How this site handles your photos and your data

Face search

Some galleries have a "Find photos of me" button, and the Find your photos page has "Search with a selfie", which checks the newest galleries that have face search. It only covers galleries where I have turned it on, and you only use it if you choose to.

When you take a selfie or pick a photo, your own browser does the work. It downloads a face recognition model from this site, finds the largest face in your photo and describes it as a list of 1,024 numbers. The selfie itself never leaves your phone or computer, and it is gone when you close the page.

Only those numbers are sent to this site, along with which gallery you are searching and a Cloudflare Turnstile spam check. The site compares them with the faces in that one gallery, sends back which photos match, and throws the numbers away. They are not saved, logged or used for anything else.

To stop anyone from running endless searches, each search stores a scrambled, one-way code made from your network address, which lets the site allow 10 searches an hour. The code can't be turned back into the address, and codes older than an hour are deleted the next time anyone uses face search.

The face data for a gallery is made on my own computer when I publish it: for each face in each photo, where the face is in the photo and the same kind of list of numbers. It is stored privately, never shown on the site and can't be downloaded. When a photo is removed, its face data is deleted with it, and if I turn face search off for a gallery, all of that gallery's face data is deleted.

Face search can miss a photo you are in, or show a photo of someone who looks like you. Everything it shows is already public in that gallery.

Previews and watermarks

Photos in public galleries are shown as watermarked previews. You can view and share a preview for free. The full-quality file without a watermark is only available after you buy it, or through a private link sent to the client who booked the shoot.

Portfolio photos on the Work page carry a small signature in the corner.

Private galleries

When I shoot for you, your photos go in a private gallery that is not listed or searchable on this site. You get a link with a long random code in it, and anyone who has that link can see the gallery and download the full-size files, so share it only with people you want to have them.

I keep only a scrambled, one-way version of that code, so the link can't be rebuilt from anything stored here. The gallery page asks search engines to stay away, and it tells your browser not to pass the link on to other sites. If the link leaks or you want it shut off, email me and I'll turn it off and send you a new one.

To stop people guessing links, the site counts links from your network that didn't work, using the same kind of scrambled code made from your network address as photo removal does. Those counts are deleted after a day.

Buying photos and prints

Payments are handled by Stripe. Your card details go straight to Stripe and never reach this site. I keep a record of the order (your name, email, and what you bought) so I can send your download link and help if something goes wrong.

If you order a print, your name, shipping address, email and phone number are passed to the print lab (Prodigi) that makes and ships it, so it can deliver the parcel and contact you about it. They are used for nothing else. Your download link is kept only as a scrambled, one-way code, like private gallery links. The full terms are below.

Removing a photo of you

Every photo in a public gallery has a "Remove this photo" button. When you press it, the photo is hidden from the site right away. I then review it and either delete it for good or, if it was reported by mistake, put it back. Telling me why is optional.

So that one person can't hide a whole gallery, the button runs a quick Cloudflare Turnstile check, and I keep a scrambled, one-way code made from your network address. It can't be turned back into the address; it only lets the site limit how many photos one visitor can remove in a day.

You can also email me at stavomenezes@gmail.com and I will take a photo down.

Booking requests and messages

When you request a date, I keep what you send (your name, email, phone if you give it, and the details of the shoot) so I can reply, along with my answer. When you ask for an original file, I keep your email and message. I don't sell any of it or share it with anyone.

The booking form runs the same Cloudflare Turnstile check and keeps the same one-way code made from your network address, used only to limit each visitor to three requests a day. If I accept a date, that day shows as booked on the form's calendar. Only the date is shown, never who booked it or why.

My replies and notices go out by email through Resend, a sending service that delivers them and keeps a short delivery log.

Cookies and tracking

This site does not use advertising or analytics cookies, and it does not track you across other sites.

Questions

Write to stavomenezes@gmail.com to ask what I hold about you, to correct it, or to have it deleted.