Cady's Photography

What Cady's Photography does

CADY (legally Cady Studios, LLC) is a privately held US school photography company founded in 1999 and headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia. The company operates 30+ company-owned studio locations across the Southeast, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Texas, and California, and serves over 1,000 K-12 schools. CADY markets itself as the largest senior photography company in the USA, with a 25+ year operating history. The company is family-led: Josh Cady (President & CEO; EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Southeast), Stephanie Cady (Project Executive), Jeremy Cady (Regional Director of Business Development), and Calvin Cady (VP of Studio Operations & Facilities) form the founding executive nucleus.

The business operates a dual-channel model spanning B2C senior portrait sessions and B2B school picture day contracts. Senior portrait tiers range from $10 (Basic yearbook-only) to $299 (Elite Unlimited, full VIP experience), with optional add-ons including destination scenes, hair styling, and makeup using MAKE UP FOR EVER products. Print and product packages range from $149 to $2,199, with Klarna-backed BNPL available on orders over $50–$79. School picture day services are sold to K-12 administrators via dedicated regional directors and field sales reps; CADY claims the ability to photograph 3,000 students in 90 minutes per school. Supporting revenue streams include athletics photography, cap & gown and graduation photography, CADY Culture campus branding, and school picture day mail-home portrait sales.

The technology stack centers on store.cady.com (e-commerce booking and ordering), the MyCADY school administration portal (picture day scheduling, student data management, yearbook coordination), and digital gallery systems for image delivery and product purchase. The platform is instrumented with Google Analytics, New Relic, and Hotjar, and supports social login via Facebook and Google. CADY is FERPA- and COPPA-compliant for student data handling and PCI-DSS-aligned for payment processing. Distribution occurs through company studios (retail), the online storefront (e-commerce), the MyCADY portal (direct enterprise sales), on-campus Roadshows, and field sales outreach. In August 2025, CADY announced the acquisition of Lifetouch's high school photography accounts and Prestige senior portrait brand, with full transition scheduled for summer 2026.

Name

Cady's Photography

Legal name

Cady Studios, LLC

Website

https://cady.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

CADY (Cady Studios, LLC) is a privately held US school photography company operating 30+ studios and serving 1,000+ K-12 schools, providing senior portrait sessions, picture day services, athletics photography, and yearbook support across multiple US regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

School Photography Services

NAICS

Photography Studios, Portrait (541921), Commercial Photography (541922)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Photography & Photo Production (BPAFAIAF)

Keywords

• Senior portrait photography
• School picture day
• Yearbook photography
• Graduation photography
• Athletics photography

Headquarters

HQ city

Alpharetta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices30 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Senior Portrait Sessions: One-time session fees for photography time, with multiple tier options ranging from Basic ($10) to Elite Unlimited ($299). Sessions include yearbook photos, retouching, and portrait viewing, with proofs and packages purchased separately.
2. Print and Product Sales: Transaction-based sales of prints, packages, wall art, digital images, and custom products. Package pricing ranges from $149 to $2,199 depending on session tier. USB drives with digital images available for purchase.
3. Cap & Gown Photography: Combined session and product revenue stream for graduation portraits. Cap & Gown sessions start at $29 with package pricing from $79.99 for prints and $159.99 for digital bundles.
4. School Picture Day Services: B2B contracts with K-12 schools providing mass photography services for underclassmen and school events. Revenue generated through school partnerships with mail-home portrait sales and yearbook services.
5. Athletics and Events Photography: Sports and special event photography services for schools, with individual and team photo ordering capabilities through dedicated store portals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cady's Photography operates as a national school photography company delivering tiered senior portrait sessions at company-owned studios and picture day services (underclassmen K-11, cap & gown, graduation, athletics) for K-12 schools across 30+ U.S. studio locations. Customers book sessions and order prints, packages, digital images, and personalized products through the store.cady.com e-commerce platform and the MyCADY school administration portal. Revenue is generated from session fees plus separate transaction-based print and product sales, alongside B2B contracts with schools for picture day operations, yearbook support, and athletics coverage.

Product overview

CADY operates as a comprehensive school photography company offering tiered senior portrait experiences alongside school photography services. The core product portfolio centers on Senior Portrait Sessions (Elite, Most Popular, and Traditional tiers with varying scene counts and amenities) and school Picture Day services (Underclassmen K-11, Cap & Gown, and Graduation photography). Supporting offerings include Athletics Photography, the MyCADY administrative portal, CADY Culture campus branding, Ambassador Program, and Scholarship initiatives. The company positions itself as the largest senior photography company in the USA with 25 years of experience serving 1,000+ schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Senior Portrait Sessions
• Cap & Gown Photography
• Graduation Photography
• Athletics Photography
• Underclassmen Photography (K-11 Picture Day)
• School Picture Day Services (B2B)
• CADY Culture (School Branding)
• Hair & Makeup Services
• Achievement Video
• Hello Portfolio

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% satisfaction guarantee with complimentary retakes
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.

• LifetouchcoreOthers · 26 August 2025CADY acquired Lifetouch's high school photography accounts and Prestige senior portrait brand in select schools nationwide. The acquisition represents a strategic move to expand CADY's footprint, tapping into Lifetouch's legacy of 85+ years in school photography. All transitioning accounts will continue to be serviced by Lifetouch during the 2025-2026 school year, with a full transition to CADY in summer 2026.
• MAKE UP FOR EVERminorOthersCADY features MAKE UP FOR EVER professional cosmetics for their hair and makeup styling services. The brand is described as 'as seen on TikTok and beloved by performing artists and celebrities' and is featured in their Hair & Make-Up Lookbook for senior portrait styling inspiration.
• KlarnasupportingOthersCADY offers Klarna payment plans allowing customers to split purchases into 4 interest-free payments. Available for orders over $50 (underclass portraits) or $79 (senior sessions), enabling flexible financing for higher-priced packages and collections.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Dorian Studio: Dorian Studio is a senior portrait photography company offering professional senior portrait sessions, yearbook photos, and graduation photography to high school students. Directly comparable to CADY's senior portrait business with similar tiered service offerings and target customer (high school seniors and families).
• Inter-State Studio: Inter-State Studio is a regional school photography company serving K-12 schools with Picture Day, yearbook, and senior portrait services. Directly comparable to CADY in offering both school contract photography and consumer portrait services with similar product tiers and revenue model.
• Lifetouch: Lifetouch is the largest school photography company in the United States, now owned by Shutterfly, providing yearbook, senior portrait, and Picture Day services to K-12 schools nationwide. Direct peer to CADY—CADY acquired Lifetouch's high school photography accounts and Prestige senior portrait brand in August 2025, making them the most directly comparable competitor.
• Stantek: Stantek specializes in school and sports photography, providing Picture Day services, team photos, and action photography to K-12 schools and youth sports leagues. Comparable to CADY in its focus on school photography contracts and athletics photography offerings across similar B2B school channel.

Broad incumbents

• Balfour: Balfour is a major provider of class rings, yearbooks, graduation products, and school recognition services. Comparable to CADY as a broad incumbent in the school services market with overlapping yearbook and graduation photography, and several CADY sales executives (e.g., Brian Cheek) previously worked at Balfour.
• Shutterfly: Shutterfly is a leading digital photography and personalized products platform that owns Lifetouch, the largest school photography company. Comparable to CADY as a broad incumbent in school photography through Lifetouch and as a consumer photo printing competitor serving similar end customers with yearbooks, prints, and photo gifts.
• Jostens: Jostens is a major provider of yearbooks, graduation products, class rings, and school photography services, owned by Investcorp. Comparable to CADY as a broad incumbent offering overlapping school photography and yearbook services across a much wider product portfolio including championship rings and graduation apparel.
• Herff Jones: Herff Jones is a leading provider of yearbooks, class rings, graduation apparel, and school photography services to K-12 schools. Comparable to CADY as a broad incumbent in the school services market with overlapping Picture Day and senior portrait offerings plus a deeper product range in graduation merchandise.

Others

• TreeRing Yearbooks: TreeRing is a digital yearbook design and publishing platform used by K-12 schools, now owned by Herff Jones. Adjacent to CADY as a yearbook technology provider and ecosystem partner—schools using both TreeRing for yearbook design and CADY for photography represent a common go-to-market integration scenario in the school services market.
• Walsworth Yearbooks: Walsworth Yearbooks is a leading yearbook publishing company providing yearbook production, design, and sales services to K-12 schools. Adjacent to CADY as a yearbook industry partner and indirect competitor; CADY's MyCADY portal integrates with yearbook workflows that Walsworth serves, making them an ecosystem participant rather than direct photography competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cady_studios
• Facebookfacebook.com/cadystudios
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cadystudios
• Instagraminstagram.com/cadystudios

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cady's Photography