performance, prevent misuse and protect business information.
  • Portfolio and promotional purposes
  • To share photographs where appropriate permission has been obtained, as explained in Section 7.


I do not sell client contact information or photographic files to data brokers or third-party advertisers.


4. Lawful Bases for Processing


Under UK GDPR, I must have a lawful basis for using personal information.


Depending on the purpose, I rely on:


Contract

Where processing is necessary to provide an agreed photography service or take steps requested before entering into a contract. This includes managing bookings, communicating about arrangements, processing orders and delivering photographs.


Legitimate Interests

Where reasonably necessary to operate and protect my business, respond to enquiries, maintain appropriate records, secure my systems and manage client relationships, provided those interests are not overridden by an individual's rights and freedoms.

Where this basis is used, I consider whether the processing is necessary, proportionate and reasonably expected.


Legal Obligation

Where information must be retained or processed to comply with applicable tax, accounting or other legal requirements.


Consent

Where I seek your permission for optional activities, including public promotional use of commissioned photographs and certain types of marketing.


Consent is voluntary and may be withdrawn at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing undertaken before consent was withdrawn.


Different lawful bases may apply to different uses of the same information.


5. Enquiries and Communication

When you contact me through my website, email, social media or another communication method, I use the information provided to respond and discuss your enquiry.


I may send reasonable follow-up messages relating to an enquiry you have made.


If you proceed with a booking, relevant information will become part of your booking records.


If you do not proceed, I will retain enquiry information only for as long as reasonably necessary to manage the enquiry, any follow-up and related business administration.


I do not automatically add people who enquire to an ongoing marketing mailing list.


Any separate promotional emails or messages will be sent only where permitted by applicable electronic marketing and data protection rules. Where required, I will obtain your consent and provide a way to opt out.


WhatsApp Communication

Following confirmation of a booking, I may offer to create a WhatsApp group with the Clients to make wedding planning and communication easier.


Participation is optional, and email remains available as an alternative.

If you join a WhatsApp group, your telephone number and certain profile information may be visible to other members. WhatsApp also processes information under its own privacy arrangements.


6. Photography, Editing and Secure Storage

During a photography session, images are captured using professional photographic equipment and stored on memory cards.


Following the session, photographic files are transferred to secured storage devices for editing, processing and backup.

I take reasonable technical and organisational precautions to protect files against unauthorised access, loss, damage or disclosure. These include password protection, restricted access and appropriate backup procedures.


Editing and AI-Assisted Tools


I may use professional editing software with AI-assisted functions to improve photographic quality, including adjustments to sharpness, exposure or minor distractions.


My editing approach prioritises natural, authentic photographs and does not seek to misrepresent the people or events documented.

Where local editing tools are used, photographs are processed on my own devices. Any use of externally hosted processing services will be assessed for appropriate privacy and data protection safeguards.


I do not authorise photographs to be used to train third-party generative AI models as part of my photography services.


7. Photograph Privacy, Portfolio Use and Private Viewings


I understand that photographs, particularly wedding and family portraits, can be deeply personal.


Although copyright in the photographs generally remains with Emily Edgar Photography, this does not remove the privacy or data protection rights of the individuals photographed.


Private Client Galleries


Final photographs are normally delivered through a private, password-protected online gallery using Pixieset.


The gallery may be shared with people authorised by the Clients, subject to the applicable gallery settings and personal use licence.


Clients are responsible for considering whom they invite to access their gallery and for keeping any private access credentials secure.


Public Portfolio and Marketing

I may request permission to share selected photographs through:

  • My professional photography website and portfolio.
  • Instagram and other social media accounts.
  • Blog posts and professional promotional materials.


For privately commissioned wedding and portrait photographs, public portfolio permission is requested separately from acceptance of the photography agreement.


If permission is declined, or no valid permission has been recorded, the photographs will not be published by me for these promotional purposes.


Where permission is granted, I may select and share appropriate photographs without requesting approval for each individual image, subject to the agreed permissions and any specific privacy restrictions.

Clients are welcome to identify particular people, moments or photographs they would prefer not to be shared.


Permission can be withdrawn at any time by contacting me. I will stop future promotional use and take reasonable steps to remove affected photographs from platforms within my control. Copies previously shared or saved by third parties may not always be recoverable.

The privacy rights of other individuals appearing in photographs, including children, will also be considered.


Private Portfolio Viewings During Introductory Consultations


As part of my photography enquiry process, I may show carefully selected examples of previous work during a private, live video consultation with a prospective Client, including through Google Meet.

These viewings allow prospective Clients to understand my photographic style and see examples of complete wedding or portrait collections beyond the photographs displayed publicly on my website.

Photographs will only be included in these viewings where I have appropriate permission to use them for this purpose, including existing portfolio permission or separately agreed permission for private presentation.


During these consultations:

  • Photographs are shared and may be also be discussed through a supervised screen-sharing presentation.
  • Original photographic files and private gallery access are not shared or supplied to prospective Clients.
  • The presentation is not recorded by me.
  • Reasonable care is taken not to display photographs subject to known privacy restrictions.
  • Images involving particularly sensitive or intimate circumstances will not be used without appropriate specific permission.


Private viewing permission can be granted independently of permission for public website or social media sharing.


If you have requested that your photographs remain entirely private, I will respect that preference and will not include them in consultations without your separate permission.


You may contact me at any time to ask that your photographs are excluded from future private portfolio viewings.


Third-Party Suppliers and Publications


Photographs are not provided to wedding venues, suppliers, commercial businesses, publications or other organisations for their independent promotional use without appropriate permission or another applicable legal justification.


8. Online Galleries and Photographic Retention


My wedding photography agreements provide access to the final online gallery for a minimum of 12 months following delivery.


Other photography services may have different gallery availability periods, as explained in the relevant agreement.


I will endeavour to provide advance notice before a client gallery is removed.


Clients are responsible for downloading and securely backing up their photographs while the gallery is available.


How Long Information Is Kept


I retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or where a longer period is required or permitted by law.


My intended retention arrangements are:

  • Unsuccessful enquiries: Normally retained for no longer than 12 months after the last meaningful contact, unless an ongoing enquiry, dispute or other justified reason requires longer.
  • Booking and financial records: Normally retained for up to six years following completion of the booking, or longer where required for legal, tax or dispute-related purposes.
  • Online wedding galleries: Available for at least 12 months from delivery, with any longer availability determined by the relevant service arrangements.
  • Working and unedited photographic files: Retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for editing, quality assurance, backup and related obligations, and periodically reviewed for deletion.
  • Final edited photographs: May be retained securely for a reasonable period after gallery expiry to assist with legitimate client enquiries, re-delivery requests and the management of the Photographer's professional archive. Retention is subject to periodic review and the continuing need for identifiable files.
  • Portfolio photographs: May be retained while lawfully used for professional portfolio purposes, subject to any applicable withdrawal of permission, privacy request and retention review.
  • Communications: Kept for as long as reasonably necessary for the booking, business administration and applicable legal obligations.

Photographs and other files are not guaranteed to be held indefinitely.

Requests for deletion will be assessed in accordance with applicable data protection rights and any lawful reasons for continued retention.


9. Third-Party Services and Data Sharing

To operate my photography business, I use selected external service providers.


Depending on the services requested, these may include:

  • Pixieset: Online photographic galleries, digital downloads and print ordering.
  • Google Meet: Private video consultations and client meetings.
  • WhatsApp: Optional messaging and group communications.
  • Website and email providers: Enquiry forms, communications and website hosting.
  • Payment and invoicing providers: Booking payments, invoices and transaction records.
  • Professional photographic laboratories: Printing and fulfilling orders for physical products.
  • Professional advisers or authorities: Where necessary for accounting, legal advice or compliance with legal obligations.


Only information reasonably necessary for the relevant service will be shared.


These providers may process personal information on my behalf or operate as independent data controllers for their own services, depending on the circumstances.


Where a provider processes personal information on my behalf, I take reasonable steps to assess the provider and ensure appropriate data protection arrangements are in place.


I do not routinely provide identifiable client photographs to unrelated businesses for their own promotional purposes.


10. International Data Transfers

Some of the software and service providers used by Emily Edgar Photography, or their subcontractors, may process or store personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, I take steps to ensure that any transfer complies with applicable UK data protection requirements.

Depending on the location and circumstances, this may involve UK adequacy regulations, recognised international data transfer safeguards or another lawful transfer mechanism.

You can contact me for further information about international processing and the safeguards relevant to your personal information.

Providing information to my business does not, by itself, constitute consent to unrestricted international transfers.


11. Website Cookies and Analytics

My website may use cookies and similar technologies to support its operation, understand performance and, where enabled, measure advertising activity.


These may include:

  • Essential cookies - used to provide necessary website features, security and functionality.
  • Website analytics
  • Tools such as Google Analytics may be used to understand website visits, page performance and how people interact with the site.


Where an analytics tool meets the legal requirements for the statistical purposes exception, it may operate with clear information and a simple, free means of objecting. Otherwise, consent will be sought where required.


Advertising and tracking technologies

Where enabled, tools such as the Meta Pixel may collect information about website interactions for advertising measurement or targeting.

Advertising and other non-exempt tracking technologies will only be activated where valid consent has been obtained.


Visitors must be given appropriate information and controls to manage applicable cookie and tracking preferences.


Simply visiting or continuing to browse the website does not constitute consent to non-essential tracking.


Further information about the active technologies and available choices will be provided through the website's cookie information and preference controls.


12. Your Data Protection Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights concerning your personal information. Their application depends on the circumstances and the lawful basis for processing.


These include:

  1. Right of access: You may request access to personal information held about you.
  2. Right to rectification: You may ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected.
  3. Right to erasure: You may request deletion of personal information where the relevant legal conditions are met.
  4. Right to restriction: You may request that certain processing is limited in appropriate circumstances.
  5. Right to data portability: You may request certain information in a portable format where this right applies.
  6. Right to object: You may object to processing based on legitimate interests, including eligible processing relating to photographs or private portfolio presentations.
  7. Right to withdraw consent: Where consent is the lawful basis, you may withdraw it at any time.


You also have rights relating to certain automated decisions and profiling where applicable. I do not make decisions about Clients based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects.


You can object to the use of your personal information for direct marketing at any time.


To exercise your rights or raise a privacy concern, please email:

contact@emilyedgarphotography.com


I will respond within the applicable legal timeframe, usually one month, subject to any lawful extensions.


I may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests.

Some information may need to be retained where there is an overriding legal obligation or another lawful reason.


13. Complaints

If you have concerns about the way your personal information has been handled, please contact me first so I can investigate and try to resolve the matter.


You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent data protection regulator.

Website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/


You do not need to contact me before making a complaint to the ICO.


14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

I may update this Privacy Policy as my business develops, my services change or applicable laws and guidance are updated.


The latest version will be published on my website with a revised update date.


Where a change materially affects the way personal information is used, I will take appropriate steps to inform affected individuals where required.


Emily Edgar Photography

Lewes, East Sussex, United Kingdom

contact@emilyedgarphotography.com

www.emilyedgarphotography.com