Privacy Policy

Information I collect

Information you give me. When you fill out the contact form I collect what you put in it — your name, your email address, the subject if you add one, and your message. If we carry on by email afterwards, I keep that correspondence so I can pick up where we left off.

Information collected automatically. Like most websites, the server keeps basic technical logs — which pages were requested and what kind of browser asked — to keep the site working and secure. When you send the form, a one-way scrambled version of your IP address and the time you sent it are recorded as well, purely to stop automated abuse. The address itself is not stored.

How I use it

To reply to you, answer questions about availability and pricing, arrange and photograph a session, and follow up afterwards. That is the whole of it. I do not add you to a mailing list and I do not use what you tell me to advertise to you.

How it is shared

I do not sell or rent your information, and there is no advertising network involved in this website.

Two service providers see it in the course of doing their job: the company that hosts the site, and Resend, which delivers the email the contact form sends. They act on my instructions and for no other purpose.

I may also disclose information where the law requires it, or to protect someone's safety or rights.

Where the site is hosted

The website runs on a server in Germany. That was a practical choice rather than a data one, but it is worth stating plainly: when you load a page or send the form, what you send reaches a machine in the EU, and any email that results is delivered from there.

Spam filtering

Messages sent through the contact form are checked for spam on that same server. Nothing is sent to an outside service to make the decision, and no artificial-intelligence provider receives your message. Anything that looks like bulk advertising is held for me to review rather than delivered straight through — so if you write and hear nothing back, please email me directly.

Cookies and analytics

This site sets no advertising or tracking cookies.

Visitor statistics are collected with GoatCounter, which is cookie-free, does not identify you, and cannot follow you to other websites. It counts pages, not people.

Your light or dark theme preference is stored in your own browser and never sent anywhere.

How long it is kept

I keep what you send only as long as I need it to answer you and do the work, and for as long as my own records require afterwards.

Contact-form messages are also stored in the website's password-protected admin area for up to 180 days, after which they are deleted automatically. You can ask me to delete yours sooner.

Your choices

You can ask to see what I hold about you, correct it, have it deleted, or ask me to stop contacting you. Email the address below and I will take care of it. There is no form to fill in and you do not have to give a reason.

Children's privacy

This website is meant for adults and I do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. Where I photograph children, I do so at the request of a parent or guardian, and the photographs are handled under the agreement made with them.

Photographs on this site

The photographs here are published with the agreement of the people in them. If you are pictured and would rather not be, email me and I will take it down. You do not need to explain why.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, the new version appears here with a new date at the top.

Contact

Questions about your privacy or about this policy: email carolclayton@gmail.com. Carol Clayton Photography, Washington, DC, USA.