Privacy Policy
Last updated: January 12, 2026
This Privacy Policy describes how photographer Elena Ruzgis, doing business as “Elena Ruzgis Photography” (“we”, “us”, “our”), collects, uses and protects personal information when you visit elenaruzgis.com (the “Site”), contact us, or use our photography services.
By using the Site or providing your personal information, you agree to this Privacy Policy.
1. Who we are
The data controller responsible for your personal information is:
Photographer Elena Ruzgis
doing business as “Elena Ruzgis Photography”
Website: elenaruzgis.com
Email: photoruzgis@gmail.com
Location (USA): California, USA
Domicilio en México para notificaciones relacionadas con datos personales: Montes Urales SMZ 310 MZ 75, Cumbres, 77 500, Cancun, Q. Roo, México
This Mexican address is used only as a mailing address for contact and notices related to the processing of personal data by Elena Ruzgis.
If you have any questions about this Policy or your personal data, please contact us using the email address above.
2. Information we collect
We may collect the following categories of personal information:
- Contact details: name, email address, phone number, city/country.
- Booking and event details: type of session (for example, wedding, elopement, family, portrait, branding), date and location of your session or event, names of key participants, preferences and notes you choose to share.
- Communication data: messages and correspondence you send to us by contact forms, email, messaging apps or social media.
- Client account data (if applicable): login details or access links for your online gallery.
- Payment information:
— If you choose to pay for our services using third-party payment providers such as Stripe, PayPal or Zelle, we receive confirmation of your payment (date, amount, status) and limited billing details (such as your name, email address and billing address).
— We do not collect or store full payment card numbers or security codes (CVV) on our own systems. Such information is collected and processed directly by the relevant payment provider in accordance with their own privacy policies.
- Images and visual data: photographs and video taken during sessions, including images where you or other people are identifiable.
- Technical and usage data: IP address, browser type, device identifiers, pages viewed, time spent on pages and similar usage data collected via cookies or similar technologies.
- Social media data: if you interact with us on platforms such as Instagram or Facebook, we may see your public profile, likes, comments and messages.
We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal data (for example, health data, biometric identifiers) unless it is strictly necessary for a specific project and you provide it voluntarily.
3. How we collect information
We collect information:
- Directly from you, when you:
— fill out contact or booking forms on the Site;
— sign a photography agreement or model release;
— communicate with us via email, phone, messaging apps or social media;
— purchase services or products from us.
- Automatically, when you use the Site, via cookies, server logs and similar technologies.
- From third parties, such as:
— payment providers (for example, Stripe, PayPal, Zelle) — confirmation of payments and limited billing details;
— online gallery providers and print labs;
— email marketing service providers (when you subscribe to our newsletter, if applicable);
— analytics and advertising partners (if enabled);
— social media platforms, when you interact with our profiles.
4. Why we use your information
We use your personal information for the following purposes:
1. To provide photography services
— managing inquiries, quotes and bookings;
— planning, photographing and delivering your session or event;
— creating and delivering online galleries, albums and prints.
Legal basis: performance of a contract or steps prior to entering into a contract; in Mexico and other jurisdictions, your consent and our legitimate interest in providing the services.
2. To communicate with you
— answering your questions and providing updates about your booking;
— sending important information (schedule changes, delivery details, security or privacy notices).
Legal basis: performance of a contract, our legitimate interests and, where required, your consent.
3. To process payments
— processing deposits and payments through third-party payment providers;
— managing invoices, accounting and tax obligations.
Legal basis: performance of a contract and compliance with legal obligations.
We rely on trusted, PCI-compliant payment providers (such as Stripe) to process card payments securely. These providers act as independent controllers or processors of your payment information. Their processing of your personal data is governed by their own terms and privacy policies, which we encourage you to review.
4. To showcase our work (portfolio and marketing)
— displaying selected images on our Site, portfolio and social media;
— submitting images to blogs or other publications, where appropriate.
Legal basis: your explicit consent (for example, via a model release or a clause in your photography agreement). We will not use your identifiable images for marketing without such consent, unless otherwise permitted by law.
5. Marketing communications
— sending you newsletters, updates or special offers, if you choose to subscribe.
Legal basis: your consent. You can opt out at any time (see section 10).
6. Operating and improving the Site
— maintaining and securing the Site;
— understanding how visitors use the Site to improve design and content;
— detecting and preventing fraud or misuse.
Legal basis: our legitimate interests in operating a secure and effective website.
7. Legal, compliance and protection
— complying with tax, accounting and other legal obligations;
— handling disputes and protecting our legal rights.
Legal basis: compliance with legal obligations and our legitimate interests.
5. Cookies, analytics and tracking technologies
We use cookies and similar technologies on the Site to:
- remember your preferences and improve your experience;
- understand how visitors use the Site (for example, which pages are most popular);
- secure the Site and prevent misuse.
Analytics tools
We may use analytics services such as Google Analytics to help us understand how visitors find and use the Site. These tools collect information such as your IP address, device type, browser, the pages you visit and actions you take on the Site.
Advertising and social media tools
We may use online advertising and social media tools such as the Meta (Facebook/Instagram) Pixel to measure the effectiveness of our marketing, understand our audience and show relevant content. These tools may track your interactions with our Site and with content on third-party platforms.
These analytics and advertising tools are typically provided by third parties, who may set their own cookies and similar identifiers on your device. The information they collect may be combined with other information they hold and used in accordance with their own privacy policies.
Your choices and consent
Depending on your location, you may see a cookie banner or settings tool when you visit the Site for the first time. In particular, for visitors in the European Economic Area (EEA) and the United Kingdom, we will not use non-essential cookies (such as analytics and advertising cookies) unless and until you give your consent via the banner or settings tool.
You can manage your cookie preferences through the banner (where available), adjust your browser settings to block or delete cookies, or use privacy tools provided by your browser or device. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Site.
For more details about how specific third-party tools such as Google Analytics or Meta services handle data, please refer to their privacy policies.
6. How we share your information
We do not sell your personal information.
We may share your information with:
- Website hosting, online galleries and infrastructure
Our website and online galleries are hosted and operated using third-party platforms and infrastructure providers, including Wfolio (and/or other similar providers, as applicable).
When you visit our Site, submit a form or access an online gallery, these providers may process your personal information (such as contact details, IP address, device data and gallery contents) on our behalf, as our data processors.
They are not allowed to use this information for their own independent purposes and must process it only in accordance with our instructions and their own privacy and security obligations.
- Service providers and processors, including:
— website hosting, maintenance and security providers;
— email and messaging tools and email marketing service providers;
— online gallery providers and print labs;
— payment providers (for example, Stripe, PayPal, Zelle);
— cloud storage and backup services;
— analytics and marketing partners (if enabled).
- Professional advisors, such as accountants, lawyers and tax professionals, where necessary.
- Authorities or third parties, where required by law or to protect our rights (for example, in response to valid legal requests from law enforcement or regulators).
These third parties may only use your personal information as necessary to provide services to us and must protect it appropriately.
7. International data transfers
Because we operate in the United States and Mexico and may use service providers located in other countries, your personal information may be transferred and processed outside of your country of residence.
The laws of those countries may provide a different level of data protection than the laws of your country. We take reasonable steps to ensure that any international transfers are conducted in accordance with applicable data protection laws and that your information remains protected, for example by using contracts with appropriate data protection clauses.
8. Data retention
We keep your personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including:
- Contact and booking data: for the duration of our relationship and a reasonable period afterwards (for example, to handle follow-up questions, tax and accounting obligations, or potential disputes).
- Images: for the period specified in our photography agreement and, where you have given consent for portfolio use, for as long as they remain part of our portfolio, unless you withdraw your consent or request deletion (subject to legal limitations).
- Payment and billing data: for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
- Technical and analytics data: for shorter periods as defined in our logs and tools, unless a longer retention period is needed for security or legal reasons.
When personal information is no longer needed, we will delete it or anonymize it.
9. How we protect your information
We implement reasonable and appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse or disclosure, including:
- limiting access to personal information to those who need it to perform their duties;
- using secure passwords and, where appropriate, encryption;
- keeping our systems and software updated;
- using reputable and security-conscious service providers (for example, PCI-compliant payment providers for card payments).
However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. Your rights
Your rights depend on where you live. We aim to respect and facilitate privacy rights in a consistent way, within the limits of applicable law.
10.1. Rights of individuals in Mexico
If you are located in Mexico, you may have the rights commonly known as ARCO rights: Access, Rectification, Cancellation and Opposition, as well as the right to withdraw your consent.
You may:
- request confirmation of whether we hold personal data about you and access such data;
- ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data;
- request deletion of your data where it is no longer necessary or where you withdraw consent;
- object to certain processing activities (for example, marketing);
- withdraw your consent to processing at any time, without retroactive effect.
To exercise these rights, please contact us at photoruzgis@gmail.com with the subject line “Data Rights Request — Mexico”.
We may ask you to verify your identity (or authority, if you act on behalf of someone else).
Where required by Mexican law, you may also send written requests to our Mexican mailing address indicated in section 1. Who we are.
10.2. Rights of individuals in the EEA/UK
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom and we process your personal data in connection with:
- providing services to you; or
- monitoring your behaviour on our Site (for example, through analytics or advertising tools),
applicable data protection laws (including the GDPR and the UK GDPR) may grant you additional rights, including:
- the right to access your personal data;
- the right to correct inaccurate data;
- the right to delete your data in certain circumstances;
- the right to restrict or object to processing;
- the right to data portability;
- where processing is based on consent, the right to withdraw consent at any time.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority if you believe that our processing of your personal data violates applicable law.
To exercise these rights, please contact us at photoruzgis@gmail.com.
10.3. Rights of individuals in other locations (including US and other countries)
Even where local laws do not expressly grant particular rights, we will reasonably consider requests to:
- access the personal information we hold about you;
- correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
- delete personal information that is no longer needed for the purposes described in this Policy;
- opt out of marketing communications.
You can exercise these rights by contacting us at photoruzgis@gmail.com. We may need to verify your identity before responding.
You may also unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by using the “unsubscribe” link in our messages.
11. Children’s privacy
Our Site and services are not directed to children under the age of 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children without appropriate parental or guardian consent.
If you believe that we have collected personal information from a child without proper consent, please contact us at photoruzgis@gmail.com, and we will take steps to delete such information as required by law.
12. Third-party websites and services
The Site may include links to third-party websites, social media platforms or services (such as Instagram, Facebook, Stripe, PayPal, Zelle, Wfolio and online galleries). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.
13. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies or legal requirements.
When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, provide additional notice (for example, by posting a notice on the Site or sending you an email).
Your continued use of the Site after any changes have been posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated Policy.
14. How to contact us
If you have any questions, concerns or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact:
Elena Ruzgis
Email: photoruzgis@gmail.com
Website: elenaruzgis.com