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Illumin Studio

Privacy policy

Last updated: 12 October 2026

This is a translation for your convenience. The German version is legally binding.

The essentials

  • The public website sets no cookies and uses no third-party analytics or advertising services. We count visits ourselves – without cookies and without storing your IP address.
  • Only your client galleries use cookies, and only for signing in.
  • If you order in the gallery, you pay on the page of Stripe or Mollie; we never see your payment details. Printing is done by our professional lab in Germany.
  • Fonts, images and the video on the home page are served from our own web space. Opening the site sends no data to Google, Meta or other third parties.
  • Films from Vimeo load only when you click “Play film”.
  • Enquiries sent through the form reach us as an e-mail. The website itself stores none of it.

1. Controller

Illumin Studio
Owner: Sabrina Braun (sole proprietorship)
Rehbergweg 3
64380 Roßdorf, Germany
Phone: +49 176 322 44 188
Email: sabrina@illuminstudio.com

We are not required to appoint a data protection officer. If you have any questions about privacy, simply write to us at the address above.

2. Hosting and server logs

The website runs on Microsoft Azure (Azure Static Web Apps), provided by Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, One Microsoft Place, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, Ireland.

When you open the site, the server processes technically necessary data: your IP address, date and time, the page requested, your browser and operating system. Without this data the site cannot be delivered or protected against attacks. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in secure and stable operation (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). We have not switched on access logging for the website and do not store these logs ourselves. Microsoft processes this data only as our processor for operation and security and deletes it in line with its data protection terms (Microsoft Products and Services Data Protection Addendum).

We have a data processing agreement with Microsoft (Art. 28 GDPR). The services we use are set up in data centres in Germany or the EU; pages may be delivered through Microsoft’s global network. Microsoft is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework; the EU Standard Contractual Clauses apply in addition.

3. Error log of our server functions

We run small server functions for the date check and the contact form. So that we notice outages, Azure Application Insights (Frankfurt data centre) logs technical events such as “enquiry accepted” or “sending failed”. The content of your enquiry, names and e-mail addresses are not logged. What is recorded is the function called (for the date check including the date checked), time, duration, result, browser and approximate location (country, city). The IP address is only evaluated briefly for this and is not stored. Entries are deleted automatically after 30 days. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (reliable operation).

4. Check your date

When you check a date, your browser sends only that date to our server function. It compares it with our calendar, tells you whether the day is still open and suggests alternatives if needed. The overview of open Saturdays comes from the same function. At most, the date checked appears in the error log without any link to you (see section 3). Only our server reads our calendar; your browser does not connect to Microsoft Outlook.

5. Enquiries via the form

In the contact form and in the “Check your date” window we ask for your name, e-mail address and message, and optionally your phone number, preferred date, type of job and duration. We use this information only to answer your enquiry and prepare a quote. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (steps prior to entering into a contract).

How it is sent: our server function checks your input and sends it to us as an e-mail using Microsoft Azure Communication Services; the data is processed in Germany. The website itself has no database and does not store your enquiry.

Spam protection: we do not use a captcha. Instead, a hidden field and the time taken to fill in the form detect automated submissions. To slow down mass submissions, the server remembers a non-reversible short value (hash) of your IP address for ten minutes – in memory only, then it is gone.

How long we keep your enquiry: the e-mail stays in our shared studio mailbox at Microsoft 365, which only Sabrina and Desirée can access. If no booking follows, it is deleted automatically 12 months after our last contact. If it turns into a booking, we keep the records for as long as the law requires: quotes, order confirmations and business e-mails for 6 years, invoices for 8 years (§ 147 AO, § 257 HGB), each counted from the end of the calendar year. After that they are deleted.

6. Contact by e-mail, phone or WhatsApp

If you e-mail or call us directly, we likewise process your information only for your enquiry (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR).

The “WhatsApp” button is a plain link. Nothing is sent to WhatsApp until you click it. If you message us on WhatsApp, WhatsApp Ireland Limited (Merrion Road, Dublin 4, Ireland) also processes your data, which may involve transfers to the USA. See WhatsApp’s privacy policy. If you prefer not to use it, you can always reach us by e-mail or phone.

7. Films from Vimeo

Our films are hosted on Vimeo (Vimeo.com, Inc., USA). At first you only see a preview image from our own server. Only when you click “Play film” is the Vimeo player loaded. Vimeo then receives, among other things, your IP address and information about your device; data may be transferred to the USA. We load the player with the “Do Not Track” setting so that Vimeo analyses your behaviour as little as possible.

The legal basis is your consent given by the click (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR, § 25(1) TDDDG). The next time you open a film, it is blocked again until you click. Vimeo is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. See Vimeo’s privacy policy.

8. Google reviews

The reviews on our site come from our Google Business Profile. About once a week our server retrieves them through Google’s interface and stores them as plain text on our website. Visiting our site therefore does not connect you to Google.

We show only the reviewer’s first name and the initial of their surname, together with the review they published on Google themselves. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in showing our clients’ experiences (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). If you would rather not appear on our site, just let us know and we will remove your review.

The link “All reviews on Google” leads to Google, where Google’s privacy policy applies.

9. Remembering your language

When you switch between DE and EN at the top, your browser remembers the choice in local storage (entry is-lang), so the site opens in your language next time. The entry stays on your device, is not sent to us and is only created when you switch yourself. The legal basis is § 25(2) no. 2 TDDDG (a function you requested). You can delete it at any time in your browser settings.

10. Visitor statistics without cookies

To see which pages are read and roughly where visitors come from, we count page views ourselves – without cookies, without storing anything on your device and without storing your IP address. When a page opens, your browser sends our server function the page, whether you came from outside, and – only then – the name of the website you came from. We keep just a rough category (e.g. “Google”, “Instagram”, “Direct”); the exact referring address is discarded. At the start of a visit your browser also sends its time zone (e.g. “Europe/Vienna”); from it we only keep the country (e.g. “AT”). We also count clicks on “Enquire”, WhatsApp, e-mail and phone (with the source category of the visit), whether the “Prices” and “Contact” sections were seen, started films and opened portfolio stories. So that we can see, for example, how often people enquire after looking at the prices, every single page view gets a random number. It is created anew for each page view, kept only in the browser’s memory and not stored on your device; it cannot be used to follow anyone across pages or visits.

For each event we store only the time (hour and minute), the kind of event, the page, the source category, where applicable the country, and the random number of the page view – in our storage at Microsoft Azure in the EU. This does not let us identify or recognise individual people. If your browser sends “Do Not Track” or “Global Privacy Control”, we do not count you. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in improving our offer (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). We delete the figures after 24 months at the latest.

As long as the public website only uses services that need no consent or load only after your click (like the films), we show no cookie banner. Should we ever add a service that needs consent first, we will ask in a banner. Your browser then stores your choice in local storage (entry is-consent, with the date) so we don’t ask on every visit; after 12 months we ask again. As proof we count only the date and the kind of decision, without IP address or identifier. You can change your choice at any time via “Cookie settings” in the footer. The legal basis for storing your choice is § 25(2) no. 2 TDDDG.

At the top of the page we sometimes show current offers. If you close this bar, your browser remembers it only until you close the tab (session storage, entry is-promo-x). This, too, is a function you asked for (§ 25(2) no. 2 TDDDG).

We deliver finished photos and films to our clients in a protected online gallery. There we process the data needed for the job (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR): your names and e-mail addresses, your photos and films and what you enter in the gallery yourselves – favourites, selection lists, comments and approvals. Everything is stored at Microsoft Azure in the EU (database and storage) and deleted after the agreed term or archived at your request.

Sign-in and cookies: The gallery is protected by a password; alternatively you can have a sign-in link sent by e-mail. Depending on the gallery, a second step is added:

  • Code by e-mail: we send a six-digit code to the address we have on file. It is valid for 10 minutes and deleted afterwards.
  • Authenticator app: you connect the gallery once with an app such as Google or Microsoft Authenticator. For this we store a secret key – encrypted – in our database.
  • Passkey (Face ID, fingerprint, device PIN): the check happens on your device. We receive no biometric data; we only store a public key to verify the sign-in and the name your device gives it.

After signing in, the gallery sets a sign-in cookie (__Host-ig) so you stay signed in – for 30 days at most. If you choose “Remember this device”, it also sets a cookie (__Host-igd) so you need no second step on this device for 30 days. Both cookies are strictly necessary and contain no names or e-mail addresses (§ 25(2) no. 2 TDDDG). Guests you send a guest link to only get the sign-in cookie.

Gallery statistics: In the galleries we count, without extra cookies, how often a gallery is opened (separately for you and for guests), which photos are opened in the large view, how often downloads are started and films are played or watched to the end. For each event we store only the time, the kind, the role (client or guest) and the photo or film number – no IP address and no profiles of individual people. This helps us, for example, with album suggestions. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(b) and (f) GDPR. We delete the figures together with the gallery.

In your gallery you can order prints, wall art, albums and other products with your photos. For this we process name, e-mail address, delivery address, the ordered photos and products as well as amount and payment status (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). The order is stored in our database at Microsoft Azure in the EU.

  • Payment: you pay on the page of our payment provider – depending on our setting Stripe (Stripe Payments Europe Ltd., 1 Grand Canal Street Lower, Dublin 2, Ireland) or Mollie (Mollie B.V., Keizersgracht 126, 1015 CW Amsterdam, Netherlands). You enter your card or account details only there; we don’t receive them, only the confirmation that the payment was made. The payment provider is responsible for the payment itself and must observe fraud-prevention and anti-money-laundering rules; Stripe may transfer data to the USA (adequacy decision or standard contractual clauses). See the privacy notices of Stripe or Mollie.
  • Printing and shipping: our professional lab nPhoto (nPhoto GmbH, Germany) prints your order. We pass on the ordered photos, your name and the delivery address (processor, Art. 28 GDPR); the lab hands the parcel to a carrier.
  • E-mails: you receive an order confirmation and a shipping notice.
  • Retention: orders and invoices are kept as long as tax and commercial law require (up to 8 years, § 147 AO, § 257 HGB).

Until you order, your cart is kept only in your browser (local storage, entry cga-cart-…); this is a function you asked for (§ 25(2) no. 2 TDDDG).

To see whether orders fail, for example because of shipping costs, we store the following when the cart is opened – without name or address: the gallery, whether you are the client or a guest, the number of items, the value of the goods, the shipping costs and how far the order got (cart, address, payment), together with a random number that applies only to this one cart and is not stored on your device. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in improving the shop (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). We delete this information after 12 months.

14. Newsletter

If you sign up for our newsletter, we first send an e-mail with a confirmation link (double opt-in). Only after your click do we add you and store e-mail address, language, chosen topics as well as date and type of confirmation as proof (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). You can unsubscribe at any time via the link in every issue or by e-mail. After that we send nothing more; we keep the proof of your earlier consent for at most 3 years.

15. Photo editing with AI support

For pre-selecting and editing your photos we partly use AI services. Reduced preview images are sent to Anthropic (Anthropic Ireland Ltd., Dublin, Ireland) for rating and colour matching and – only for individual retouches we choose – to OpenAI (OpenAI Ireland Ltd., Dublin, Ireland). No names or e-mail addresses are sent. The providers process the photos as our processors (Art. 28 GDPR), do not use them to train their models and delete them after a short time; any transfer to the USA is covered by standard contractual clauses. We check every selection and every edit ourselves before a photo goes into your gallery. Legal basis is the performance of our contract (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR).

16. Sending e-mails and studio mailbox

E-mails from the gallery and the shop (sign-in links, codes, order confirmations, newsletter) are sent via Microsoft Azure Communication Services in the EU. Our studio mailbox is at Microsoft 365; messages you send there and our replies are stored there (processor, Art. 28 GDPR).

17. Fonts and content

We serve all fonts, images and scripts from our own web space. Nothing is loaded from Google Fonts, content delivery networks or social media platforms.

18. Encryption

The site is only available via HTTPS. Everything you send us through the form is transmitted encrypted.

19. Your rights

You have the right to

  • access the data we process about you (Art. 15 GDPR),
  • rectification of incorrect data (Art. 16 GDPR),
  • erasure (Art. 17 GDPR) and restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR),
  • data portability (Art. 20 GDPR),
  • object to processing based on our legitimate interest (Art. 21 GDPR),
  • withdraw consent with effect for the future (Art. 7(3) GDPR).

A short e-mail to sabrina@illuminstudio.com is enough.

You can also lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority. The authority responsible for us is the Hessian Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, Gustav-Stresemann-Ring 1, 65189 Wiesbaden, Germany.

20. Changes

We update this policy when the website or the law changes. The version published here applies.

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