Privacy Policy
Last updated: September 2026
Matt Dixon Pet Photography is committed to respecting your privacy and protecting your personal information.
This Privacy Policy explains how I collect, use and protect personal information when you visit this website, make an enquiry, book a photography session, receive photography services from me, or otherwise communicate with me about my services.
1. Who I am
Matt Dixon Pet Photography is operated by Matt Dixon.
If you have any questions about how I use your personal information, or wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, you can contact me at:
Email: info@mattdixonpetphotography.com
2. Information I collect
Depending on how you interact with me, I may collect some or all of the following:
Your name
Your email address
Your telephone number, if you contact me by phone or choose to provide it
Your location, if you choose to provide it
Information contained in your enquiry or other correspondence with me
Information about your photography session, including the date, location and relevant details about your dog
Payment and transaction information relating to your booking
Photographs taken during your photography session
Information about how you found Matt Dixon Pet Photography, if you choose to provide it
Technical information relating to your use of this website, such as IP address, browser and device information, where this is collected through website technologies or analytics
Information may be provided directly to me through this website, email, telephone, social media messaging, in person or through other communications relating to an enquiry or booking.
I only collect information that is reasonably relevant to providing and managing my services, running my business or meeting legal obligations.
3. How I use your information
I may use your personal information to:
Respond to enquiries and requests for information
Discuss and arrange photography sessions
Communicate with you about an existing or potential booking
Provide photography services
Deliver photographs and galleries to you
Process and record payments
Maintain appropriate business, accounting and tax records
Understand how visitors use my website and improve the website and services
Protect my business, website and clients from fraud, misuse or security issues
Handle complaints, disputes or potential legal claims
Comply with legal and regulatory obligations
I will not use your personal information for unrelated purposes without an appropriate lawful basis.
4. Lawful bases for using your information
UK data protection law requires me to have a lawful basis for processing personal information.
Depending on the circumstances, I rely on the following lawful bases:
Contract
I may process your information where this is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a photography agreement, or to provide photography services you have booked.
This includes using your contact details to arrange a session, communicate with you about your booking and deliver your photographs.
Legitimate interests
I may process information where this is necessary for my legitimate interests as a small photography business, provided that these interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.
This may include responding to general enquiries, maintaining appropriate business records, managing and improving my services, protecting my business and website, and dealing with complaints or disputes.
Legal obligation
I may process and retain certain information where I am legally required to do so, including information required for accounting and tax purposes.
Consent
Where I ask for your consent for a particular use of your information, I will explain what you are agreeing to and will only use your information for that purpose if you give your permission.
Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time.
5. Photography and use of photographs
Photographs taken during your photography session form part of the service I provide. I need to take, edit, store and deliver these photographs in order to provide that service.
Photographs may therefore be retained after your session for purposes including delivering your photographs, dealing with queries or re-orders, maintaining appropriate business records and protecting against potential disputes.
Using photographs for promotion
I may sometimes ask whether you are happy for photographs from your session to be used for promotional purposes, such as on my website, Instagram, Facebook or other marketing materials.
This is separate from providing your photography service.
I will ask for your permission separately and will not make your photography booking conditional on agreeing to promotional use of your photographs.
If you give permission and later change your mind, you can withdraw that permission by contacting me.
Where photographs have already been published online, I will take reasonable steps to remove them following a withdrawal of permission. I cannot, however, control copies that may already have been downloaded, shared or reposted by others.
6. How I store your information and photographs
Client photographs and relevant working files are currently stored on external hard-drive storage under my control.
Photographs selected for delivery are uploaded to Pixieset, which I use to create and deliver client galleries.
Pixieset provides privacy controls for individual galleries, including password protection and client-only access. I will use appropriate privacy settings for client galleries.
Your information may also be stored within the systems I use to manage business email and communications.
7. Who I share your information with
I do not sell or rent your personal information.
I may share or provide access to personal information with service providers that I use to operate my business and provide your photography service. These currently include:
Squarespace - website hosting and related website services
Google Workspace - business email and related services
Google Analytics - website analytics, where the relevant consent has been provided
Pixieset - delivery of client photography galleries
I may also disclose information where necessary to comply with a legal obligation, protect my rights or property, prevent fraud or misuse, or establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
I only share information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.
Where a service provider processes personal information on my behalf, I take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate data protection arrangements are in place.
8. Cookies, analytics and advertising technologies
This website uses cookies and similar technologies.
Some cookies are necessary for the website to function correctly. Other technologies are used for purposes such as analytics and advertising and are not essential to providing the website.
I currently use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use my website, such as which pages are visited and how people find the site.
Non-essential cookies are restricted until you have made an appropriate choice through the website's cookie consent controls.
You can accept, reject or manage non-essential cookies when you visit the website, and can change your preferences where the relevant controls are available.
I may use other analytics, advertising or social media technologies in the future, such as the Meta Pixel, to measure advertising campaigns, understand how people interact with my website, or create or use audiences for advertising purposes.
Where these technologies require consent, they will only be used after the required consent has been provided through the website's cookie controls.
Third-party providers may process information collected through these technologies in accordance with their own privacy policies.
I do not currently use targeted advertising technologies on this website.
9. Payments
Photography services are currently paid for by bank transfer.
I do not collect or process your card details through this website.
I may retain relevant payment and transaction information as necessary to manage your booking, maintain business records and comply with accounting and tax obligations.
10. How long I keep your information
I do not keep personal information indefinitely. I retain information for as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, taking into account legal, accounting and business requirements.
As a general guide:
General enquiries: I may retain enquiry correspondence for as long as reasonably necessary to deal with the enquiry and for a limited period afterwards.
Client and booking information: I may retain relevant information for as long as necessary to manage the client relationship, provide ongoing support and protect against potential disputes or legal claims.
Financial and tax records: I retain relevant financial records for the periods required by HMRC and other applicable legal requirements.
Photographs: I may retain photographs after your session for the purposes of providing the service, dealing with queries or re-orders, maintaining appropriate business records and, where you have given permission, promotional use.
Retention periods may vary depending on the circumstances.
I periodically review the information I hold and delete or securely dispose of information that I no longer need, subject to any legal or legitimate reason for retaining it.
11. Keeping your information secure
I take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse or disclosure.
Access to client information and photographs is limited to what is reasonably necessary for running the business and providing the photography service.
Client photographs are stored on external hard-drive storage and, where required for delivery, uploaded to Pixieset using its available privacy and access controls.
No method of electronic storage or transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
12. Your data protection rights
Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis for processing, you may have rights under UK data protection law including:
The right to ask for a copy of the personal information I hold about you
The right to ask me to correct inaccurate or incomplete information
The right to ask me to delete your personal information in certain circumstances
The right to ask me to restrict how I use your information in certain circumstances
The right to object to certain types of processing, including processing based on legitimate interests
The right to data portability in certain circumstances
The right to withdraw consent where I am relying on consent to process your information
These rights are not absolute and may not apply in every situation. For example, I may need to retain certain information to comply with legal obligations or establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
If you wish to exercise one of these rights, contact me at:
info@mattdixonpetphotography.com
I will normally respond to a valid request within one month.
13. Third-party websites
My website may contain links to third-party websites and services, including my social media profiles.
If you follow a link to another website, that website will have its own privacy policy and terms. I am not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites.
14. Children's information
My services are primarily intended for adults. I do not knowingly seek to collect personal information from children through this website.
If you believe that a child has provided personal information to me without appropriate consent, please contact me so that I can review and, where appropriate, delete the information.
15. Complaints
If you have concerns about how I have handled your personal information, please contact me first at:
info@mattdixonpetphotography.com
You also have the right to complain to the UK's data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
Information about making a complaint is available from the ICO.
16. Changes to this Privacy Policy
I may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to my services, the information I collect, the technology I use or applicable legal requirements.
The latest version will always be published on this website, with the date of the most recent update shown at the top of the policy.