Every photo I take — at a rugby tournament, a rowing regatta, a portrait session, or anywhere else — is my work. The copyright belongs to me from the moment I press the shutter. That doesn't change when you buy a download.
What you're purchasing is a personal use license — the right to use the photo for yourself. You're not buying the copyright, and you're not getting permission to use it commercially unless we've specifically agreed to that in writing.
Simple version: Buy it, use it for yourself, enjoy it. Want to use it for a brand, sponsor, product, or anything that makes money? Talk to me first.
If you're a team, federation, club, or university athletics department looking to use images on your official website, social channels, or publications — that's a team license, not a personal download. Get in touch and we'll work out fair pricing.
Journalists, publications, and media outlets — I'm happy to license images for editorial use. Please contact me before publishing. Using my photos without permission is copyright infringement regardless of whether you credit me.
A photo credit is always appreciated but not required for personal use. If you do credit me, © Zach Franzen or @dayabay works perfectly.
This policy covers hizach.com, rowing.photos, and photos.rugby — all operated by Zach Franzen, based in San Francisco, California.
I take privacy seriously. I collect only what I need, use it only for the purpose you gave it to me, and don't sell it to anyone.
Contact forms: Your name, email address, and any message you send me. Used only to respond to your enquiry.
Photo search submissions: Your name, email, the photos you upload, and event details you provide. Used only to search my photo archive for images of you.
Purchase transactions: Handled entirely by PhotoShelter or SmugMug. I don't store your payment information.
Website analytics: Basic anonymised traffic data via Cloudflare. No cookies, no tracking pixels, no personal identifiers.
When you submit photos through the Find My Photos form, here is exactly what happens:
1. Your photos are uploaded securely to Cloudflare R2 storage, encrypted at rest.
2. I use photo matching software to compare your submitted photos against my event archive to find images of you.
3. Your submitted photos are deleted from R2 storage once the matching process is complete — typically within 48 hours.
4. I may retain a reference image in a private archive to improve matching accuracy for future events, only if you explicitly consent to this on the submission form.
5. Your photos are never shared with third parties, never published, and never used for any purpose other than finding your photos in my archive.
Contact enquiries: Retained for up to 2 years for correspondence records, then deleted.
Submitted search photos: Deleted within 48 hours of completing your search.
Purchase records: Retained as required by tax law (7 years), held by PhotoShelter/SmugMug.
Reference library (with consent only): Retained until you request deletion.
You have the right to request access to any personal data I hold about you, ask me to correct inaccurate data, request deletion of your data at any time, and withdraw consent for reference library inclusion at any time.
To exercise any of these rights, email me at zach@photos.rugby with the subject line "Privacy Request". I'll respond within 5 business days.
If you're a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act. I do not sell personal information. You have the right to know what data I've collected, request deletion, and opt out of any future collection. Contact me at the address below to exercise these rights.
If you're accessing this site from the European Union or United Kingdom, you have rights under GDPR including the right to data portability and the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority. The legal basis for processing your data is your explicit consent, given when you submit the contact or photo search form.
Cloudflare — hosting, DNS, and R2 storage. Privacy policy at cloudflare.com/privacypolicy.
PhotoShelter / SmugMug — photo sales and delivery. Their own privacy policies apply to purchase transactions.
Resend — transactional email delivery. Privacy policy at resend.com/privacy.
When you purchase a photo through my galleries on PhotoShelter or SmugMug, you're buying a personal use license as described in the Copyright & Usage section above. Here's what you need to know about the transaction itself.
All digital download sales are final. Because digital files are delivered instantly and can't be returned, I don't offer refunds on downloads. If you have a technical problem with your download — corrupted file, wrong resolution, delivery failure — contact me and I'll sort it out immediately.
Downloads are delivered at the resolution specified in the gallery. Full resolution files are large — make sure you have adequate storage before purchasing.
Prints are fulfilled by PhotoShelter or SmugMug's print partners. Production and shipping times vary. If your print arrives damaged, contact the fulfillment platform directly — they handle all print quality issues.
I review every gallery before publishing to ensure photos selected for print are sharp and properly exposed. If a photo looks great on screen but prints poorly, contact me.
Need a photo for commercial purposes? Don't purchase a standard download — contact me first. Commercial licensing is priced based on usage type, duration, and distribution. I'm straightforward to deal with and won't price gouge athletes or small organisations.
Unauthorised commercial use of my photos is copyright infringement. I actively monitor for unauthorised use. If you're caught using a photo commercially without a license, you'll owe retroactive licensing fees plus legal costs. It's always cheaper and easier to just ask first.
Gallery preview images are watermarked and low resolution. They're for preview purposes only. Screenshotting or downloading preview images for use is not permitted and constitutes copyright infringement.
Questions before you buy? Email zach@photos.rugby — I'm happy to answer any questions about licensing, resolution, or print quality before you commit.