Matthew Munzell Photography ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect through matthewmunzellphotography.com, how we use it, who we share it with, and your rights regarding that information. Please read this policy carefully. By using our website or submitting an inquiry, you agree to the practices described below.
Contents
1. Who We Are
Matthew Munzell Photography is a sole proprietor photography business operating in North Carolina, offering portrait and commercial photography services. We operate the website at matthewmunzellphotography.com.
Contact for privacy inquiries:
Matthew Munzell Photography
North Carolina, United States
contact@matthewmunzellphotography.com
2. Information We Collect
Information You Provide Directly
When you submit an inquiry, complete a booking form, or contact us, we may collect:
- First and last name
- Email address
- Phone number (if provided)
- Message content and inquiry details
- Session preferences (date, type of photography, location)
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically by our hosting infrastructure and any analytics tools in use, including:
- IP address
- Browser type and version
- Device type and operating system
- Pages visited and time spent on each page
- Referring URL (the site you came from)
- Cookies and similar tracking identifiers (see Section 6)
Event Gallery Purchase Information
When placing an order through a password-protected event gallery on this website, we collect:
- Name and email address (provided voluntarily at checkout)
- A record of which photos were selected for purchase
This information is used solely to fulfill your order and send your download link. It is not used for marketing without your consent.
Information We Do Not Collect
We do not process payments on this website. We do not collect credit card numbers, bank account details, or any financial payment information. All payment processing occurs through separate, secure third-party invoicing tools.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect only for the following purposes:
- Responding to inquiries — to reply to contact form submissions and booking requests
- Booking and session management — to schedule sessions, send confirmations, and coordinate logistics
- Client communication — to communicate about your session, deliver your gallery, and follow up after delivery
- Business records — to maintain records of client engagements as required for a service business
- Website improvement — to understand how visitors use the site and improve its performance and content
- Legal compliance — to comply with applicable law, respond to legal process, or protect our rights
We do not use your information for automated decision-making, behavioral advertising, or sale to data brokers.
4. Third-Party Service Providers
We use a limited set of trusted third-party tools to operate this website and manage client information. Each provider processes data only as instructed by us and in accordance with their own privacy commitments.
Airtable
Contact inquiries submitted through this website are stored in Airtable, a cloud database service. Airtable acts as a data processor on our behalf. Data stored in Airtable is used solely for managing client inquiries and session records and is not shared with any other parties. You can review Airtable's privacy practices at airtable.com/privacy.
Vercel (Website Hosting)
This website is hosted on Vercel. Vercel's servers automatically receive and log standard web request data (IP address, browser type, pages visited) as part of normal hosting operations. Vercel's privacy policy is available at vercel.com/legal/privacy-policy.
Backblaze B2 (Image Storage)
Delivered client gallery images and event gallery photos are stored in Backblaze B2, a cloud object storage service. Images are stored in a private bucket and are accessible only through authenticated gallery links. Backblaze's privacy policy is available at backblaze.com/company/privacy.html.
Cloudflare (Image Delivery)
Images are delivered to clients through Cloudflare's content delivery network (CDN), which caches and serves files from servers close to the viewer. Cloudflare may process standard web request metadata (IP address, browser type) as part of normal CDN operations. Cloudflare's privacy policy is available at cloudflare.com/privacypolicy.
Cloudinary (Contract Document Delivery)
Cloudinary is used solely for storing and delivering signed contract PDF documents. It is not used for photo gallery delivery. Cloudinary's privacy policy is available at cloudinary.com/privacy.
Resend (Email Delivery)
Automated confirmation and notification emails are delivered via Resend, a transactional email service. Your email address is passed to Resend solely to deliver emails you have initiated (such as inquiry confirmations). Resend's privacy policy is available at resend.com/legal/privacy-policy.
This website links to our Instagram profile. We do not embed an Instagram feed widget. Visiting our Instagram profile is governed by Meta's privacy policy at privacycenter.instagram.com/policy.
5. Data Sharing and Sale
We do not sell, rent, trade, or otherwise transfer your personal information to third parties for their own marketing or commercial purposes. We share your information only:
- With the service providers listed in Section 4, who assist us in operating the website and communicating with clients, under confidentiality obligations consistent with this policy
- When required by law, court order, or other legal process
- To protect the rights, property, or safety of Matthew Munzell Photography or others
6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
- Essential/functional cookies — required for the website to operate (e.g., session authentication for the Studio tool)
- Analytics cookies — used to understand how visitors interact with the website (e.g., pages visited, time on site). These cookies do not identify you personally.
We do not use advertising, retargeting, or tracking cookies from ad networks or social media platforms.
Most browsers allow you to control cookie settings through their preferences or settings menus. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of certain parts of the site.
7. Data Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy:
- Contact form inquiries — retained for up to 3 years from the date of submission, consistent with standard business record practices
- Client session records — retained for the duration of the business relationship and for up to 3 years thereafter
- Delivered gallery images — client gallery download links are active for the period specified at delivery; we do not guarantee permanent archival of delivered images after the stated expiration period
- Analytics data — retained in accordance with the analytics provider's default data retention settings
You may request deletion of your personal information at any time (see Section 8).
8. Your Rights and Choices
Regardless of your location, you have the following rights with respect to your personal information:
- Access — you may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
- Correction — you may request that we correct inaccurate information
- Deletion — you may request that we delete your personal information, subject to any legal obligations to retain records
- Opt-out of marketing — if you have received marketing or promotional emails from us, you may unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link in the email or by contacting us directly
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at contact@matthewmunzellphotography.com. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe.
9. Children's Privacy
This website is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If a parent or guardian believes that a child under 13 has submitted personal information through this website, please contact us at contact@matthewmunzellphotography.com and we will promptly delete that information.
For photography sessions involving minors, all communications and consent are handled through the parent or guardian.
Event galleries that may contain photographs of minors are password-protected and accessible only to individuals who have received the access password directly from the Photographer. The Photographer does not knowingly collect personal information from minors — any checkout information submitted for a minor's photos must be provided by a parent or legal guardian, as described in our Terms of Service.
10. Do Not Track
Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that signals to websites that you do not wish to be tracked. Our website does not currently respond to Do Not Track signals. We do not use cross-site behavioral tracking tools.
11. Data Security
We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect the personal information we collect against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include HTTPS encryption for all data transmitted to and from this website, and access controls for any systems storing client data.
No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
In the event of a data breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you as required by applicable law, including the North Carolina Identity Theft Protection Act.
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. For material changes, we may also provide additional notice such as an email notification.
We encourage you to review this page periodically. Your continued use of the website after any update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
13. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
Matthew Munzell Photography
North Carolina, United States
contact@matthewmunzellphotography.com
This Privacy Policy does not constitute legal advice. Matthew Munzell Photography is a sole proprietor business and has made reasonable efforts to comply with applicable privacy laws. For legal advice specific to your situation, consult a licensed attorney.