Recommendations from a 4 year CADY veteran
Pros
If you are thinking of applying: The position will keep you incredibly busy from Late July to November.** (Plan accordingly) This company is a good fit if: You are fresh out of college and you either still live at home or with roommates. If you are looking to improve your confidence in photography, one season at the studio will definitely get you there! However, I don't see any financial or professional benefit in staying longer than one season. While I personally have lost interest in photography, from a confidence and capability standpoint, I could shoot a wedding tomorrow and I'm confident I would deliver a good product. I would describe the overall experience during the busy season as intensive, almost bootcamp-like. If this is your first job, level up your stamina, you'll need it! What I enjoyed: I thoroughly appreciated being surrounded by my incredibly talented co-workers. Being surrounded by other like-minded artists is a truly unique experience and it is this one, singular aspect that I miss from my time at the company.
Cons
Pay: In 2025 I made $34,322 as a shift manager In 2024 I made $31,146 as a lead photographer. **In 2025 they implemented a pretty strictly enforced black out period for our entire 5 month busy season. In my experience spontaneous social outings are better aligned for the 5-6 month period where work has historically dropped off the face of the earth from January til about June. (Even in a fulltime position I still had to find a full-time job as an assistant manager to keep things afloat during the slow season of 2024, I wish I had done the same in 2025)