1. Who we are
- Website name: The Photographer Club
- Contact email: hello@thephotographerclub.com
For a Data Protection point of contact, email hello@thephotographerclub.com
2. Who this policy applies to
When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.
This policy covers three groups of people:
Contributors — photographers and writers who submit or have submitted content (articles, images, interviews) for publication.
Readers/visitors — anyone browsing the Site
Newsletter subscribers — anyone who signs up to receive our newsletter
3. What personal data we collect
If you upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from images on the website.
| Category | Who it applies to | Examples |
| Contact data | Subscribers, contributors | Name, email address |
| Subscription data | Subscribers | Sign-up date, subscription preferences, open/click activity on newsletters |
| Contributor data | Contributors | Name, email, byline/bio, photograph or headshot, portfolio links, social media handles, postal address (if payment or physical items are sent) |
| Submitted content | Contributors | Articles, photographs, captions, and any personal data contained within that content (e.g. if a photo depicts identifiable people) |
| Correspondence | All | Emails or messages sent to us, e.g. pitches, enquiries, feedback |
| Technical data | All visitors | IP address, browser type, device type, operating system |
| Usage data | All visitors | Pages viewed, referral source, time on page, click behaviour |
We do not require or knowingly collect special category data (e.g. health, religion, ethnicity). If a contributor’s submitted photograph or article incidentally contains personal data about third parties (e.g. identifiable people in an image), the contributor is responsible for ensuring they have the right to share that content with us — see Section 11.
4. How we collect data
- Directly from you — when you subscribe to the newsletter, submit content or a pitch, or contact us.
- Automatically — through cookies and similar technologies when you browse the Site or interact with the website (see Section 9).
- From third parties — such as our newsletter platform (e.g. delivery/open/click statistics) or analytics providers.
5. How we use your data and our legal basis
Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.
These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website. You can withdraw consent at any time (see Section 13); this won’t affect processing already carried out.
| Purpose | Applies to | Legal basis |
| Sending the monthly newsletter | Subscribers | Consent |
| Managing subscription preferences and unsubscribe requests | Subscribers | Consent / Legal obligation |
| Reviewing, editing, and publishing contributed content | Contributors | Performance of a contract / Legitimate interests |
| Crediting contributors (byline, bio) on published work | Contributors | Legitimate interests / Consent |
| Paying contributors, where applicable | Contributors | Performance of a contract / Legal obligation |
| Responding to enquiries and pitches | All | Legitimate interests |
| Understanding how the Site is used, improving content and performance | Visitors | Legitimate interests |
| Preventing fraud, spam, or misuse of submission channels | Contributors | Legitimate interests |
| Complying with legal or tax obligations | Contributors | Legal obligation |
6. Newsletter
- We use a newsletter platform to manage and send our monthly newsletter.
- You are only added to the newsletter list if you actively sign up or become a contributor, or community contributor.
- Every newsletter includes an unsubscribe link. You can also ask us directly to remove you.
- We may track opens and link clicks to understand engagement and improve content — this is standard newsletter analytics provided by our sending platform.
If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.
7. Contributors and Comments
If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so we can recognize and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.
For users that register on our website (if any), we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.
If you write for or supply photography to the online magazine:
- We collect the contact and biographical details needed to correspond with you, credit you, and (where applicable) pay you.
- Published bylines, bios, headshots, and portfolio links are displayed publicly as part of the published article, with your agreement.
- We retain contributor records (contracts, correspondence, payment details) for as long as needed for editorial, tax, and legal purposes.
- If you’d like your contact details removed from our contributor database (this does not include removing your byline from already-published articles, which forms part of the historical record), contact us using the details in Section 14.
8. Sharing your data
We do not sell personal data. We may share it with:
- Service providers, such as our newsletter platform, website hosting provider, and analytics provider, under agreements that require them to protect your data.
- Payment or accounting providers, where we pay contributors.
- Professional advisers, such as accountants or lawyers, where necessary.
- Regulators or law enforcement, where required by law.
- A buyer, if we sell or transfer the business, subject to appropriate safeguards.
Third-party providers we currently use include: WordPress, Google Analytics, BigScoots, Yoast or RankMath.
10. International transfers
Some service providers (e.g. our newsletter platform) may process data outside the UK. Where this happens, we ensure appropriate safeguards, such as:
- The UK’s adequacy regulations for approved countries, or
- Standard Contractual Clauses / the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA)
Details of safeguards used are available on request.
11. Content submitted by contributors and third parties
If you submit an article or photograph that includes identifiable people, you confirm that you have the appropriate permission or legal basis (e.g. consent, or a legitimate photographic context such as a public event) to share that content with us for publication. If someone believes their personal data has been published without appropriate basis, they can contact us using the details in Section 14 to raise a concern.
12. Data retention
Newsletter subscriber data: retained until you unsubscribe or the list is cleaned of inactive subscribers.
Contributor records: retained for [e.g. 6 years] after last contact/payment, for legal and tax purposes.
General enquiries: retained for [e.g. 12–24 months], unless a longer period is needed.
Published content and bylines: retained indefinitely as part of the magazine’s editorial archive, unless removal is legally required..
13. Your rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data
- Erasure (“right to be forgotten”), in certain circumstances
- Restrict processing of your data
- Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing
- Data portability — receive your data in a portable format
- Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
To exercise these rights, contact us at hello@thephotographerclub.com. We will respond within one month, as required by law.
ICO contact details:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
Website: ico.org.uk
14. Contact us
Questions about this policy or how we handle your data:
Email: hello@thephotographerclub.com
Subject line: Data handling enquiry
15. Data security
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data, including encryption in transit and access controls. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
16. Children’s privacy
The Site is not directed at children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them. If you believe a child has provided us with data, please contact us so we can remove it.
17. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The “Last updated” date above reflects the most recent revision.