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Privacy Policy

Last updated: 01 July 2026
Business name: Xenia Nikol Photography
Website: xenia-photos.com
Contact email: xenia.nikol.photos@gmail.com
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia

At Xenia Nikol Photography, I respect your privacy and want you to feel safe when contacting me, booking a session, or allowing me to photograph you and your family.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information I collect, how I use it, how I protect it, and what choices you have.

This policy is written to follow the general principles of Canadian privacy laws, including PIPEDA, which applies to many private-sector businesses in Canada that collect, use, or disclose personal information during commercial activities. If the business operates in British Columbia, BC PIPA may also apply to private organizations.

1. Who this policy applies to

This Privacy Policy applies to visitors and clients who use my website, contact me, book a session, receive photos, or appear in photos taken by me.

This may include:

  • Website visitors

  • Clients booking a session

  • Family members included in a session

  • Children photographed with parent or guardian consent

  • Couples

  • Maternity clients

  • Event guests

  • TFP or portfolio-building models

  • People who contact me through the website, email, Instagram, Pinterest, or other platforms

2. What information I collect

I only collect information that I need to communicate with you, plan your session, provide photography services, deliver your photos, and run my business.

I may collect:

  • Your name

  • Email address

  • Phone number

  • Instagram or social media handle, if you contact me there

  • Session type, for example maternity, family, couple, portrait, branding, or event

  • Preferred date, time, and location

  • Information about your outfit, mood board, style preferences, or shoot expectations

  • Names or ages of family members or children, if needed for planning

  • Payment, invoice, and booking details

  • Messages you send to me

  • Photos and videos taken during the session

  • Client feedback or testimonials

  • Website usage data, such as pages visited, browser type, approximate location, and device information, if analytics tools are used

Photos of identifiable people can be personal information because they can identify a person.

3. How I collect information

I may collect personal information when you:

  • Fill out a form on my website

  • Use the Book a Session page

  • Send me an email

  • Contact me through Instagram, Pinterest, WhatsApp, or another platform

  • Book and pay for a session

  • Sign a contract, consent form, or model release

  • Participate in a photoshoot

  • Receive an online gallery

  • Leave a review or testimonial

  • Agree to let me use your photos in my portfolio, website, social media, or advertising

4. Why I use your information

I use your information for the following purposes:

  • To reply to your inquiry

  • To help you choose the right session

  • To plan the photoshoot

  • To send booking details, invoices, contracts, and reminders

  • To take, edit, store, and deliver your photos

  • To provide an online gallery

  • To answer questions after the session

  • To keep business, tax, and accounting records

  • To improve my website and services

  • To share photos publicly only when I have proper permission or an agreement

  • To protect my legal rights if there is a dispute

Canadian privacy guidance says organizations should identify why they collect personal information and use or disclose it only for the purposes for which it was collected, unless there is consent or a legal reason to do otherwise.

5. Consent

By contacting me, submitting a form, booking a session, or working with me, you consent to the collection and use of your personal information for the purposes explained in this policy.

For public use of photos, such as on my website, Instagram, Pinterest, portfolio, advertising, or printed materials, I will use one of the following:

  • Your written consent

  • A signed model release

  • A photography agreement

  • A TFP agreement

  • Clear written permission by email or message

6. Photos, portfolio, and social media use

Your photos will not automatically be used publicly just because you booked a session.

I may use photos publicly only if:

  • You gave permission, or

  • We agreed to this in writing, or

  • The session was a TFP/portfolio-building session where portfolio use was part of the agreement.

Public use may include:

  • Website portfolio

  • Instagram posts or stories

  • Pinterest

  • Online advertising

  • Printed samples

  • Photography competitions

  • Studio or marketing materials

If you do not want your photos shared publicly, please tell me before the session or before signing any release.

7. TFP and portfolio-building sessions

For TFP or free portfolio-building sessions, the purpose of the session is usually to create images for my portfolio and marketing.

In that case, I may ask you to agree that selected photos can be used on my website, social media, Pinterest, portfolio, and other promotional materials.

The exact terms should be written in a separate TFP agreement or model release before the session.

8. Children and family photos

For sessions involving children, a parent or legal guardian must give permission.

I treat children’s photos with extra care.

I will not knowingly publish identifiable photos of children without permission from a parent or legal guardian.

If parents disagree with each other about whether a child’s photos may be published, I may choose not to publish the images until the issue is resolved between the parents or legal guardians.

9. Sensitive situations

Some sessions may include personal or sensitive circumstances, such as:

  • Pregnancy

  • Newborn or family matters

  • Body image concerns

  • Personal branding

  • Relationship status

  • Private events

  • Immigration, relocation, or life changes

  • Health-related context shared during planning

I will only use this information to prepare for your session and communicate with you. I will not share sensitive personal details publicly unless you clearly ask me to.

10. Online galleries

I may deliver photos through an online gallery platform.

Your gallery may be protected by a link, password, PIN, or download code, depending on the platform.

Please be careful when sharing your gallery link with others. If you share the link, those people may be able to view or download the photos, depending on the gallery settings.

I am not responsible for what others do with the photos after you share your gallery link with them.

11. Copyright and client usage

In Canada, copyright generally gives the creator of an original work the exclusive right to reproduce, publish, and control the work. The Canadian Intellectual Property Office describes copyright as the exclusive legal right to produce, reproduce, publish, or perform an original artistic work.

Unless we agree otherwise in writing:

  • I retain copyright in the photos I create.

  • You receive permission to use the delivered photos for personal use.

  • You may share the delivered photos on your personal social media.

  • You may print the photos for personal use.

  • You may not sell, edit, alter, filter, commercially use, or provide the photos to businesses, brands, vendors, or publications without written permission.

For branding, commercial, influencer, or business sessions, usage rights should be agreed separately in writing.

12. Reviews, testimonials, and client messages

If you send me a review, testimonial, or kind message, I may ask for your permission to share it.

I may publish:

  • Your first name

  • Your review text

  • A screenshot of your message, with personal details removed

  • A photo from your session, only if photo sharing has been approved

I will not publish private messages in a way that reveals sensitive personal information.

13. Payments and invoices

If you book a paid session, I may collect payment-related information needed to process your booking and keep business records.

I may use third-party services for payments, invoices, bookkeeping, or contracts.

I do not store full credit card details myself unless a payment provider makes that information available in a limited and secure way.

14. Emails and marketing messages

I may email you about your inquiry, booking, session preparation, gallery delivery, invoices, and follow-up questions.

I will not add you to a marketing email list without consent.

If I send promotional emails or newsletters in Canada, I will follow Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation, known as CASL. CASL generally requires consent, sender identification, and an unsubscribe option for commercial electronic messages.

You can unsubscribe from marketing messages at any time.

Transactional messages about your booking, invoice, or gallery are not the same as marketing emails.

15. Cookies and website analytics

My website may use cookies and similar technologies.

Cookies may help the website:

  • Work properly

  • Remember settings

  • Understand how visitors use the site

  • Improve pages and content

  • Measure marketing performance

I may use tools such as:

  • Website platform analytics

  • Google Analytics

  • Meta Pixel

  • Pinterest Tag

  • Booking form analytics

  • Other similar tools

These tools may collect information such as pages viewed, approximate location, browser type, device type, and how you interact with the website.

You can control cookies in your browser settings. If my website uses a cookie banner, you can manage your preferences there.

16. Third-party services

To operate my business, I may use trusted third-party services, such as:

  • Website provider

  • Booking form provider

  • Email provider

  • Online gallery platform

  • Payment processor

  • Accounting or invoicing software

  • Cloud storage

  • Contract signing software

  • Social media platforms

  • Analytics tools

These providers may process personal information on my behalf.

I choose commonly used business tools and take reasonable care when selecting services, but each third-party provider may have its own privacy policy.

17. International clients and data storage

Because I may work with clients in different countries, your information may be stored or processed in Canada, the United States, the European Economic Area, or another country where my service providers operate.

Privacy laws may differ depending on where the data is stored.

By contacting me or booking a session, you understand that your information may be processed through international service providers.

18. How long I keep information

I keep personal information only as long as needed for business, legal, tax, client service, and portfolio purposes.

Typical retention periods may include:

  • Inquiry messages: as long as needed to respond and manage business communication

  • Booking records, invoices, and contracts: as required for accounting and legal purposes

  • Edited photos: for a reasonable period for gallery delivery, backup, and client support

  • RAW files: not guaranteed to be stored unless agreed in writing

  • Portfolio images: until I remove them or until you request removal, subject to any contract or release

  • TFP images: according to the TFP agreement

I may delete old files, galleries, or messages without notice unless we have agreed otherwise.

19. RAW files and deleted files

RAW files are not normally delivered to clients.

I am not required to keep RAW files forever.

If your gallery expires, files are deleted, or backups are no longer available, I may not be able to recover them.

Please download and back up your final images after delivery.

20. Security

I take reasonable steps to protect your information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or disclosure.

This may include:

  • Password-protected accounts

  • Secure platforms

  • Limited access to client files

  • Careful handling of galleries and links

  • Backup systems

  • Secure communication where possible

No online system is completely secure, so I cannot guarantee absolute security.

21. What happens if there is a privacy breach

If I become aware of a privacy or data security incident that creates a real risk of significant harm, I will take reasonable steps to respond, reduce harm, and notify affected people or authorities if required by applicable law.

22. Your rights

Depending on where you live and which law applies, you may have the right to:

  • Ask what personal information I have about you

  • Ask how I use your information

  • Request correction of inaccurate information

  • Withdraw consent where consent is the basis for use

  • Ask me to delete certain information, where legally possible

  • Ask me to stop using your photos publicly

  • Ask questions or make a complaint

To make a request, contact me at:

xenia.nikol.photo@gmail.com

I may need to verify your identity before responding to privacy-related requests.

23. Withdrawal of consent for photo use

You may contact me if you want me to stop using your photo publicly.

If possible, I will remove the photo from places I control, such as my website or future social media use.

However, you understand that:

  • I may not be able to remove photos already printed, shared, reposted, saved, screenshotted, indexed by search engines, or published by third parties.

  • Removal may not apply if we have a separate written agreement allowing use, such as a commercial license, model release, or TFP agreement.

  • I may keep copies for legal, business, archive, or dispute-resolution purposes.

24. Conflict situations

To avoid misunderstandings, these rules apply unless we agree otherwise in writing.

If you booked a session but do not want photos shared

Tell me before the session. Your photos will remain private unless we agree otherwise.

If one person in a couple wants photos removed

I may review the situation and may remove the images from platforms I control, especially if the images are personal or sensitive.

If parents disagree about children’s photos

I may pause or remove public use until the parents or legal guardians resolve the issue.

If a client edits my photos heavily and tags me

I may ask the client not to tag me or to remove the credit, because the altered image may no longer represent my work.

If a client shares a gallery link with others

I am not responsible for downloads, screenshots, reposts, or misuse by people who received the link from the client.

If a client requests deletion of all information

I will delete what I reasonably can, but I may need to keep some records for legal, tax, contract, accounting, or dispute purposes.

If someone appears in the background of an event photo

For public or event-style sessions, some people may appear incidentally in the background. If someone contacts me with a concern, I will review the request reasonably.

If a client gives permission and later changes their mind

I will try to respect the new request for future use, but I cannot always undo past publication, printing, screenshots, shares, or third-party reposts.

25. Changes to this policy

I may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.

The updated version will be posted on this page with a new “Last updated” date.