Privacy policy.

Effective Date: [25/07/2025]

Business Name: Ashton Food Photography

Website: www.ashtonfoodphotography.com

Contact Email: contact@ashtonfoodphotography.com

1. Introduction

At Ashton Food Photography (“we”, “our”, or “us”), we are committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and store your personal information when you visit our website or engage with our photography services.

We comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. What Data We Collect

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you interact with our website or show an interest in our services, when you participate in activities within the services, or when you contact us.

We collect and process the following categories of personal data:

  • Full name

  • Email address

  • Telephone number

  • Postal/billing address

  • Job title

  • Payment card details or transaction data (processed securely through third-party payment gateways)

  • IP address

  • Browser type and version

  • Time zone setting

  • Device information

  • Cookies and similar tracking technologies

  • Booking details (e.g., session type, date, location)

  • Communication records (emails or contact form entries)

  • Business details if relevant to the service

We do not intentionally collect any special category data (e.g., health, ethnicity, religious beliefs).

3. How We Collect Your Data

We collect your personal data when you:

  • Make a booking or enquiry through our website or email

  • Complete a contact form

  • Interact with our website (via cookies and analytics)

  • Provide information during a photoshoot or consultation

We may collect limited data from public databases, marketing partners, and other outside sources in order to provide relevant marketing, offers and services. this includes information such as email addresses, mailing addresses, phone numbers, job titles and social media profiles.

4. How We Use Your Data

We use your data to provide and administer our services, communicate with you, for security, and to comply with law. We use your data for the following purposes listed below.We use your personal information to:

  • Respond to enquiries and provide customer support

  • Manage and fulfil bookings and photography services

  • Process payments and issue invoices

  • Send updates or essential service-related communications

  • Analyse and improve our website and service delivery

  • Comply with legal obligations (e.g., tax or record-keeping)

We do not send unsolicited marketing messages or sell your data to third parties.

5. Analytics and Tracking Technologies

We use website analytics services to understand how visitors interact with our website and to improve its functionality and performance.

Squarespace Analytics

Our website is hosted on Squarespace, which automatically collects anonymised data such as visitor traffic volumes, pages viewed, referring websites, and approximate geographic locations. This data helps us monitor the performance of our website and ensure it runs smoothly.

Google Analytics

We also use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC. Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies to collect and analyse information about your use of the website. This may include:

  • Pages visited

  • Time spent on each page

  • Browser and device type

  • General geographic location (based on IP address)

This information is collected in an aggregated and anonymised form and is not used to identify individual users. The data helps us understand how users engage with our content and make improvements accordingly.

You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

If you would like more information about how Google uses your data, please visit: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites

Managing Analytics Cookies

You can choose to disable analytics cookies through your browser settings or decline non-essential cookies via our website’s cookie banner.

6. Legal Basis for Processing

We only process your information when necessary and when we have a valid legal reason to do so under applicable law, such as your consent, to comply with laws, to provide you with services to enter into or fulfil contractual obligations, to protect your rights, or to fulfil our legitimate business interests.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR, the lawful bases we rely on to process your personal information include:

  • Contractual necessity: to fulfil our contractual obligations with you such as providing our service.

  • Consent: to use your personal information for a specific purpose if you have given us permission. Your can withdraw your consent at any time.

  • Legal obligation: to comply with our legal obligations, such as financial or regulatory duties, too cooperate with a law enforcement body or to exercise or defend our legal rights,

  • Legitimate interests: to manage and grow our business responsibly and securely, or to protect your legitimate interests or legitimate interests of a third party.

7. Data Sharing and Third Parties

We may share your data with trusted third parties to help us deliver our services. These may include:

  • Website hosting providers

  • Secure payment processors (e.g., Stripe, PayPal)

  • File transfer services (e.g., WeTransfer, Dropbox)

  • Cloud storage or CRM systems

  • Legal or financial advisors (for compliance)

These providers are only permitted to process your data on our behalf and in accordance with UK data protection laws. We do not sell or rent your personal data.

8. International Data Transfers

Some of our third-party service providers operate or store data outside the UK. Where such transfers occur, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:

  • Data transfer to countries with UK adequacy regulations

  • Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

9. Data Retention

We only retain your personal data for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this privacy policy, such as:

  • Delivering your requested services

  • Complying with legal, tax, or accounting obligations

  • Resolving disputes and enforcing our agreements

Typically, booking records and transaction data are retained for 6–7 years for tax and legal purposes.

You may request deletion of non-essential data at any time, and we will comply unless we are legally obligated to retain it.

10. Your Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have the following rights:

  • Access – request and obtain a copy of the personal data we hold

  • Rectification – correct inaccurate or incomplete data

  • Erasure – request deletion of data in certain circumstances

  • Restriction – ask us to limit how we use your data

  • Objection – object to our use of your data for certain purposes

  • Data portability – request to transfer your data to another service provider

  • Withdraw consent – if we are relying your consent to process your personal information, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at: contact@ashtonfoodphotography.com

If you believe we are unlawfully procession your personal information, you also have the right to complain to the UK data protection authority.

11. Cookies and Website Tracking

We may use cookies and other tracking technologies to collect and store your information, as well as other purposes such as:

  • Ensure website functionality

  • Monitor traffic via tools like Google Analytics

  • Remember user preferences

You can control or delete cookies via your browser settings. Continued use of our website is considered consent to cookie usage unless otherwise specified.

For more details, see our Cookie Policy

12. Data Security

We take reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including:

  • Secure access controls

  • Encrypted data transmission where applicable

  • Regular software and plugin updates

  • Limiting access to personal data to authorised persons only

Despite this, no system is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of data transmitted online. Therefore, transmission of any personal information to and from our Services is at your own risk, you should only access the Services within a secure environment.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in legislation, our practices, or technology. Any updates will be posted on this page with a new “Effective Date.”

We recommend you check back periodically.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions or wish to exercise your rights, contact:

Ashton Food Photography

Email: contact@ashtonfoodphotography.com

Website: www.ashtonfoodphotography.com

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk.