***Review is not sponsored by CADY, all opinions are my own.***
There are A LOT of firsts happening for our oldest son and high school senior, Yosef: the first time visiting colleges and filling out admission applications, for the first time we’re diving into adult topics (like budgeting and debt) together, and, of course, the first time with booking, taking, and buying senior pictures.
If you’re in our area (or other states in the Southeast), there is a company that kids are required to, at minimum, utilize for their yearbook photo (btw done in an awful tux for dudes or weird drape-y black sash with pearl necklace for females), called CADY.
This was not the process I remembered as a senior and, as such, I thought I’d walk you through what to expect if you are starting from a place of ignorance like I was.
Step 1: Booking with CADY
No matter the type of session you book, the online process is super simple and convenient via a “Schedule My Photos” link on their site. I would suggest that you review each of the packages and corresponding pricing options so you know how many outfits are permitted, number of scenes used, and the time required.
All-in, our session (on a busy Friday afternoon) spanned three hours. If students are only scheduled for the yearbook photos, an hour should be enough time.
Changes to the session were easy. We initially only scheduled a yearbook portrait and later changed to the “Most Popular” session for an additional charge. We didn’t have a contracted photographer so, since Yosef had to go to CADY anyway, we thought we’d knock it out in one, combined day.
After booking, the CADY branch will communicate throughout the process (via text) with you and your senior. They will send appointment reminders, confirmations, and provide updates and quick tips as you approach the big day. CADY’s communication was impressive.
Step 2: The Shoot
Walking into a CADY studio (and I’m told all are similar across locations – FL, TX, GA, and NC) is like walking onto a movie set.
A small entry way greets you, followed by public and vanity-mirrored (accessible for the upgraded packages) changing rooms, culminating with a series of eight to ten staged rooms with backdrops spanning the entire open space.
While the space is amazing, there is no privacy.
Every senior taking photos is visible to all. For my son, the lack of privacy was no big deal. I did detect that the female participants felt a bit self-conscious of the random other kids and parents walking by during their time to shine behind the lens. It did feel a bit awkward to have access to all of the other simultaneous sessions.
The dressing rooms were semi-private – basically closets with a curtain to pull before use. I thought this could have been better done with actual doors as it was difficult to know if fitting rooms were occupied without peaking in. Thankfully, there were plenty of dressing rooms available so we never had to wait and avoided any “I’m so sorry” intrusions. Again, this was a much bigger deal to female seniors from my view.
Our booked package included five total scenes (not including the standard cap and gown picture or the yearbook portrait). Every senior (or parent) is provided a clipboard that travels with them from scene-to-scene. CADY photographers were everywhere and given the freedom to float amongst the crowd to take pics as they became available. Once your kids’ scene was shot (about 20 minutes each), the photographer initialed the clipboard and sent you to the next scene with the shortest wait.
Note: your kid will not have the same photographer throughout their process. We had a new photographer for each scene.
As much as the kind and skilled staff at CADY attempted to shorten the time between pictures, the paper-based clipboard process that passed students from scene-to-scene randomly did seem a bit inefficient. There was a lot of waiting around. For example, female students took longer to get ready so the photographer would wait rather than knockout a quick shoot for a male students who was scheduled next and ready to go.
Overall, I’d say the one downfall was how chaotic the whole place felt – like a busy-but-backed-up assembly line operation.
I did find the scenes to be very cool, hip, not dated at all (other than the yearbook one – YUCK). The photographers were all young and super energetic, open to ideas from the kids. Several of our CADY staff members made prop and pose suggestions which I appreciated.
Step 3: Ordering and Costs
As you wrap up the photo shoot, for select packages (like ours’s), you’ll be asked to come back in a week or two to review and order your senior’s photos. Note: I have friends that received a link and portfolio of the pictures to order at home without having to sit through a presentation/sales pitch. We attempted to get the home-based output, but were told our package did not allow for that change. Keeping our follow-up appointment earned us an added spiff – two free digital pics of our session.
If you have to review the pictures at CADY, get ready – the session begins with a montage of all pictures against nostalgic music. Both my wife and I were choked up – I did not expect that. Yosef couldn’t make the appointment with us, but I would encourage your senior to come along, if possible.
Again, picking the pictures was easy – they are each displayed on a massive TV in front of you in a private office. We selected the package, then the pictures to print and those that would be digital. We immediately had access to digital pictures (via email/text) and our printed photos will arrive within two weeks. Note: again, CADY texts order updates so we can track the progress as we wait. We’ve already received notice that our printed photos have shipped!
We spent nearly $600 total ($150 for the session fee and $450 on the photos including taxes, shipping and handling). This is our first time so I am not exactly sure if this is expensive or normal(?). I walked away a bit annoyed that CADY’s packages were very limited in terms of digital copies. The only way to gain access to the entire digital library was to buy a package for nearly $1,000. It feels like we spent a “normal” amount, but that we could really break the budget without much issue.
I feel like the emphasis on printing pictures will have to change for CADY in the future. Who wants six sheet of wallets or 8×10’s anymore?
The CADY Experience: Both YAY and NAY
Yosef’s senior picture experience was both good and meh.
The process at CADY is easy, logistics of getting the pictures seems efficient, and their staff was skilled and friendly. The CADY experience, though, was generally impersonal – lacking the intimacy of a one-on-one photo shoot with a photographer you might contract.
I’d say that if you want a more personal feel to your senior’s session, CADY is not the spot. If CADY is the place, though, they will do a great job and get you in and out as efficiently as they are able.
Overall, CADY delivers exactly what I’d expect of a franchised portrait studio – a good back office ordering process and standard scenes that look great.
Some good, some bad – not too bad for our first time.
