PrivacyPolicy

The information we collect depends on how you interact with us and which services you request.

Information you provide directly

• Contact information, including your name, email address, telephone number, mailing address, and preferred contact method.
• Session and event information, such as desired service, session participants, children's ages, due dates, school or graduation details, wedding date and venue, pet information, scheduling preferences, accessibility or safety needs, and other planning details you choose to share.
• Order and transaction information, including services selected, invoices, order history, delivery details, and payment status. Payment-card information is generally collected and processed by our payment provider rather than stored directly by our studio.
• Communications, including inquiries, emails, text messages, reviews, survey responses, social-media messages, and notes from consultations or ordering appointments.
• Photographs and creative materials, including images we create, images or inspiration you submit, gallery selections, retouching requests, design approvals, and product-order specifications.

Information collected automatically

When you visit our website, website and analytics providers may automatically receive technical information such as your IP address, device and browser type, approximate location, referring page, pages viewed, dates and times of visits, clicks, and cookie or similar identifiers.

Information from other sources

We may receive information from a spouse or family member organizing a session, a school or team representative, a wedding professional, a referral partner, social-media platform, booking provider, payment provider, or another person authorized to communicate with us.

We use personal information to operate our studio and provide the services you request, including to:

• respond to inquiries and schedule consultations, sessions, events, and ordering appointments;
• prepare for and photograph sessions safely and efficiently;
• create, edit, retouch, archive, display, deliver, and license photographs as authorized by our agreements;
• process reservations, payments, refunds, product orders, shipping, and account records;
• provide galleries, slideshows, mobile apps, albums, prints, wall art, announcements, and other products;
• send appointment reminders, gallery notices, order updates, service messages, and requested marketing communications;
• personalize and improve our website, services, offers, and client experience;
• maintain security, prevent fraud or misuse, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, and comply with legal or tax obligations; and
• protect the rights, safety, property, and integrity of our clients, team, studio, and service providers.

Where required, we rely on your consent. In other circumstances, we process information because it is necessary to provide requested services, fulfill a contract, meet legal obligations, or support legitimate studio operations.

Photographs and videos may identify you or members of your family. We process client images to edit and retouch photographs, create previews, host galleries, prepare products, fulfill orders, provide backup or archival services, and deliver the services described in your agreement.

Public display is separate from private service delivery. Whether we may use an image on our website, social media, printed portfolio, advertising, publications, competitions, educational materials, or studio samples depends on the permissions contained in your signed agreement, model release, or separate written authorization.

Online galleries may be protected by a password, PIN, or private link. You are responsible for sharing gallery access carefully. Anyone with the access link, password, or download PIN may be able to view, share, order, or download images according to the gallery settings.

Unless a written agreement promises a specific storage period, image files and galleries may be retained for archival, contractual, legal, or business-continuity purposes. We do not guarantee permanent storage, and clients should securely back up all delivered digital files.

Our website and service providers may use cookies, pixels, local storage, and similar technologies. These tools may be necessary for site security and functionality, help remember preferences, measure website traffic and performance, understand how visitors use the site, or support advertising and campaign measurement.

You can manage available choices through the website cookie banner when presented, your browser settings, device settings, or recognized opt-out tools. Blocking some cookies may affect website features.

Standard browser “Do Not Track” signals are not interpreted consistently across the internet. Where required and technically supported, we use available consent controls or recognized privacy-preference signals.

We may contact you about inquiries, appointments, payments, galleries, orders, contracts, safety information, or other service-related matters. These communications are part of providing requested services and may continue even if you opt out of promotional messages.

If you subscribe to promotional email, you may unsubscribe using the link in the message or by contacting us. If you opt in to promotional text messages, you may reply STOP to opt out and HELP for assistance. Message and data rates may apply.

We do not provide your mobile number, email address, or messaging consent to unaffiliated third parties for their own independent marketing.

We do not sell client contact information, session details, or photographs for monetary consideration. We may disclose information in the following limited circumstances:

• Studio team and contractors: employees, photographers, assistants, editors, designers, and other contractors who need information to perform services for us.
• Technology and operations providers: website hosting, booking, payment, contract, email, text, cloud-storage, backup, gallery, delivery, accounting, analytics, security, and customer-management providers.
• Professional labs and fulfillment partners: printing labs, album manufacturers, framing or artwork vendors, packaging suppliers, and shipping carriers used to create and deliver your order.
• Professional advisers: attorneys, accountants, insurers, financial institutions, or consultants when reasonably necessary.
• Legal and safety purposes: government agencies, law enforcement, courts, or other parties when required by law or reasonably necessary to protect rights, safety, property, prevent fraud, or enforce agreements.
• Business changes: a successor or prospective purchaser in connection with a merger, sale, reorganization, financing, or transfer of all or part of the business, subject to appropriate protections.

Some providers process information under their own privacy notices. Our website is hosted using Squarespace, and reservations or payments may be processed using Square. Their practices are governed by their respective policies.

We retain information for as long as reasonably necessary to respond to inquiries, perform services, maintain client and image archives, fulfill orders, preserve business and tax records, enforce agreements, resolve disputes, and meet legal obligations. Retention periods vary based on the type of record, the services provided, backup schedules, contractual commitments, and applicable law.

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to the nature of the information we maintain. These may include access controls, passwords, secured systems, limited staff access, reputable service providers, and protected physical records.

No website, transmission, storage system, or security practice can guarantee absolute security. Please do not send full payment-card numbers, Social Security numbers, medical records, passwords, or other highly sensitive information through ordinary email, text messages, or website forms.

Depending on where you live and whether a privacy law applies to us or your information, you may have the right to:

• confirm whether we process personal information about you and request access to it;
• correct inaccurate personal information;
• request deletion of certain personal information;
• receive a portable copy of certain information you provided;
• opt out of certain targeted advertising, profiling, or data sales as those terms are defined by applicable law;
• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; or
• appeal a decision concerning a qualifying privacy request.

These rights are not absolute. We may need to verify your identity, and we may retain information when permitted or required for contracts, transactions, taxes, security, legal claims, image-usage rights, or other lawful purposes. We will not discriminate against you for making a qualifying request.

To submit a request, email info@mattandsheaphotography.com with the subject line Privacy Request or contact us using the information below. Please describe the request and the information or service involved. We may ask for reasonable information to verify your identity and authority.

Our website and booking services are directed to adults and are not designed for children under 13 to submit personal information independently. Parents, guardians, schools, teams, or authorized representatives may provide information about minors when arranging photography services.

When photographing a minor, we rely on the parent, legal guardian, school, team, or other authorized contracting party to provide required permissions and accurate information. If you believe a child submitted personal information without appropriate permission, please contact us so we can review the matter.

Our website, emails, galleries, or social-media pages may link to services we do not control. When you leave our website or interact directly with another platform, that provider's terms and privacy notice apply. We encourage you to review them before providing personal information.

Information you post publicly on social media, review websites, comments, or other public areas may be seen, copied, or used by others. Please avoid posting private gallery passwords, download PINs, personal contact information, or confidential session details publicly.

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our services, technology, vendors, practices, or legal obligations. The effective or last-updated date at the top of this page shows when the latest version took effect.

Material changes may be communicated by posting a notice on our website or using another reasonable method. Your continued use of the website or services after an update is subject to the revised policy to the extent permitted by law.

For questions about this policy, our privacy practices, or a privacy request, contact:

Matt & Shea Photography
3835 Hixson Pike
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37415
423-521-7427
info@mattandsheaphotography.com

Please do not include highly sensitive information in an initial email or website message. We will provide a more appropriate way to share information if verification is needed.