Last updated: 24 March 2026

1. Who We Are

Hibbard Photography is a family photography business based in Harlow, Essex. Our studio is located at Moot House, Harlow, Essex, CM20 3AG. For any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us at louise@hibbardphotography.co.uk or call 07719 322319.

2. What Data We Collect

We may collect the following personal information:

• Contact information: Your name, email address, phone number, and postal address when you enquire about or book a session

• Session details: Information about your session preferences, children's names and ages, and any relevant medical information you choose to share (e.g. for newborn sessions)

• Photographs: Images taken during your photography session

• Payment information: Payment details processed securely through our payment provider (we do not store card details)

• Website usage data: Cookies and analytics data collected when you browse our website (see Section 7)

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To respond to enquiries and communicate with you about sessions

• To book, prepare for, and deliver photography sessions

• To edit, store, and deliver your photographs

• To process payments and manage bookings

• To send session reminders and follow-up communications

• To improve our website and services through analytics

• To display portfolio images on our website and social media (with your consent)

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we process your data based on the following legal grounds:

• Contract: Processing necessary to fulfil our contract with you (booking and delivering a photography session)

• Consent: Where you have given consent for us to use your images in our portfolio, on social media, or for marketing purposes

• Legitimate interest: To respond to enquiries, improve our services, and maintain business records

5. How We Store and Protect Your Data

Your personal data is stored securely. Digital files are kept on encrypted, password-protected storage. We retain your contact information and session records for up to 6 years for business and legal purposes. Photographs are retained indefinitely unless you request their deletion. We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes.

6. Third-Party Services

Our website and business operations use the following third-party services that may process your data:

• Squarespace: Website hosting and contact forms (squarespace.com/privacy)

• Google Fonts: Font delivery for our website (policies.google.com/privacy)

• Cloudflare: Website security and performance (cloudflare.com/privacypolicy)

• Instagram and Facebook: Social media platforms where we share portfolio images (with your consent)

Each of these services has their own privacy policy governing how they handle data. We encourage you to review their policies.

7. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to provide a functional browsing experience and to understand how visitors use the site. Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website.

• Essential cookies: Required for the website to function (e.g. session management, security). These cannot be disabled.

• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors use the site (e.g. pages visited, time on site). These are set by Squarespace analytics.

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse or delete cookies. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of the website.

8. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you

• Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data

• Right to erasure: Request deletion of your data (subject to legal obligations)

• Right to restrict processing: Request that we limit how we use your data

• Right to data portability: Request your data in a portable format

• Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interest

• Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw consent for portfolio or marketing use of your images at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at louise@hibbardphotography.co.uk. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Children's Data

As a family photographer, we regularly photograph children. We only photograph children with the explicit consent of their parent or legal guardian. Parents or guardians may request the deletion of any photographs of their children at any time. We take additional care to ensure children's images are used respectfully and only with consent.

10. Portfolio and Social Media Use

We may wish to use photographs from your session in our portfolio, on our website, and on social media to showcase our work. We will always ask for your written consent before using any images publicly. You may withdraw this consent at any time by contacting us, and we will remove the images within a reasonable timeframe.

11. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection authority. You can contact the ICO at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113. We would appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns first, so please contact us before escalating to the ICO.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The updated policy will be posted on this page with the revised date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.