Our Privacy Policy
This policy explains how we, The Bright Rooms team, collect and protect your information as you read our London analogue photography and casino photo essays. We are committed to handling your personal data responsibly, transparently, and in full compliance with data protection laws applicable in the United Kingdom, including the UK GDPR.
What Information We Collect and Why
We collect basic data to manage our blog content on London analogue photography and UK casino photography, and to run our Peckham darkroom workshops. Our focus is on providing a seamless experience and improving our editorial and educational offerings.
Information You Provide Voluntarily
This includes details you give us directly, such as:
- Your name and email address when you leave a comment on an article.
- Your email address when you subscribe to our newsletter for updates on new photo essays or workshops.
- Your contact and payment details when you book a place at one of our darkroom sessions in Peckham, London.
Information Collected Automatically
As you browse, we collect anonymised usage data. This includes your device’s IP address (anonymised by our analytics provider), browser type, and how you navigate our site, such as which articles on British gambling documentary you read or which darkroom tutorials you view.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies to ensure site functionality and to understand how readers engage with our Mayfair photo essays and tutorials. We employ a cookie consent management tool compliant with UK PECR (Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations) to give you control.
Essential Site Cookies
These are necessary for the website to operate. They enable basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas. The site cannot function properly without these cookies.
Analytics & Performance Cookies
These cookies, such as those from Google Analytics, allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us know which pages are the most and least popular.
Your Cookie Controls
When you first visit our site, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner. Here, you can accept or decline the use of non-essential cookies, such as those for analytics. You can also manage your preferences at any time through your browser settings.
Analytics and Site Performance
To understand our audience and content performance, we use Google Analytics 4, which is configured for UK data residency. This helps us see which articles on British gambling documentary or darkroom techniques are most popular, informing our future editorial focus.
How We Use Analytics Data
We analyse this aggregated data to identify trends, such as interest in our Mayfair casino photo essays versus our technical darkroom guides. This helps us improve our content and the user experience for our community.
Data Anonymisation
Within Google Analytics 4, we have enabled IP anonymisation. This means your full IP address is not stored; it is truncated to help protect your anonymity while still providing us with useful geographic data (e.g., city-level) for our UK-focused blog.
Third-Party Services and Data Sharing
We use a select group of trusted third-party services to operate our blog and studio. We do not and will not sell your personal data.
Service Providers
These include our UK-based web hosting provider, our email service (for newsletters and workshop communications), and social media platforms like Instagram where we share our photography. These processors only handle your data as instructed by us.
Embedded Content from Other Websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g., videos, images, social media posts). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if you had visited the other website, which will have its own privacy policy.
Legal Requirements
We may disclose your information where required by law, such as to comply with a lawful request from authorities in the United Kingdom.
Your Data Protection Rights Under UK GDPR
Under UK data protection law, you have rights regarding your personal data. This includes rights related to our processing of data for our editorial content and workshop administration.
Right to Access
You have the right to request copies of your personal data that we hold.
Right to Rectification
You have the right to request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate or complete information you believe is incomplete.
Right to Erasure
You have the right to request that we erase your personal data, under certain conditions.
Right to Object
You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data, for example, in relation to direct marketing or our legitimate interests in running the blog.
How Long We Retain Your Data
We retain your data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this policy.
Comment Data
Comments and their metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so we can recognise and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.
Analytics Data
User-level and event-level data stored by Google Analytics is set to be automatically deleted after 26 months.
Transactional Data
Data related to darkroom workshop bookings, including invoices, is kept for 7 years from the end of the financial year of the transaction to comply with our obligations to HMRC.
Contact Us About Your Privacy
For any questions about this privacy policy or to exercise your data protection rights, please get in touch.
Primary Contact Method
The quickest way to reach our Data Protection contact is via email at [email protected]. You can also write to us at our studio address in Peckham, London. For privacy-specific requests, please use [email protected].
Supervisory Authority
If you have a concern about our use of your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
We emphasise our commitment to protecting your privacy as passionately as we pursue documenting London’s analogue photography and gambling culture scenes. Thank you for being part of The Bright Rooms community.