Privacy Policy

01Who we are

Sourmi Studio is a photography studio in Old Sangvi, Pune, Maharashtra, India. The studio is owned by Pooja Vijay Kunjir, who is responsible for your personal data (the "Data Fiduciary" under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023).

This policy covers our website sourmi.studio, our package pages, the booking form, and the Sourmi Studio client app at sourmi.studio/client/ (together, "the Services"). The client app is also used by our team: photographers, editors and telecallers.

02What we collect

When you book a shoot

• Name, mobile number and email address
• Shoot date, time, city, shoot type (for example maternity, newborn or wedding), indoor or outdoor choice, and package details
• A Google Maps link to the shoot location, if you choose a home or outdoor shoot
• Payment amounts and the UPI payment screenshot you upload as proof of payment
• Notes you add, such as makeup or outfit requirements

During and after your shoot

• The photographs and videos we take of you and your family
• The photo numbers you select for editing, your reel song choice, and any reference photos or editing notes you upload
• Booking status, editing status, invoices and delivery links

When you enquire

• Your name, number and message when you contact us on WhatsApp, by phone or through an enquiry form. Enquiries may be collected in a Google Sheet so our team can call you back.

About our team members

• For photographers and editors who use the app: name, email, phone number, address, assigned shoots and payment records.

Technical information

• Basic server logs (IP address, browser type, date and time of visit) kept by our hosting provider for security.
• Small amounts of data saved in your browser so the app remembers your session. See Cookies & storage.

We do not collect your UPI PIN, bank login, card numbers or passwords for any payment app. Payments are made directly in your own UPI app.

03How we use it

We do not use your data for advertising profiles, and we do not sell it to anyone.

04Google user data

The client app connects to the studio's own Google account using the Google Drive API (and Google Sheets for enquiries). We use this connection to:

• Store your raw and edited photos in a folder for your shoot
• Show those photos in your client link so you can pick photo numbers
• Copy your selected photos into an editing folder and create downloadable ZIP files
• Upload delivered photos and keep backups of app records
• Read enquiry rows from a studio Google Sheet so our team can follow up

Clients do not need to sign in with Google to use the app. If you open a Google Drive link we share, Google's own Privacy Policy applies to your use of Google Drive.

In practice this means: we use Google data only to provide the features above; we do not use it for advertising; we do not sell it; and people on our team look at it only to do their work on your shoot, for security, or when the law requires it.

05AI-assisted editing

For some maternity, baby and newborn photos, our editors may use an AI tool (OpenAI's API) to replace or improve the background only. Our editing rules forbid any change to your face, expression, skin tone, body shape, pose, hands, hair or clothing.

• Only the photos you selected for editing are sent, and only when our editor starts that edit.
• OpenAI processes the photos to return the edited image. Under OpenAI's API terms, data sent through the API is not used to train their models by default.
• If you prefer that your photos are edited by hand only, tell us before you send your selection and we will not use AI tools for your shoot.

06Who we share with

We share your data only with people and services that help us deliver your shoot:

• Our team: the photographer assigned to your shoot, our editors, and our telecaller team, each seeing only what their work needs.
• Freelance editors: if an outside editor works on your photos, they receive only the selected photos and editing notes.
• Service providers: Google (Drive, Sheets), our web hosting provider, OpenAI (see above), and WhatsApp for messages you send us.
• Makeup artists or vendors included in your package: your name, number and shoot time.
• Authorities: when the law requires it, for example for tax records or a valid legal request.

Some of these providers store data on servers outside India. They are bound by their own privacy and security terms.

07Your photos & our portfolio

We are proud of every shoot, so we use photos from our sessions to show our work and promote the studio. This includes our website, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp status, online ads and printed samples in the studio.

If you do not want your photos used, just tell us. After your shoot, send us a message on WhatsApp or tell our team, and we will keep your photos private. You can also tell us at any time later, and we will remove your photos from our website and our own social media posts.

We cannot pull back copies that other people have already saved or shared before you asked us to remove them.

08How long we keep data

• Raw and edited photos: kept in Google Drive for a maximum of 3 months after final delivery. Please download and save your own copies as soon as you receive them. After 3 months we delete them from Drive.
• Payment screenshots, invoices and booking records: kept for as long as Indian tax and accounting law requires.
• Enquiries that did not become bookings: deleted within 12 months.
• Deleted client records stay in a recovery list for a short period so accidental deletions can be undone, then they are removed.

You can ask us to delete your photos earlier, unless we must keep a record by law.

09Security

• The site and app use HTTPS encryption.
• Studio, photographer and analytics dashboards are password-protected, and each person sees only what their role needs.
• Service keys (such as Google and OpenAI keys) are stored only on our server and are never shown in the browser.
• We take regular backups so records are not lost.

Your client link is personal. Please do not forward it to people you do not want to see your photos. No system is perfectly secure; if a breach affects your data, we will tell you and the Data Protection Board of India as the law requires.

10Your rights

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 you can:

• Ask for a summary of the personal data we hold about you and who we shared it with
• Correct or update wrong or incomplete details
• Ask us to delete your data when we no longer need it
• Ask us not to use your photos for marketing, or withdraw any consent you gave. This does not affect anything done before you asked
• Nominate a person to act for you if you are unable to
• Raise a complaint with us, and then with the Data Protection Board of India if you are not satisfied

Send requests to the contact details below. We may ask you to confirm your identity, usually by messaging from the mobile number on your booking.

11Children

Newborn, baby and birthday shoots include photos of children. We collect and use these only with the consent of the parent or guardian who books the shoot, and only for that shoot. The Services are meant to be used by adults; we do not knowingly accept bookings directly from anyone under 18.

12Cookies & storage

We do not use advertising cookies. The client app saves small items in your browser's local storage, such as your login session or which screen you last opened, so it works smoothly. You can clear this at any time from your browser settings; you may then need to open your client link again.

13Changes to this policy

If we change how we handle your data, we will update this page and the effective date at the top. For important changes we will also tell active clients on WhatsApp.

14Contact & grievances

For any privacy question, data request or complaint, contact our Grievance Officer. We reply within 7 days and aim to resolve every request within 30 days.