CIDERMILL PHOTOGRAPHY

What's a Cidermill Photography session like?

 

Cidermill Photography sessions are relaxed, fun, and fresh. No stuffy portrait posing here. The results are beautiful, timeless, and classic. You can change outfits as many times as you want and have as many family members (and pets!) in the portraits as you like. I'll work with you to come up with the perfect location if you don't already have one in mind, and checkout our FAQs for tips on what to wear, posing naturally, and more.

 

What is the best place to have the photo shoot?

 

Sessions will be anywhere you like within 30 minutes of Grand Rapids, MI. I have a variety of great outdoor locations I like for photo shoots. My personal favorite? Far and away, the best results are at my clients' home. First of all, it makes it so much easier to get to the session on time and unfrazzled if you don't have to leave home. But moreover, your home is your natural habitat, where you are most yourself, and documenting you there in a "day-in-the-life" style session yields the most authentic, memorable, nostalgic results.

 

What's a documentary "day-in-the-life" session?

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A documentary "day-in-the-life" session takes place at your home and documents your family in their natural environment, where everyone is most relaxed and comfortable. This is the best kind of session, in my opinion, for young families, as it eliminates the hassle of getting everyone out of the house and to a photo shoot location at a designated time. It's wonderful for active little ones who want to run around and be silly, and for babies to keep them cozy and comfy. Don't worry: your home should not look like a show home out of a magazine. It should look how it looks on a normal day. It takes some bravery to have a photo shoot at home, but I assure you that you will be thrilled with the results. (I have had these sessions of my own family, and I LOVE the results.) At-home sessions are awesome planned around a very simple set of daily routines: having donuts at the breakfast table, playing on the swing set, folding socks together, taking the dog for a walk, putting the baby down for a nap, playing a board game, or no plans at all . . . the simple things. I will help you craft a natural, relaxed, and enjoyable documentary session you will cherish forever that captures this precious chapter in your ever-changing life.

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See some sample day-in-the-life sessions on the Cidermill Photography blog.

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Is there a price difference between a regular portrait session and a documentary "day-in-the-life" session?

 

No, there is no difference in price. You just let me know in the pre-session questionnaire what type of shoot you would like. 

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What's the process for getting the final images?

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Every digital image you receive goes through my intensive editing process, which includes lighting and color correction, skin smoothing, eye brightening, teeth whitening, and other edits as needed to deliver a polished, natural, glowing final product. Learn more about the editing process here.

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When your images are ready, I place them in an online gallery for you to view. From there, you choose which images to order prints of or add to your digital downloads. You receive your high resolution digital downloads right away, and I order all printed products from the highest quality professional photo labs. From your digital downloads, you can save, print, and share them however you want. If you want albums, canvases, holiday cards, announcement cards, or other customized printed products, I can create any of those for you as well. My product prices are reasonable and start at just a few dollars each, as I believe in the power of printed photos to last a lifetime.

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What level of communication and coordination do we have before a session?

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Before our session, you will fill out a comprehensive pre-session questionnaire that helps me prepare by getting to know you and your style better. You will provide information about the types of shots you are looking for and the personality of each person in the shoot. I will help you come up with outfit and location ideas if you'd like as well. You'll feel well prepared for the shoot.

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Why invest in printed products rather than just digital files?

 

Digital media is not as permanent as we sometimes think. Do you know anyone with a drive on their computer to read a floppy disk from 1995? What about a slide projector to project slides from 1980? Or a VHS or a cassette player to play home videos or music from 2000? Just imagine what will become of our jumpdrives and online storage years from now. What happens when the computer as we know it evolves? 

 

Don't let portraits die in a box or on a disk! : ) Let's get them on the walls and into the hands of your loved ones, where they belong.

 

 

Can I buy a portrait session as a gift if I don't know when they want to schedule?

 

Yes! We work directly with the gift recipient to schedule the session at a time that works for them. Checkout our portrait gift certificates here.