Information pursuant to Articles 13, 14 and 21 of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Preamble
We hereby inform you about our processing of your personal data and the claims and rights to which you are entitled according to data protection regulations. The exact type of data that is processed and how it is used is determined by the services you have requested or that have been arranged with you.
1. Who is responsible for data processing and who can I contact?
The person responsible is:
Lake Photography
Sean Bass
9332 Mercantile Drive
Mentor, OH 44060
info@lake-photography.com
2. What sources and data do we use?
We process the personal data that we receive from you as part of our business relationship. In addition, we process, to the extent necessary for the provision of our services, personal data that we receive from other sources (e.g. schools, sports organizations, dance studios, gymnastics facilities, and other event organizers with whom we have a photography services agreement) in a legally permissible way (e.g. to execute orders, to fulfil contracts, or on the basis of consent granted by you). Relevant personal data includes personal details and contact details (name, address, telephone number, and email address). In addition, this may include order data or data from the fulfilment of our contractual obligations, such as gallery access records, purchase history, and data related to your use of our online gallery and shop.
3. Why do we process your data (purpose of processing) and on what legal basis?
We process personal data in accordance with the provisions of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable U.S. privacy laws.
3.1. To fulfil contractual obligations (Art. 6 (1) letter b GDPR)
The processing of personal data is carried out for the provision of photographic services and the associated sale of captured images, including electronic delivery of digital downloads and production of photo products. This includes processing necessary to carry out our contracts or pre-contractual measures with you, as well as the execution of your orders. The purposes of data processing primarily relate to obligations arising from the sales contract you enter into by placing an order in our online gallery shop, and may include notifications about gallery availability and order status. Further details about the purpose of data processing can be found in our Terms of Service.
3.2. In the context of the balancing of interests (Art. 6 (1) letter f GDPR)
If necessary, we process your data beyond the actual fulfilment of the contract in order to protect our own legitimate interests or those of third parties. This includes: ensuring IT security and the protection of copyrighted images through screenshot and copy protection technology; the enforcement of legal claims and defence in legal disputes; measures for business management and further development of services and products.
We also process personal data when you contact us through our website or email. We process any data you include in your correspondence. This data is needed to process and respond to your inquiry or request. Once your inquiry or request has been resolved, we delete your data.
Where our photographic services have been engaged (such as team photo days, studio sessions, live competition and other sports-related events or scheduled service locations), we process the personal data obtained there on the basis of our justified interest to fulfil the order given to us by the event organizer and to offer images for purchase. In such cases, we photograph persons present at the event and make those images available for viewing and purchase. You have a right of objection, as outlined in the final section of this policy. Please note that an objection only takes effect going forward. All processing carried out prior to the objection remains unaffected.
3.3. On the basis of your consent (Art. 6 (1) letter a GDPR)
If you have given us consent to the processing of personal data for certain purposes (e.g. receiving email notifications about gallery availability), the legality of such processing is based on your consent. You may revoke your consent at any time with effect for the future. Please note that the revocation only takes effect going forward. Processing carried out before the revocation remains unaffected.
3.4. Pursuant to legal requirements (Art. 6 (1) letter c GDPR) or in the public interest (Art. 6 (1) letter e GDPR)
We also process personal data on the basis of legal requirements. For example, we store invoice data (name, address) on the basis of existing tax and accounting retention obligations.
4. Who gets my data?
In the course of using our online gallery and shop, your data will be received by those who require the data to fulfil our contractual and legal obligations. Our processors (Art. 28 GDPR) may also receive data for these purposes. These include companies in the following categories: IT services, gallery hosting (GotPhoto), image protection services (SnapShield), photo product production, payment processing, and logistics/shipping.
A data transfer to recipients external to Lake Photography takes place only if legal provisions so permit, you have given your consent, or we are otherwise authorized. Under these conditions, recipients of personal data may include public bodies and institutions (e.g. tax authorities) in the presence of a statutory or official obligation.
5. How long will my data be stored?
Where necessary, we process and store your personal data to the extent required to comply with our contractual obligations. In addition, we are subject to various retention and documentation obligations under applicable tax and commercial law. The time limits for storage and documentation can be two to ten years. Beyond that, the storage period is assessed according to statutory limitation periods, which are typically three years but can be longer in certain cases.
Gallery images from events are stored for a reasonable period to allow for purchasing, after which they may be archived or removed at our discretion.
6. Is data transmitted to a third country or to an international organization?
Our gallery and shop services are hosted by GotPhoto (Fotografen Online Service GmbH, based in Germany). As Lake Photography operates in the United States, data is transmitted between the EU and the U.S. as necessary to fulfil our services. We ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place for any international data transfers as required by applicable law.
7. What data privacy rights do you have?
You have the following rights under the GDPR:
- Right to access your personal data (Art. 15 GDPR)
- Right to rectification of inaccurate data (Art. 16 GDPR)
- Right to erasure of your data (Art. 17 GDPR)
- Right to restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR)
- Right to data portability (Art. 20 GDPR)
- Right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority (Art. 77 GDPR)
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@lake-photography.com.
8. Is there a duty for me to provide data?
In the context of our business relationship, you must provide only the personal data necessary for the establishment, execution, and termination of a business relationship, or data we are legally obliged to collect. Without this data, we will usually have to decline the transaction or will no longer be able to execute an existing order. For the provision of paid services, it is necessary for us to collect payment-related information as required by our payment processor.
9. Notification of important events
When you register to receive notifications by email regarding gallery availability, promotions, or order updates, the data you provide will be used exclusively for this purpose. We log your consent to receive notifications, including your IP address. No further data will be collected beyond what is necessary for delivery. The data will only be used for sending notifications and will be shared with third parties only for the purpose of delivery (e.g. email service providers).
You can revoke your consent to receive notifications at any time. Each notification will contain an unsubscribe option. You may also send an objection by email to info@lake-photography.com. Please note that the revocation will only take effect going forward. Processing carried out before the revocation remains unaffected.
10. Third-party services
10.1. Cookies
Our online gallery and shop use cookies — small text files stored on your device that enable certain functionality and help us understand how the gallery is used.
Cookies may be used to maintain your shopping session, remember preferences, and analyze gallery usage. On behalf of Lake Photography, third-party service providers may use this information to compile reports on gallery activity and provide services related to website usage.
You can prevent the storage of cookies by adjusting the corresponding setting in your browser. However, please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of the gallery and shop.
Third-party cookies used on our gallery:
- Google Analytics (For more information, see: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245)
- Facebook (For more information, see: https://www.facebook.com/policy.php)
- GotPhoto (For more information, see: https://www.gotphoto.com/privacy-policy/)
- SnapShield (For more information, see: https://getsnapshield.com/)
10.2. Image protection technology
Our galleries use SnapShield screenshot and copy protection technology. This technology may collect standard technical data (IP address, browser type, device information) for the purpose of enforcing image protection and preventing unauthorized copying of copyrighted images. No additional personal data is collected through this technology beyond what is necessary for its security function.
10.3. Social media
Our website and galleries may contain links to social media platforms. These links do not transmit data to the social media provider until you actively click on them. We do not collect personal data through social media links. Please refer to the privacy policy of each respective platform for information about their data practices.
As of: February 23, 2026
Information about your right to object according to Art. 21 GDPR
1. General right to object
You have the right, for reasons arising from your particular situation, to object at any time to the processing of personal data relating to you on the basis of Art. 6 (1) letter f GDPR (data processing based on the balancing of interests). If you file an objection, we will no longer process your personal data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing that outweigh your interests, rights, and freedoms, or the processing is for the purpose of enforcement, exercise, or defence of legal claims.
2. Right to object to the processing of data for direct marketing purposes
In individual cases, we may process your personal data for direct marketing purposes. You have the right at any time to object to the processing of personal data relating to you for the purpose of such marketing. If you object to the processing for direct marketing purposes, we will no longer process your personal data for these purposes.
To exercise your right to object, contact:
Lake Photography
Sean Bass
9332 Mercantile Drive
Mentor, OH 44060
info@lake-photography.com
