Omar Saleem Birmingham-Based Creative Writer & Photographer Specialising in Lifestyle & Portraits

Read the licensing, copyright and permitted usage policy for photography, creative writing, poetry commissions and digital content by Omar Saleem.

Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 12th April 2026

This Privacy Policy outlines how Omar Saleem Photography ("we", "our", or "us") collects, processes, and protects your personal information. We are committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected in strict accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).

1. Data Controller and Contact Information

Omar Saleem is the designated Data Controller for this website. We have appointed a Data Privacy Liaison to oversee questions in relation to this policy. If you have any questions regarding your personal data or your legal rights, please contact us using the details below:

For data protection enquiries:

2. The Data We Collect

Personal data means any information about an individual from which that person can be identified. We may collect, use, store, and transfer different kinds of personal data which we have grouped together as follows:

  • Identity Data: Includes first name, last name, and title.
  • Contact Data: Includes billing address, delivery address, email address, and telephone numbers.
  • Financial Data: Includes bank account and payment card details (processed via secure third-party encryption).
  • Transaction Data: Includes details about payments to and from you and other details of products and services you have purchased from us.
  • Technical Data: Includes internet protocol (IP) address, your login data, browser type and version, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform, and other technology on the devices you use to access this website.
  • Usage Data: Includes information about how you use our website, products, and services.
  • Marketing and Communications Data: Includes your preferences in receiving marketing from us and your communication preferences.

3. Special Category Data

In the course of providing bespoke photography or creative writing services, we may inadvertently or by necessity collect "Special Category Data" (such as details about your race, religion, or health) if they are relevant to a specific commission or shoot. We process this data only with your explicit consent or where necessary for the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims.

4. How Your Data is Collected

We use different methods to collect data from and about you, including:

  • Direct Interactions: You may give us your Identity, Contact, and Financial Data by filling in forms or by corresponding with us by post, phone, email, or via WhatsApp.
  • Automated Technologies: As you interact with our website, we may automatically collect Technical Data about your equipment, browsing actions, and patterns using cookies and server logs.
  • Third Parties: We may receive personal data about you from various third parties such as analytics providers (Google Analytics), advertising networks, and search information providers.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances:

  • Performance of Contract: Where we need to perform the contract we are about to enter into or have entered into with you (e.g., delivering your photography gallery).
  • Legitimate Interests: Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests (e.g., improving our website security).
  • Comply with a Legal Obligation: Where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation (e.g., tax record-keeping).
  • Consent: Generally, we do not rely on consent as a legal basis for processing your personal data other than in relation to sending direct marketing communications. You have the right to withdraw consent at any time.

6. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your personal data with the parties set out below for the purposes set out in Section 5:

  • Service Providers: IT and system administration services, including website hosting and cloud storage (e.g., Dropbox or Pixieset for gallery delivery).
  • Professional Advisers: Including lawyers, bankers, auditors, and insurers.
  • HMRC: Regulators and other authorities based in the United Kingdom who require reporting of processing activities in certain circumstances.

We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the law. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes.

7. International Transfers

Whenever we transfer your personal data out of the UK, we ensure a similar degree of protection is afforded to it by ensuring at least one of the following safeguards is implemented:

  • We will only transfer your personal data to countries that have been deemed to provide an adequate level of protection for personal data.
  • Where we use certain service providers, we may use specific contracts approved for use in the UK which give personal data the same protection it has in the UK (Standard Contractual Clauses).

8. Data Security

We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used, or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered, or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your personal data to those employees, agents, and contractors who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal data on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

9. Data Retention

We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

To determine the appropriate retention period, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use, and the applicable legal requirements (such as HMRC's requirement to keep basic information about our customers for six years after they cease being customers for tax purposes).

10. Your Legal Rights

Under certain circumstances, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data, including the right to:

  • Request access to your personal data (Subject Access Request).
  • Request correction of your personal data.
  • Request erasure of your personal data.
  • Object to processing of your personal data.
  • Request restriction of processing your personal data.
  • Request transfer of your personal data.
  • Right to withdraw consent.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us via the details provided in Section 1.

11. Third-Party Links

This website may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins, and applications (such as Instagram or WhatsApp). Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements.

12. Complaints

You have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk). We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO, so please contact us in the first instance.