Midland, Michigan Senior Portrait Photographer | Eve Tuft Photography

Tag: Senior Photographer

What Happens After Your Senior Photography Session

If you’ve been following along for the past two weeks, I’ve taken you through the whole process of what it’s like to book, plan, and execute a senior session with me. This week we’re finishing up that series! Today we’re talking about what happens after your senior photography session takes place.

Immediately after I get home from your amazing session, I upload all your pictures onto my computer. There are likely hundreds of them. I always make sure to keep them on my memory card though in case anything happens while I’m copying them over. Now the fun begins! I look through them all, and I get that number down to about 100 or so. And now it’s time to start editing.

Editing

If you know me well, you know that I love editing my pictures. I love it almost as much as the actual shooting. Once I begin editing, I’ll cull your pictures down ever more until I’m much more close to the number I promised to give you. Chances are, you’ll get a few extra. 😉

I bring all your final pictures into Photoshop for the touch-ups, acne removal, and sharpening. Photoshop is an amazing editing tool. I finish all your pictures within three weeks of your shoot.

Ordering and Viewing

Once all the edits are completed, I send you a link to view your pictures online. You’re directed to a gallery and will be able to order prints and products. I order the ones you want, and they ship shortly after. Then I deliver them to you with copies of all your digital files on a custom USB. I love it when you get to see your finished pictures!

So, what happens after your senior photography session? I make some editing magic, and then you get to see your pictures and enjoy them for years to come!

May 23, 2019
What Happens During Your Senior Photography Session

Last week I wrote about what happens after you’ve booked your session. We went through the process of picking out a date that works, keeping an eye on the weather, deciding on a location or two, and going over outfit choices together. Yay! This week, we’re talking about what happens at your session. The day has arrived, and you’re ready to go. Let’s take a look at what a typical senior photography session looks like with me.

I normally get to your location for your senior photography session about five or ten minutes early. I’m a punctual person! Check out this post on what you should bring to your session. You might think you’ve remembered everything, however, it’s a good idea to look just in case. If you got your makeup done, we will have scheduled it so you can be right on time to your shoot. My makeup artist is great at making sure of that. You’ll have your mom or sibling or friend in tow with you, and you’ll probably be feeling a little nervous and excited. That’s totally OK! In fact, I still get nervous before every session, and I’ve been doing this for years.

Once you get there, the fun begins! We’ll walk around and scope out where the light is. I’ll tell you where to stand, exactly how to pose, and help you feel comfortable and look your best. The only thing you’ll need to do is listen and do what I say! Your mom or friend or whoever you brought will be an awesome help at keeping your outfits organized and holding the reflector for me when I need them. Here’s Grace. She’s the best reflector holder. 😉

I’ll be watching the time to know how long until you need to get into your next outfit. You don’t need to worry about how much longer until we need to head off to your next location. I have you covered! I’ll make sure we get all the poses we can, pace ourselves, and still have an amazing time.

Swing around next week and we’ll talk about what happens after your session. Thanks for stopping by!

May 15, 2019
What Happens Before Your Senior Photography Session

If you’ve never gotten senior pictures with me, you might be wondering what happens before your senior photography session. Here’s a post just for you! Now that you’ve booked a session with me, let’s take a look at what happens next.

First, we decide on a date. Sounds easy, right? I take a limited number of sessions in a year, but I am able to shoot on weekdays and occasionally a weekend, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to line up that perfect day for your pictures. After we do that, I send out an invoice for your $100 deposit, as well as a contract for you to sign. I do these things through my amazing customer relationship management company, Dubsado. They rock and have made it so easy to interact with my clients! After you sign and pay the retainer, I send you my client welcome packet. This beauty is one of my favorite things about the business side of my work. It has all you need to know for your session! What to wear, what all my prices are (even for prints and products), and FAQs.

Before the day of your shoot we’ll be looking at the weather together to make sure there’s no rain in the forecast. As long as there’s no rain, you’ll be in love with the pictures we get whether it’s overcast or completely sunny. We’ll also be in contact regarding any questions you have about your outfits or locations. We can also go over what the benefits are to the locations you’re looking at. I’ve shot at them all, and there are so many beautiful locations here in Midland. I’m here to make sure you don’t stress! This process is fun, and the more we communicate, the easier it will be to make sure everything runs smoothly.

What to expect before your senior session with Eve Tuft, a senior portrait photographer in Midland, Michigan

Sometime before your shoot (or even on the day of), you’ll pay the remaining balance of what’s due. If you wait until the day of, I accept checks and cards and will have my card reader with me to make it easier for you. And that’s it! Tune in next week to see what happens on the day of your shoot!

May 8, 2019
Bucket List Location for 2019

I’m not really a person for having a bucket list. Maybe I’m boring. Or maybe I’m just content with what I have. It could also be that I hate being disappointed, and bucket list items tend to do that to people. If I did have a one though, holding a koala would be at the top of it. 😉

When it comes to photography, there are so things I want. But I like to think of them as goals rather than a bucket list. That seems more realistic and attainable. One of the things on my list for this year is a location. Can you guess where? I’ll tell you. The Whiting Forest. Eep!

Whiting Forest was closed for a couple years here in Midland, and we weren’t able to see it until late October of last year. I feel in love immediately. As a photographer, I’m always scouting for locations to use that are different and unique to the area. While we all adore places like Dow Gardens and the Chippewa Nature Center, it’s fun to go someplace different once in a while too. I suspect that Whiting Forest will definitely get its share of senior sessions from photographers, and I certainly intend to use it as well. It’s such a great location!

Wouldn’t it be awesome to have some pictures here? You know, without the extra people in the background. 😉

And just look at these pathways. I know they’re gorgeous in the fall, but they would be beautiful anytime of the year.

Have you booked your senior session with me this year? If so, I’d love to take your pictures at the Whiting Forest here in town. It’s on my bucket list for the year.

April 24, 2019
The Difference a Reflector Makes

Before last year I had never used a reflector. I didn’t own one, and to be honest, they kind of intimidated me. Well, I finally bit the bullet and got one. And you know what? I hated it at first! Go figure, right? I found it cumbersome, hard to manage, and even harder to hold. I also couldn’t figure out how the heck to bounce light back where I wanted it. I’d bring it to sessions only to get it out once and put it back away. It was awful.

However, then I took a class online all about seniors. It was awesome, and I feel like it really took my game to the next level. We focused on reflectors for a week, and I took it out of its case to experiment with it. The result? I will never leave it in its case again. It’s a total game changer.

Here’s a picture WITHOUT a reflector. I didn’t have anyone there to hold it for me. I love this picture (and Abby and Emily!), and I don’t see much wrong with it as is.

With a Reflector

Not bad, right? Now, let’s put Abby in by herself and use Emily as an awesome reflector holder and see what happens:

Ta-da! Can you see the difference? There is now added light on her face and in her eyes. There are no more shadows on her face. It is evenly lit. I love the difference using a reflector makes.

Here’s a close-up version of Olivia. You can see the sun is hitting her from behind. She is facing away from the light source, so the opposite side of her face should be darker. But, with a reflector it is nicely lit! Isn’t she beautiful?

My last picture is of Anna. She was facing a part of Dow Gardens that was almost completely dark just behind me. But with the reflector, I was able to shine that light back on her face and get that lovely rim lighting on her hair at the same time.

I’m so glad I have a reflector and that I’ve discovered what it can do for my pictures. And I’m super excited to take it out for some more spins just next month with my first seniors of the season. Welcome, spring! Thinking of booking with me for your senior (or your own session)? Contact me to get things started!

April 17, 2019