Privacy Policy

At Aurora Visuals, located at 123 Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98101, we are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, and safeguard your personal information. Our lead Privacy Officer is Sarah Chen, who can be reached at [email protected] or (206) 555-1212. This policy is effective as of January 1, 2025.

Information We Collect

We collect information to provide you with the best possible photography services. The types of information we collect include:

• Personal Information: This includes your name, email address, phone number, and address, which you provide when booking a session, subscribing to our newsletter, or contacting us.
• Payment Information: When you book a session, we collect payment information such as credit card details or other payment methods. This information is processed securely through our payment processor. We do not store your full credit card details on our servers.
• Session Details: We collect information about the type of photography session you are interested in (e.g., portrait, wedding, commercial), the date and time, and any specific requests or preferences you have.
• Photographs: We collect the photographs taken during your session. These photos are stored securely and are used to fulfill your order and provide you with our services.
• Website Usage Data: We collect information about how you use our website, including your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages visited, and the dates/times of your visits. This information is collected using cookies and similar technologies.
• Communications: We retain records of any communications you have with us, including emails, phone calls, and chat logs, to provide better customer service and improve our services.

How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

• Providing Services: To schedule and conduct photography sessions, process payments, deliver photographs, and provide customer support.
• Communication: To communicate with you about your session, send you updates, respond to your inquiries, and provide information about our services.
• Marketing: With your consent, we may send you promotional emails about new services, special offers, or other information we think you may find interesting. You can opt out of receiving these emails at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the email.
• Improving Our Services: To analyze website usage data and customer feedback to improve our website, services, and customer experience.
• Legal Compliance: To comply with legal obligations, such as responding to subpoenas or court orders.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Specifically:

• Personal Information: We retain your personal information for as long as you are a customer and for a reasonable period afterward to resolve disputes, enforce our agreements, and comply with legal obligations.
• Payment Information: Payment information is retained only as long as necessary to process your payment and comply with financial regulations.
• Photographs: We retain your photographs indefinitely unless you request their deletion. We may use these photos for marketing purposes with your consent.
• Website Usage Data: We retain website usage data for up to two years for analytical purposes.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to collect website usage data and improve your browsing experience. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device when you visit our website. We use both session cookies (which expire when you close your browser) and persistent cookies (which remain on your device for a longer period). You can control cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling cookies may affect your ability to use certain features of our website. For more information, please see our Cookies Policy.

Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to provide our services:

• Payment Processors: We use Stripe and PayPal to process payments securely. Their privacy policies govern the handling of your payment information.
• Email Marketing: We use Mailchimp to send promotional emails. Their privacy policy governs the handling of your email address.
• Analytics: We use Google Analytics to analyze website usage data. Their privacy policy governs the handling of your website usage data.
• Cloud Storage: We use Amazon S3 to store your photographs securely. Their privacy policy governs the handling of your stored data.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party services. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing them with your information.

Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. These measures include:

• Encryption: We use SSL encryption to protect your information during transmission.
• Access Controls: We restrict access to your personal information to authorized employees and contractors who need to know the information to provide our services.
• Security Audits: We conduct regular security audits to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.
• Data Backup: We back up your data regularly to prevent data loss.

Despite our efforts, no security system is impenetrable. We cannot guarantee the security of your information. In the event of a data breach, we will notify you as required by law.

Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: You have the right to access the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: You have the right to correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information we hold about you.
• Deletion: You have the right to request the deletion of your personal information.
• Objection: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information for marketing purposes.
• Restriction: You have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal information.
• Portability: You have the right to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller.

To exercise these rights, please contact Sarah Chen at [email protected] or (206) 555-1212. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

Children's Privacy

Our website and services are not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us, and we will delete the information.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated policy on our website and update the effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Accessibility, SEO, and Design Considerations

Aurora Visuals is committed to ensuring our website is accessible to everyone, including users with disabilities. We strive to adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to make our content accessible. We provide alternative text for all images, ensure proper heading structures, and use ARIA attributes where necessary. This page adheres to these standards and promotes accessibility for all users.

This page is optimized for search engines (SEO) to improve visibility. We have included relevant keywords such as "privacy policy," "data protection," "Aurora Visuals," "photography," and "Seattle photographer." The meta description provides a concise summary of the page's content. This ensures that users searching for privacy information about our services can easily find this page.

The design of this page is inspired by Bootstrap, providing a clean, modern, and user-friendly experience. The layout is responsive, adapting seamlessly to different screen sizes. The dark mode toggle enhances usability by allowing users to switch to a darker color scheme, reducing eye strain in low-light conditions. The use of CSS variables allows for easy customization and maintenance of the website's visual style.