Privacy Policy of Northlight Portrait Studio

Effective Date: July 7, 2026

1. Introduction and Company Information

This Privacy Policy explains how Northlight Portrait Studio collects, uses, discloses, stores, and protects personal information in connection with its photo-studio services, including portrait sessions, event photography, image editing, booking, customer communications, marketing, and related website or online services.

Northlight Portrait Studio is committed to protecting personal information in accordance with applicable Canadian privacy laws, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and, where applicable, British Columbia privacy requirements.

Business Name: Northlight Portrait Studio
Address: 2140 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6K 1N8, Canada
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1 (604) 782-9463

2. Data Collection and Processing

Northlight Portrait Studio may collect personal information directly from you, automatically through our website or digital tools, and from third parties where permitted by law. Depending on the services you use, we may collect the following categories of information:

• Identification and contact information: name, email address, phone number, mailing address, billing address, and preferred contact method.
• Booking and service information: appointment details, session preferences, package selections, event details, and communications related to your booking.
• Payment information: payment card details or other payment-related information, processed through secure third-party payment processors. We do not intentionally store full payment card numbers unless necessary and permitted.
• Photographic and visual information: photographs, video, image files, and related metadata created during studio sessions or events.
• Client preferences and instructions: style preferences, retouching requests, delivery preferences, and other session-specific instructions.
• Website and technical information: IP address, browser type, device identifiers, pages visited, timestamps, referral data, and cookie or analytics data.
• Communication records: emails, messages, inquiry forms, reviews, feedback, and customer support correspondence.
• Marketing preferences: consent choices and communication preferences for newsletters, promotions, or updates.

We process personal information only to the extent reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy or as otherwise permitted or required by law.

3. Purpose of Data Processing

Northlight Portrait Studio uses personal information for the following purposes:

• To respond to inquiries and provide information about our services.
• To schedule, confirm, manage, and deliver photography services.
• To communicate with clients before, during, and after sessions.
• To process payments, invoices, refunds, and related accounting tasks.
• To create, edit, store, and deliver photographic products and digital files.
• To personalize client experiences and fulfill session preferences.
• To maintain business records and manage customer relationships.
• To improve our website, services, operations, and client experience.
• To send marketing communications where permitted and, where required, with consent.
• To detect, prevent, and investigate fraud, misuse, security incidents, or unlawful activity.
• To comply with legal, regulatory, tax, and accounting obligations.
• To enforce our agreements and protect our rights, property, and safety.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under Canadian privacy law, we generally rely on one or more of the following grounds to process personal information:

• Consent: where you have given express or implied consent for a specific purpose, such as receiving marketing emails or participating in a portrait session.
• Performance of a contract: where processing is necessary to provide requested services, manage bookings, deliver images, or complete payment transactions.
• Legal or regulatory obligations: where processing is necessary to comply with applicable laws, court orders, tax requirements, or recordkeeping duties.
• Legitimate business purposes: where processing is reasonable for operating our business, improving services, preventing fraud, or maintaining security, and where such processing is appropriate under applicable law.

Where consent is required, you may withdraw it at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice.

5. Data Sharing and Third Parties

Northlight Portrait Studio does not sell personal information. We may share personal information with third parties only as necessary for the purposes described in this Policy and in accordance with applicable law. These third parties may include:

• Payment processors: to process transactions securely.
• Cloud storage and IT service providers: to store files, back up data, host systems, and maintain security.
• Website and analytics providers: to operate our website and understand usage patterns.
• Email and communication platforms: to send service-related messages and marketing communications where permitted.
• Professional advisors: including accountants, lawyers, insurers, and consultants.
• Delivery and print vendors: to produce and deliver albums, prints, or other photographic products.
• Subcontractors and assistants: such as second photographers, editors, or retouchers engaged to support service delivery.
• Government authorities or law enforcement: where disclosure is required or permitted by law.

We require third-party service providers to handle personal information in a manner consistent with applicable privacy obligations and, where appropriate, to use it only for authorized purposes.

6. Data Transfer to Third Countries

Some of our service providers may store or process personal information outside Canada, including in the United States or other jurisdictions. As a result, your personal information may be subject to the laws of those jurisdictions and may be accessible to courts, law enforcement, or regulatory authorities there.

Where personal information is transferred outside Canada, Northlight Portrait Studio takes reasonable steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including contractual protections and security measures appropriate to the sensitivity of the information.

7. Storage Duration

Northlight Portrait Studio retains personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required or permitted by law.

• Client and booking records: retained for a period reasonably necessary to manage the client relationship, resolve disputes, and meet legal obligations.
• Photographs and image files: retained according to project requirements, client agreements, backup practices, and delivery timelines.
• Financial and tax records: retained for the periods required by applicable accounting and tax laws.
• Marketing consent records: retained until you unsubscribe, withdraw consent, or we no longer need the record.
• Website and technical logs: retained for a limited period for security, analytics, and operational purposes.

When personal information is no longer required, we will securely delete, destroy, anonymize, or de-identify it, as appropriate.

8. User Rights

Subject to applicable law, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information held by Northlight Portrait Studio:

• Access: to request access to the personal information we hold about you.
• Rectification: to request correction of inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated information.
• Erasure: to request deletion of personal information in certain circumstances, subject to legal retention obligations.
• Restriction: to request that we limit the use or disclosure of your personal information in certain situations.
• Data portability: to request a copy of certain information in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
• Objection: to object to certain processing activities, including some forms of direct marketing.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided below. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within the time required by applicable law or, if no specific period applies, within a reasonable time.

9. Withdrawal of Consent

Where we rely on your consent to process personal information, you may withdraw that consent at any time by contacting us at [email protected].

Please note that withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal. In some cases, we may not be able to provide certain services if consent is withdrawn, such as marketing communications or optional features that depend on the relevant information.

10. Right to Complain

If you have concerns about how Northlight Portrait Studio handles your personal information, we encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue.

You may also have the right to file a complaint with the appropriate privacy regulator, including the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and, where applicable, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia.

We encourage you to contact us promptly so we can address your concerns in a timely manner.

11. Data Security

Northlight Portrait Studio uses reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification.

• Access controls and role-based permissions.
• Secure storage and password protection.
• Encryption or comparable protections where appropriate.
• Regular software updates and security monitoring.
• Limited access to client files on a need-to-know basis.
• Secure disposal of records when no longer needed.

However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we take reasonable steps to reduce risk and respond to incidents in accordance with applicable law.

12. Contact Information

If you have questions, requests, or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact:

Northlight Portrait Studio
2140 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6K 1N8, Canada
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1 (604) 782-9463

13. Changes to Privacy Policy

Northlight Portrait Studio may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or business operations. Any updated version will be posted on our website with a revised effective date.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of our services after changes are posted means you acknowledge the updated Policy, to the extent permitted by law.