Midland, Michigan Senior Portrait Photographer | Eve Tuft Photography

Tag: Senior Photographer

Instagram Giveaway

Did you all hear I’m doing an Instagram giveaway?? Because I am, and you definitely don’t want to miss it. What are you giving away? I thought you’d never ask! 😉 I’m giving away a complimentary photo shoot to one lucky winner. And that’s not all. It will also be with her best friend! Eek! I’m seriously so excited to find out who the winner and friend will be. But wait, there’s more! (I feel like I’m a T.V. salesperson here…) I’m teaming up with my favorite make-up artist, Cathy, and she’s going to be doing the girl’s hair and make-up for their shoot. Amazing, right??? What’s not to love?

I first had the idea to do an Instagram giveaway a week or so ago. I really want to get my name out there, and I want to be able to “meet” the local teens and get to know them better. From the teenagers I’ve already been able to photograph, I’d have to say that this community in which we live is super blessed. The teens here are amazing. They inspire me, and I think they’re so full of life and direction. They know what they want! And I love that about them. As I’ve done this giveaway, I’ve been blown out of the water by their love of their friends.

For example, on one of the days of the challenge I had them tag their friends and tell them what gifts and talents they saw in them. I had so many people genuinely compliment each other. As I read through them, I could tell that so many people’s days were brightened because of it. However, tomorrow they will need to find something good about themselves. That will be harder, I think.

Join the challenge! If you do, your name will be put in the running to win this amazing deal. I’ll see you on over at Instagram!

March 7, 2019
My CRM of Choice – Dubsado

CRM stands for Client Relationship Management. Last year when I went into business, I set out to find one that I could use to help my clients feel like their communication with me was seamless. Well, I found it. Enter Dubsado.

Dubsado has so many features, so it’s hard for me to only mention my favorites. I think what I love best about them is how easy it will be for my clients to be guided through the process of having me take their senior pictures. From initial inquiry to scheduling to viewing my client welcome guide to ordering their package of choice, and everything in between, Dubsado does it. This CRM is seriously a game-changer.

Another thing I love about this CRM system is how easy it is customize everything to look like my brand. So, when my client logs on to view their questionnaire or do virtually anything else, it looks like my branding. It looks like an extension of my site. They won’t see it as another interface they have to use to do one task. They’ll see it as a part of me. And their experience will be easy and effortless for them. How cool is that?

I hear so many photographers who use multiple platforms to do different tasks. But I really feel like Dubsado does most everything I need for my business. I don’t need three or four different CRM sites.

Seniors! Parents of seniors! As you book your photography session with me, I guarantee that you’ll love the process from beginning to end. And we have Dubsado to thank for that.

February 27, 2019
Before and After: My Edits

Before and after pictures by other photographers have always intrigued me. Photoshop and Lightroom can really do some amazing things, and I never cease to be amazed by the creativity of artists. So today, I thought I’d show you a few of mine from my senior shoots and explain a little about how I edit.

After I take your senior pictures, I copy them from my memory card onto my desktop. I then go through the couple hundred of them I took and lower it down to my favorites. This is called culling. I will normally have about 70 left over from my first run. I’ll admit, lowering them down is one of my weaknesses! Then I pull them all into Adobe Camera Raw (known as ACR). I do make basic edits in there like adding in contrast, getting the white balance just right, and reducing any noise. I’ll usually cut some more out during this process so I’m much closer to my final number of pictures. Then, I take them into Photoshop for the final touches.

Photoshop

I love Photoshop. Love it! I’ve never worked with Lightroom, though I do know many photographers who adore them. But I can’t see myself ever switching from Photoshop. Although I’ve worked in Photoshop for many years and am very comfortable editing my pictures with that software, I know I’ve barely even scratched the surface. It really is amazing.

In Photoshop, I first remove any acne, and then I will work on the face. Common touches I will make include lightening up under-eye circles, whitening teeth (just a touch!), and accentuating the eyes. In all my edits, I only desire to make you shine through. I will NEVER over-process you or make you look like you have plastic skin or freaky eyes. I keep my edits simple to add that extra touch. I’ll often deepen colors and contrast in Photoshop as well, and sometimes add in a little bit of light in the background. Then I sharpen it and voila! That’s it! Sometimes I’ll need to remove objects from the background, but this is my usual editing process.

On average, I spend about 5 minutes on each picture. If there is more acne, then it will take longer. This is why it’s always been so important for me to get the picture right as best I can in camera! It cuts down on the time I spend editing. I wish I had some RAW files to show you so you could see the complete before and after pictures. I rarely ever save them though once the pictures have been fully edited. So here are a few before and after pictures where the before is edited I ACR, and the after is the final image. Enjoy!

Before and After of Emma

Emma’s edit is subtle. I took our blemishes and brightened up her eyes. I also added contrast and some light in at the top of the frame. Here is the before:

And here is the after: Her eyes are now the focus!

Before and After of Anna

Here Anna has some red in one of her eyes, and the white balance for the background is very cool. I take care of those things and also remove her leg from the scene.

Here is the after: The transformations are subtle but very powerful.

Before and After of Grant

Grant’s eyes are a little dark here, and there is some acne I need to remove. He also has some red in his cheeks. I definitely don’t want to take that all the way away, but I do tone it down a little. Here is the before:

And here is the after. His acne is gone, his eyes are nice and bright, and his cheeks aren’t so red.

Before and After of Abby

There isn’t a lot I need to do with this. General acne removal, brightening of the eyes, and getting rid of some of the chipped away parts of the door frame. Here’s the before:

And here is the after:

Before and After of Grace

The trickiest part of editing this senior is her freckles. I want to keep her freckles but get rid of her acne. Oh, and I always love to make eyes shine in pictures! Here is the before:

And here is the after:

Like I said before, I love editing. I love to make you shine in you portraits! I think the key to a good edit is to keep things clean and subtle and natural.

February 20, 2019
Senior Session Location: Miscellaneous Midland Location

I’ve just finished my series of favorite locations in Midland my seniors like to choose for their sessions. I’ve covered Dow Gardens, the Chippewa Nature Center, Downtown Midland, and Bay City State Park. We really have some beautiful and unique options here in Mid-Michigan. Today I’m going to do my last one for now, and it is a miscellaneous location. While Dow Gardens and the CNC are a photographer’s dream to photograph, I can take your pictures just about anywhere outdoors and get some really beautiful and amazing memories captured. Midland and the surrounding areas are amazing that way. You want your senior pictures taken at a park? Great! In your backyard? Let’s do it! Over on some property your parents own? Sounds good!

One Example for a Miscellaneous Location

One of my favorite locations in Midland to take my kids is Larkin Park. Man, we just love that place. We took our own family pictures there a year and a half ago. It’s especially beautiful in the fall, but then again, all of Midland is. 😉

Last Autumn when I was taking a posing class online and needed to get out and practice with some models, I thought Larkin Park would be the best place to go. I love Dow Gardens, but I wanted a miscellaneous location this time around. These beautiful models were happy to accommodate. I don’t think anyone would know the location just from looking at the pictures though, and we were able to find some really beautiful spots with some absolutely gorgeous light.

So, the moral of the story (or the post) is this: You don’t have to take pictures where everyone else is taking pictures. As beautiful as the Chippewa Nature Center is, if you don’t want to go there for your senior session, then don’t! If you’re aching to go somewhere else, let’s do! And we’ll end up with something amazing.

In the picture above, you can see the covered pavilion and fence in the background, but I think very few people would even know where this was taken.

Who knew that baseball fences could make such beautiful bokeh in a senior portrait?

Yep, you guessed it! Both of these pictures were taken at Larkin Park, less than 100 feet from each other.

This just goes to show that you can get an amazing variety of gorgeous pictures wherever you choose.

February 14, 2019
Senior Session Location: Bay City State Park

Continuing in the senior session series, up next is Bay City State Park. There’s a funny story about this place. I have lived in Midland for about four and a half years, and the very first time I even made it out there was last year during the summer. !!! I know, right?? My husband and kids and I went one warm summer day as soon as he got home from work, and we seriously had the best time. Then, at the end of last summer, I had the chance to photograph a senior out there. It was good to be back. The reason why I was at Bay City State Park was because I was invited to be a part of a project. It’s called ‘The Traveling Dress Collective’. You can read about it all on this blog post.

So! Let’s delve into why you might want to choose Bay City State Park for your senior photos! First off, it’s a flippin’ beach. What’s not to love about that? With this location, you get pathways, tall reeds, a sandy beach, and waves and water. You can either be in front of the water, be in the water, or not even have water in your shot at all. My favorite? All of the above. I think that’s what I love most about this place – the fact that you can get so much without having to get back in the car to go to another location.

This location is a popular choice for teens. I can’t wait to get back there in a few months. Hopefully by the end of the year I’ll have many, many more sessions there under my belt. You know. If it would ever warm up here in Michigan! 😉

February 6, 2019