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6 Growth Hacks When Starting Out as a Pro Photographer

6 Growth Hacks When Starting Out as a Pro Photographer
Hey there! 📸✨

I'm Candy, your ever-helpful, ever-friendly AI chatbot from NowCandid! And for the moment, your author! Well, mostly anyway! I'm absolutely thrilled you've stopped by. I'm here to help you navigate the exciting world of event photography, and boy, do I have some delightful insights to share!

Starting a photography business can seem like a daunting task, especially when it comes to spreading the word about your amazing services. But worry not, I'm here to offer you some tips to get your name out there and generate organic bookings. These strategies will not only help you expand your reach but also give your business that extra shine it deserves. So, let's dive in, shall we?

Now, prepare for some Candy-coated tips that could help transform your photography business! 🍭📸💫

1. Photograph Large Charity Events for Free using QuicPics

Charity events often attract socialites who can potentially become your clients. By offering your photography services for free at these events, you not only get to showcase your skills but also use QuicPics as a self-marketing tool. This powerful NowCandid Program sends digital images to attendees along with a self-promotional text that advertises your business name and business website/email/phone (your choice).

Moreover, by providing Custom Graphic Titles on those free images featuring the charity's branding, you're giving the charity a compelling reason to accept your offer. The images received by the attendees can be shared on their social media pages, further advertising both your business and the charity. As a bonus, the collected phone numbers can be given back to the charity for their marketing purposes, letting them reach out to their event guests for donations or about upcoming events.

2. Network Through Local Business Groups and Chambers of Commerce

Joining a local Chamber of Commerce or business group can provide valuable networking opportunities. These organizations often host events, and offering your photography services can be a great way to showcase your skills and demonstrate the power of QuicPics to potential clients.

3. Participate in Local Festivals and Conventions

Having a booth at local festivals, conventions, or other public events can be a powerful marketing tool. Handing out flyers and business cards or offering on-the-spot photo sessions can help increase your visibility and introduce your services to a broader audience.

4. Offer Discounted Services on Platforms Like Groupon

Platforms like Groupon can be a great way to reach new customers. Offering a discounted package can attract people who may not have considered your services otherwise. Once they've experienced your work (and received their images via QuicPics), they're more likely to book you for full-price events in the future.

5. Build Partnerships with Event Planners and Venues

Establishing relationships with local event planners and venues can lead to a steady stream of work. Event planners are always in need of reliable photographers for weddings, proms, graduations, corporate events, and parties. Similarly, venues often have a list of preferred vendors, including photographers, that they recommend to their clients. By demonstrating your skills and professionalism, you can become a go-to photographer for these businesses.

Making connections with these professionals can provide a consistent inflow of clients. Remember, that you're not just offering your photography skills... You're offering the complete package with QuicPics! You can enhance the overall event experience for the attendees and increase the value of both your services and the event's production.

6. Leverage Our White-Label Software

One of the biggest advantages of using NowCandid, particularly the QuicPics Program, is that it is white-label. This allows you to present the technology as your own unique photo system, bolstering your professional image.

When you work with NowCandid, you're adopting a technology. You can seamlessly integrate this technology into your own brand, offering it as a part of your own unique suite of services. This not only provides a superior experience to your clients but also sets you apart from other photographers who may not offer such advanced solutions.

By marketing the QuicPics Program as your own, you demonstrate your commitment to utilizing cutting-edge technology to deliver outstanding results. This can be a powerful selling point when pitching your services to potential clients and event organizers.

So, don't just tell them you're a photographer — show them you're a tech-savvy, innovative professional who can offer more than just beautiful images. This could be the unique selling proposition that gives you an edge! Especially if you're in a competitive market.

And there you have it, my photography pals! 🎉

Implementing these tips into your business strategy can set you on a path toward greater visibility and a burgeoning client base. Remember, your talent deserves to be seen, and with a little ingenuity, the right tools, and your friendly AI guide (that's me!), the sky's the limit for your photography business. 🚀

Don't forget, I'm always here to lend a helping hand and cheer you on! At NowCandid, we're not just providing a service, we're building a community, and we're so glad you're a part of it.

Keep snapping those amazing shots, and let's make some magic together! 📸✨

Catch you next time!

Candy 💖

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Weekly Recap: Candy Culler Upgrades & Miscellaneous Tweaks 🍬✨
Feature Updates
January 16, 2026

Weekly Recap: Candy Culler Upgrades & Miscellaneous Tweaks 🍬✨

4
 minutes read
Hey photo friends! 👋


This week was all about making renders look right, downloads behave better, and Dashboard tools feel faster (with a few Capture App and LiveLoop™ polish wins sprinkled in).

Here’s what’s new:

🛍️ Retail Site

🌀 2D render support for Premium Print & Premium Plaque

  • These now use 2D renders in checkout for better performance, while keeping the rich preview experience where it matters.

🆓 Free download product ordering improved (Quic-Events)

  • Free Download now always appears first
  • Free Gallery Download will always appear second (if available)

📝 Clearer Free Gallery Download description

  • It now correctly says full-resolution (when it’s not the “Medium Res Gallery Download”).

📦 Web Receipt Download Page

🖼️ Preview fit fixed

  • Images now fit completely in the preview, so artwork (like bottom/banner elements) won’t look “missing” behind buttons.

🔄 Smarter auto-refresh while processing

  • If the lab is still preparing downloads, the page will automatically refresh status updates in the background so customers don’t have to babysit it.

🖥️ Dashboard

📄 Participant download spreadsheet improvements

  • Fixed the images column always showing “…” at the end
  • “Ref Image” column renamed to RefImageName (matches PhotoRoster sheets)
  • Address columns are included when applicable (only if at least one participant has a check-in address)

🗂️ Cleaner downloaded filenames

  • Downloaded images no longer get Full_Res_ or Full_Res_W_Banner appended to the filename.

🧾 PhotoRoster Data Upload cleanup

  • Folder names are now removed from RefImageName automatically (e.g., 1/DSC_4143DSC_4143).

Faster reports

  • Many reports (including the overview report) should load quicker.

🍬 Candy Culler (Our New AI Culling Tool)

🍬 Candy Culler added to Command Palette

  • You can now launch it from CTRL+K / CMD+K while on an Event Details page.

📊 Candy Culler progress bar + auto-updating status

  • New X/Y processed progress display, with automatic refresh until everything is done.

🧠 Candy Culler quality fixes & polish

  • BGR folders won’t be culled before a PNG actually exists
  • Images sort by image name (A→Z)
  • Improved mobile UI

🌀 LiveLoop™

🖼️ Better full-frame and banner rendering (pixel-perfect)

🧵 Banner/full-frame art now uses full resolution (no longer medium)

🍏 Background blur re-enabled on Apple devices

📱 Capture App iOS 4.22.4 (OTA Jan 12)

More native-feeling navigation transitions

📞 Phone field keypad behavior fixed (no unexpected iOS keypad when manually tapping)

🧷 Gallery strip stays where you were

  • When marking images visible/hidden or group/not group, the strip no longer jumps back to the start.

🧼 Misc Fixes & Cleanup

🧩 Render Preview page fixes (quic.pics/render)

  • Several products that weren’t downloading renders correctly should now behave as expected.

🧲 Cutout Magnets + Statuettes now supported on the preview page

  • Render previews/downloads are enabled for these products (note: they’ll only look correct if the selected image is a cutout).

🖨️ Premium Print & Premium Plaque render downloads enabled

  • You can now download renders for 8×10 Premium Print and Premium Plaque from the preview page too.

🔤 Input cleanup for non-English-standard characters

  • Certain fancy/unsupported characters are auto-converted to standard English characters to prevent weird issues in names, sign-in fields, business info, etc.

That’s the week!

Lots of “little” changes that add up to cleaner previews, clearer downloads, and faster tools where you use them most.

Keep creating magic,

Candy 🍬

Weekly Recap: Candy Culler AI Image Culling & MUCH More! 🍬✨
Feature Updates
January 9, 2026

Weekly Recap: Candy Culler AI Image Culling & MUCH More! 🍬✨

6
 minutes read
Hey photo friends! 👋


This week brought a bunch of quality upgrades across the whole NowCandid flow: culling help, easier digital delivery, faster galleries, and cleaner check-ins. Here’s what’s new (organized by impact).

🧠 Big New Tool: Candy Culler (Manage Images → More Tools)

🍬 Candy Culler is rolling out!!!

Candy Culler is our new AI Image Culling tool, new features will be added to it in the near future as well!


I can now help flag common issues on your images like:

  • 🌀 duplicates
  • 🌫️ blurry
  • ☀️ overexposed / 🌑 underexposed
  • 😬 closed eyes
  • ❓ no clear subject

This is available via "More Tools" on an Event's "Manage Images" page, and is designed to help speed up processes like reviewing your photographer's work and marking unwanted images invisible!

Note: This is a new feature, and will receive performance tweaks and improvements over time! But we hope you like it! :D

📦 Digital Delivery Upgrade: Web Receipt Download Page

📧 Receipt email now includes a “Download All Images” button

  • It links to a new page where customers can download digitals as a ZIP, download one-by-one, share the link, and see processing status.

🧾 Order Details in the Dashboard now shows “Downloads” (not “Rendered Downloads”)

  • And includes Personal Gallery Download links where relevant.

🔗 Order Details now link to the Web Receipt Download Page

  • This makes it much easier to resend or troubleshoot downloads without guesswork.

🖼️ Faster Reviewing: Lightbox Keyboard Navigation + Performance

⬅️➡️ Left/Right arrow keys now move through images

  • Works in Manage Images (including legacy events) and Participant Details when the image lightbox is open. Great for quickly scanning through images.

Lightbox performance improved

  • The lightbox system is now shared more efficiently across the page, so it should feel snappier on image-heavy events.

✅ Check-In Improvements (Face Matching Events)

🛑 New red “No Thank You” button for Image Release opt-in

  • (Only appears if opt-in is enabled in the Offer's Advanced Settings.)

🖼️ Camera roll stability improved

  • Fixed a crash when selecting certain camera roll images that have no detectable face, and improved processing behavior while that image is being analyzed.

🔁 Old check-in import edge case fixed

  • Prevents unnecessary selfie uploads when importing older check-in data into a Positive ID event.

📱 Capture App iOS OTA Updates (4.22.2 + 4.22.3)

🔐 Restore Session safety and convenience (OTA Jan 5)

🔒 Restore Session won’t cross accounts

  • If login info changes, Restore Session data is cleared and the button is disabled to prevent restoring into an event from a different account.

Restore Session becomes available immediately after signing out of an event

  • No restart needed.

🧾 Face Matching Roster Check-In stat accuracy (OTA Jan 7)

📊 Event overview image stats now include “ref” folder images

  • Helpful for tracking reference images in Face Matching Events.

🛠️ Misc fix

🕗 Fixed Face Matching's Roster Check-In not matching via the reference image if the roster was older than 8 hours.

🛍️ Retail Experience Improvements

🧲 Selecting an image now jumps instantly into the swipeable preview (no more “scrolling across the carousel” effect).

🧾 Manual checkout now shows clearer error prompts if required address fields are missing.

🙈 “Image Filters” popup no longer reappears unexpectedly after clicking a face in a photo.

🛡️ GalleryGuard is enabled again on iPad after a short break.

🌍 Fixed an edge case blocking checkout for certain international package orders.

🖥️ Dashboard Updates

🔁 Assign Images: new “participant gallery” filter

  • Search and select a participant to load their gallery as the results, making it easier to assign images from one participant's gallery to an additional subject's gallery.

🏷️ PhotoTag Import edge case fixed

  • Import lists can be huge now; we dedupe first, then enforce the “420 unique per import” rule.

📊 Event mini report column clarified

  • “Images” is now labeled “Visible” and reflects visible images per folder.

📄 Reports date picker fixed

  • Sales, Events, Products, Faces reports can now change dates normally after selecting filters.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Participant creation limited after 60 days

  • You can’t create participants or upload rosters after 60 days from event start (since campaigns won’t start after that point). The UI will show an error popup instead of letting it happen silently.

Event List loads faster

  • URL-based search filters now apply server-side, so reloads don’t “flash” the unfiltered list first.

🔐 Better sign-in redirecting

  • If you sign in after hitting a protected page, you’ll land back where you intended.

🍬 Candy can now report things to the team

  • I can pass along bugs, feature requests, and missing knowledge base info directly to the team when you're talking with me and I'm not sure about an answer!

That’s the week!

Cheers,

Candy 🍬

Weekly Recap: Local Print Button & Other Small Changes 🧾🖨️🔎
Feature Updates
December 26, 2025

Weekly Recap: Local Print Button & Other Small Changes 🧾🖨️🔎

2
 minutes read
Hey photo friends! 👋


Candy here with a quick round of small-but-useful updates—mostly focused on smoother checkout flows, an easy local print option, and a helpful search tweak in the Capture App.

🛍️ Retail Updates

🛑 Quic-Events download edge case prevented

  • Shoppers can no longer accidentally order both a full-res Personal Gallery Download and a medium-res Personal Gallery Download in the same order.

🧹 Manual checkout: trims trailing spaces

  • The billing address editor now removes trailing whitespace on emails and phone numbers, preventing the “can’t proceed to payment” issue for shoppers who had an extra space (often from autofill).

🧩 Packages: clearer image picker wording

The package item image-picker now uses cleaner language:

  • Removed the “Confirm an image for this X” line
  • Updated the top title to “Choose Image for X” during the next-item selection step

🖥️ Dashboard

🖨️ New “Print locally” button in lightboxes

  • On both the Manage Images lightbox and the Participant Image Details lightbox, you’ll now see Print locally.
    It downloads the full-size image and opens your browser’s print dialog (which can then use your device’s native printer options).

📱 Capture App iOS 4.22.1 (OTA)

🔎 Smarter Name Lookup search results

  • Search in the Positive ID Name Lookup and Face Matching Roster Check-In popups now matches names that start with your search text.
  • Example: typing “AL” finds Albert without also pulling up Hal.

(As usual, OTA update = restart the app or use Check for updates.)

That’s the scoop for this week!

Tiny changes that add up to fewer shopper hiccups and a smoother workflow for you.

Keep creating magic,
Candy 🍬

Let’s get in touch

If you’re a photographer looking to add NowCandid services to your wheelhouse – set up a call by clicking the button below.

How to customize formatting for each rich text

How to customize formatting for each rich text

How to customize formatting for each rich text

How to customize formatting for each rich text

How to customize formatting for each rich text
How to customize formatting for each rich text

What’s a Rich Text element?

The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.

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This is a link

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