Privacy Policy

Pomare Portraits – Privacy Policy

Last Updated: February 2026

1. Introduction & Our Role

Welcome to Pomare Portraits. We are committed to protecting the privacy of our clients and website visitors. For the purposes of applicable data protection laws, including the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA), Pomare Portraits acts as the Data Controller. This means we determine the purpose and means of processing your personal data.

2. Information We Collect

We collect specific categories of personal information to provide our photography services. This includes:

Identifiers: Your real name, email address, phone number, and shipping or billing addresses.

Commercial Information: Details regarding your session packages, transaction histories, and payment information.

Internet & Network Activity: Your IP address, browser type, and interaction metrics gathered automatically via cookies when you visit our website.

Biometric Information: If we utilize intelligent gallery delivery platforms (such as those offering "find my photo" features), the platform may scan your photographs to extract facial geometry (biometric data) solely for the purpose of grouping images of the same individual.

3. How We Use Your Information

We process your personal information strictly for the following business purposes:

Fulfillment of Services: To schedule sessions, deliver your digital galleries, and process print or album orders.

Communication & Support: To respond to your inquiries and manage our client relationship.

Marketing (With Consent): To send you newsletters or promotional offers, provided you have explicitly opted in.

Artificial Intelligence Limitation: We respect your likeness and intellectual property. We do not use your private gallery images to train generative artificial intelligence models, nor do we permit unauthorized third-party AI crawlers to scrape your gallery data.

4. How We Share Your Information

We respect your privacy and do not sell your personal information. We only share your data with trusted third-party Service Providers (Data Processors) under strict confidentiality agreements. These categories of processors include:

Gallery Hosting Processors: Used to securely store, proof, and deliver your digital images.

Payment Processors: Used to securely handle your financial transactions and billing.

Printing Labs: Used to fulfill physical orders and ship products directly to your address.

Marketing Providers: Used to manage our email newsletters and SMS communications.

5. SMS Communications & Marketing

If you choose to receive text messages from us, we comply fully with the Virginia Telephone Privacy Protection Act (VTPPA). We will only send you commercial marketing texts if we have obtained your prior express written consent.

Consent to receive marketing text messages is never a condition of purchasing any goods or services.

You may opt-out of our text messaging program at any time by simply replying "STOP" to any message you receive.

6. Children's Privacy

Because we frequently photograph families and minors, we are committed to complying with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). We do not knowingly collect personal data, including biometric identifiers extracted from photographs, from children under the age of 13 without first obtaining verifiable parental consent. Parents and guardians have the right to review their child's personal information and request its immediate deletion at any time.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy, or as required by law.

Financial and billing records are retained for seven years to comply with tax regulations.

Biometric data utilized for facial recognition and gallery sorting is retained only as long as necessary to provide the service and is securely destroyed when your gallery expires.

8. Data Security & Breach Notification

We implement commercially reasonable security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. In the event that unencrypted personal information is compromised, we will comply with the Virginia Personal Information Breach Notification Act by notifying affected residents and the Virginia Attorney General "without unreasonable delay".

9. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, including the Commonwealth of Virginia, you may have specific rights regarding your personal data. These include the right to:

Access the personal information we hold about you.

Correct inaccuracies in your personal data.

Request the deletion of your personal data.

Opt-out of targeted advertising or marketing communications.

To exercise any of these rights, please submit a Data Subject Access Request using the contact information below.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, or if you wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us at:

Email: Housny@pomareportraits.com

Website: www.pomareportraits.com