Privacy Policy

**Last updated: October 2026**

1. About SO Studios

SO Studios is run by Sarah Oliver and provides photography services and children's art classes and workshops in Essex.

I respect your privacy and handle your personal information responsibly. This policy explains what information I collect, how I use it and how I keep it safe.

2. What information I collect

Depending on the services you use, I may collect the following information.

**Photography clients**

* Your name, email address, telephone number and other contact details.

* Details about your booking, chosen package, appointment date and payments.

* Information you provide about your family, children or other people taking part in a photoshoot.

* Photographs and other images taken during your session.

* Any information you choose to share with me about your requirements or preferences.

**Art classes and workshops**

* Parent or guardian names and contact details.

* Children's names and ages.

* Emergency contact details.

* Relevant allergy, medical or dietary information provided for a child's safety.

* Details about who is authorised to collect a child and any agreed collection password.

* Booking, attendance and payment information.

* Photography and image-sharing preferences.

I only ask for information that is relevant to providing my services, managing bookings and helping to keep children safe.

3. How I use your information

I use personal information to:

* Respond to enquiries and manage bookings.

* Provide photography sessions, art classes and workshops.

* Process payments and manage invoices.

* Contact you about appointments, changes or important information.

* Prepare, edit, deliver and store photographs and online galleries.

* Manage children's attendance, emergency arrangements, allergies and collection procedures.

* Understand your requirements and provide a suitable service.

* Keep appropriate business, financial and legal records.

* Meet my legal obligations and protect the safety of clients and children.

I use your information where I have a lawful basis to do so, such as fulfilling a contract, meeting a legal obligation, pursuing a legitimate business interest or obtaining your consent where required.

4. Children's information and photographs

For children attending my art classes, workshops or photography sessions, I may need to collect information from a parent or guardian to manage bookings and help keep children safe.

Information about allergies, medical needs and emergency contacts is handled carefully and only used where necessary for the relevant purpose.

Photographs of children are treated with care. I will ask a parent or guardian to indicate their preferences before using identifiable images of children for marketing purposes.

Taking part in a photography session or art class does not automatically mean you agree to photographs being used for promotional purposes.

You can contact me if you wish to discuss or change your image-sharing preferences.

5. Use of photographs for marketing

I love sharing examples of my work to help others see what I offer at SO Studios. I may use selected photographs on my website, social media and other promotional materials.

You will be asked to indicate your image-sharing preferences when booking. Your choice is optional and will not affect your photography session or participation in my art classes.

For photographs of children, permission must be provided by a parent or guardian.

If you have agreed to the use of your images and later change your mind, please contact me. I will stop using the images for future marketing where appropriate. This will not affect any use that was lawful before consent was withdrawn, although I cannot always remove materials that have already been printed or shared by others.

6. How I share your information

I do not sell your personal information.

I may share relevant information with trusted service providers where necessary to run my business, such as providers that help with:

* Booking and client management.

* Online photo galleries and image delivery.

* Payment processing and invoicing.

* Website hosting, email and business administration.

* Secure storage and backup of business information.

I may also disclose information where required by law or where necessary to protect someone's safety or legal rights.

I aim to share only the information necessary for the relevant purpose and take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information is handled appropriately by service providers.

7. Photographs and online galleries

Photographs may be stored digitally while I edit, deliver and manage your images.

Where an online gallery is used, you may be given access through a private link or other access controls. Please keep any private gallery link secure and only share it with people you are happy to have access to the images.

I recommend downloading your photographs and keeping your own backup once they have been delivered. Please refer to your booking information for details of how long your gallery will remain available.

I take reasonable steps to protect photographs and personal information, but no online service or method of electronic storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

8. How long I keep your information

I keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes explained in this policy, including providing my services, maintaining appropriate records and meeting legal or accounting requirements.

Different types of information may need to be kept for different periods. For example:

* Booking, invoice and payment records may be retained for the period required by applicable tax and accounting rules.

* Photography files and galleries may be retained in line with my business practices and the information provided with your booking.

* Children's class records are kept for as long as needed to manage attendance, safety and relevant legal responsibilities.

When information is no longer needed, I will take reasonable steps to delete it or dispose of it securely, unless there is a lawful reason to keep it for longer.

9. Keeping your information safe

I take reasonable measures to protect personal information from being lost, misused, accessed without permission or disclosed inappropriately.

Access to personal information is limited to what is needed to run my business and provide my services. I use third-party services where appropriate to help manage bookings, payments, photographs and business records.

Although I take care to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

10. Your data protection rights

Under UK data protection law, you may have the right to:

* Request a copy of the personal information I hold about you.

* Ask me to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete.

* Ask me to delete your information in certain circumstances.

* Ask me to restrict how I use your information in certain circumstances.

* Object to certain types of processing.

* Request the transfer of certain information to you or another organisation.

* Withdraw consent where I rely on consent to use your information.

These rights are subject to certain conditions and exceptions. For example, I may need to retain some information to meet legal obligations.

To make a request, please contact me using the details below.

11. Marketing and communication

I may contact you about an existing booking, your photographs, an art class or workshop, or other information directly related to a service you have requested.

If I send marketing communications, I will do so in accordance with applicable data protection and electronic marketing laws. You can ask me to stop sending marketing messages at any time.

12. Cookies and website use

My website may use cookies or similar technologies to help it function and understand how visitors use the site.

You can manage cookies through your browser settings, although disabling certain cookies may affect how the website works.

13. Links to other websites

My website may contain links to third-party websites or services. If you follow these links, those websites will have their own privacy policies and practices.

I am not responsible for the privacy practices of other websites, so I recommend reading their privacy information before providing personal details.

14. Changes to this policy

I may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes to my services, business practices or legal requirements.

The latest version will be published on my website, with the date of the most recent update shown at the top.

5. Contact me

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or would like to exercise your data protection rights, please contact:

**Sarah Oliver – SO Studios**

Email: info@so-studios.co.uk

Website: https://www.so-studios.co.uk