Privacy Policy

Information We Collect

Swartz Portraits collects information that helps us schedule consultations, plan portrait sessions, and stay in contact with families during the senior portrait experience.

Information You Provide Directly

• Application and consultation forms: name of senior, name of parent or guardian, email, phone, high school, class year, mailing address, and notes about styling preferences or scheduling needs.
• Email and phone correspondence: any information shared when contacting Swartz Portraits about a session.
• Session bookings: session date, location preferences, outfit details, and any accessibility or family-specific scheduling notes.
• Order and delivery information: billing details and shipping address for heirloom prints, collected by GraphiStudio and our payment processor, not stored on this site.

Information Collected Automatically

• IP address, browser type, device type, and operating system.
• Pages visited, time on page, links clicked, and referral source.
• Approximate geographic region, city or state level, not precise location.
• Cookie identifiers and first-party site preferences.

How We Use Your Information

Information you share with Swartz Portraits is used to:

• Respond to inquiries and schedule in-person consultations.
• Plan and coordinate your senior's portrait session and outfit selections.
• Deliver private galleries, digital files, and heirloom prints.
• Send service-related updates, including session confirmations, gallery readiness, and order status.
• Process payments and fulfill orders.
• Improve the website experience and measure marketing effectiveness for our application only senior portraits program.
• Comply with legal obligations and protect our rights.

Sharing Your Information

Swartz Portraits does not sell your personal data. Information is shared only with trusted service providers who help operate this site and deliver the senior portrait experience:

• PhotoBiz: website hosting, client galleries, and contact form processing.
• GraphiStudio: Italian fine art print fulfillment for heirloom products.
• Email and mail providers: for service correspondence and shipping.
• Payment processors: for collecting session fees and product orders securely.
• Analytics and advertising platforms: detailed in the Cookies and Tracking and Analytics and Advertising sections below.

We may also disclose information if required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, safety, and property of Swartz Portraits, our clients, or the public. These disclosures are part of our overall data protection commitment to every family.

Cookies and Tracking

This site uses cookies and tracking technologies to provide a working website, remember preferences, measure usage, and support advertising campaigns.

Types of Cookies Used

• Strictly necessary: required for navigation, gallery access, and form submissions; cannot be disabled.
• Analytics: help us understand which pages families view and how visitors arrive (Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity).
• Advertising: support remarketing and conversion tracking on partner platforms (Meta Pixel, Pinterest Tag).
• Preferences: remember choices like cookie consent.

Managing Cookies and Tracking

Most web browsers let you control cookies and tracking through browser settings. Disabling cookies may limit some site functionality. Major browsers each offer controls; search "cookie settings" within Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge for instructions specific to your browser. Browser-level controls are the most direct way to opt out advertising tracking before visiting any site.

Analytics and Advertising

The following third-party platforms receive limited information from this site to measure performance and support advertising:

• Google Tag Manager: manages all tracking tags from a single container.
• Google Analytics 4: measures site visits, page views, and traffic sources.
• Meta Pixel (Facebook and Instagram): measures ad performance and supports remarketing.
• Pinterest Tag: measures Pinterest ad performance and remarketing.
• Microsoft Clarity: anonymous heatmaps and session recordings to improve site usability.

These partners follow their own privacy policies. You may opt out advertising and personalized tracking at any time through:

• Google Ads Settings
• Meta (Facebook and Instagram) ad preferences
• Pinterest privacy settings
• Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out
• Network Advertising Initiative opt-out

Your Data Rights

You may at any time:

• Request a copy of the personal data Swartz Portraits has on file for your family.
• Request correction or deletion of your information.
• Unsubscribe from marketing emails using the link in any email or by contacting us directly.
• Withdraw consent for non-essential cookies and tracking through your browser settings.
• Request that Swartz Portraits not share your information with third parties for marketing.

To exercise any of your data rights, contact Swartz Portraits using the information at the bottom of this Privacy Policy. We respond to verified data rights requests within the timeframe required by applicable law. Honoring your data rights is fundamental to senior portrait privacy at Swartz Portraits and is part of our broader data protection commitment.

Children and Minors

Swartz Portraits photographs high school seniors, many of whom are 17 years old at the time of their session. The website and its services are intended for parents and legal guardians of senior portrait clients in Spring, The Woodlands, Conroe, and the greater Houston metro. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13.

For seniors under 18, all session bookings, payments, and account communications must be authorized by a parent or legal guardian. Image rights and gallery access are coordinated with the family during consultation. Senior portrait privacy for minors is treated with extra care, and parents may review or request deletion of any photography client data we hold for a minor in their family.

Data Security

Swartz Portraits uses reasonable administrative, technical, and physical data protection safeguards designed to protect personal data from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. The website uses HTTPS encryption for all photography client data transmitted between your browser and our servers.

No method of internet transmission or electronic storage is one hundred percent secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but commit to taking reasonable data protection steps to protect your information.

Data Retention Policy

Personal data is kept only as long as needed for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. Our data retention policy is:

• Inquiries that do not result in a booking: retained up to 24 months for follow-up.
• Active and past clients: retained for the duration of the client relationship plus seven years for tax and business records.
• Image files and galleries: retained according to the gallery expiration shown on the Client Galleries page, typically 12 months.
• Marketing email subscribers: retained until unsubscribed.

Our data retention policy is reviewed annually to ensure photography client data is not held longer than necessary.

Texas Residents TDPSA Rights

The TDPSA Texas Data Privacy Act, effective July 1, 2024, gives Texas residents specific rights over their personal data. Swartz Portraits is committed to honoring those rights for every Texas family, regardless of any technical exemptions that may apply.

Small Business Status

Swartz Portraits is a small business as defined by the United States Small Business Administration. Under Section 541.002 of the Texas Business and Commerce Code, small businesses are generally exempt from the TDPSA Texas Data Privacy Act's full compliance requirements. We voluntarily honor the spirit of the law for every Texas family who entrusts us with their information.

We Do Not Sell Personal Data

Swartz Portraits does not sell personal data, and does not sell sensitive personal data. Information shared with our service providers (PhotoBiz, GraphiStudio, payment processors, analytics, and advertising platforms) is shared solely to operate the website and deliver your senior's portrait experience. None of these arrangements constitute a sale under the TDPSA Texas Data Privacy Act.

Your Rights Under Texas Law

Texas residents may at any time exercise these data rights:

• Confirm whether Swartz Portraits is processing personal data about your family, and access that data.
• Correct inaccuracies in personal data.
• Request deletion of personal data we have collected or obtained.
• Obtain a portable, readable copy of personal data you have provided.
• Opt out of processing for purposes of targeted advertising or profiling.
• Appeal any refusal of a Texas privacy rights request.
• Exercise these data rights without retaliation, discrimination, or being required to create an account.

Universal Opt-Out Mechanisms

Swartz Portraits is implementing recognition of universal opt-out signals such as the Global Privacy Control (GPC) sent by your browser. When fully implemented, browser-level opt out advertising signals will be honored for advertising and analytics purposes for the duration of the session in which they are received.

How to Submit a Texas Privacy Request

Email tswartz@swartzportraits.com with the subject line "Texas TDPSA Privacy Request" and identify yourself as a Texas resident. We respond within 45 days of verified receipt, the response window allowed under Texas law. If we cannot fulfill your request, we will explain why and provide an appeal process.

Reporting a Concern to the Texas Attorney General

If you believe Swartz Portraits has not honored your Texas privacy rights, you may contact us first to resolve the matter, or file a complaint with the Texas Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division, which enforces the TDPSA.

California Residents CCPA Rights

CCPA California residents traveling, relocating, or maintaining secondary residency in Texas retain the rights granted by the California Consumer Privacy Act. These CCPA California rights include the right to know what personal information is collected, the right to delete personal information, the right to opt out advertising sales (Swartz Portraits does not sell personal information), and the right to non-discrimination when exercising these rights.

To submit a CCPA California request, contact us using the information at the bottom of this Privacy Policy and identify yourself as a California resident.

Changes to This Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time. The "Last Updated" date at the top of the page reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be communicated through the website and, where appropriate, by email to current clients. Continued use of the site after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.