Are you ready for the Holiday Season?

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Maybe not since we have roughly 10 weeks to go. For most photographers, the winter months can bring a noticeable slowdown, but this also presents the perfect opportunity to seize seasonal event opportunities like Santa Portraits and holiday parties.

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These festive events are in high demand, and with the right tools, you can make the most out of them!

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We want to share a success story from a Santa Portrait Event that took place in the last few years, along with how NowCandid’s Workflows can help you maximize your success this holiday season.

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Santa Portrait Station Success

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Rachel S., a photography business owner from South Florida, a few years ago landed a Santa Portrait event at a Zoo and turned it into a HUGE win. With Candid's Scanner ID Workflow, Rachel was able to use the same techniques of a typical sports or school picture day and apply them to the Holiday Zoo Lights Santa Event.

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To manage the event, Rachel used the Scanner ID Workflow, and generated blank QR cards to pass out to people while they waited in line.

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The QR codes were scanned by the guests who then paired their contact info with their QR code! Once they got to the front of the line, Rachel's photographers would scan the next guest's QR with their tethered device, and then take their photos!

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The device tethered to the camera would then upload the photos right after they were taken!

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With the contact info and pictures both in the system, gallery links were then automatically texted directly to the subjects, right away.

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Overall, this event garnered over $42,000 in it's first year!!! Not bad for a couple weeks of work!

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NowCandid Workflows: Make Your Holiday Events a Breeze

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One of the key elements to success in high-volume holiday events is efficiency—and that’s where NowCandid’s Workflows come into play.

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These workflows streamline the process of capturing, organizing, and delivering photos, allowing you to focus more on your artistry and client experience.

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Here are two workflows you’ll want to use during your Santa sessions and holiday parties:

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1. • Scanner ID: The Workflow Rachel used! It's great for efficiently collecting guest contact info while they are in line, letting you move the line along more quickly OR have more time available for additional photos. Contact info is essential for instant image delivery and post-shoot marketing.
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2. • Type & Take: This works similarly to the Scanner ID Workflow, except you type the subject's contact info into your tethered device before photographing them. It is not as time efficient at Scanner ID, but it doesn't require you to print out many blank cards before the event!

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Seasonal Retail Theme to Add to the Experience

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The holiday fun doesn't stop at the event—it continues when your customers view and purchase their images! With our Candy Cane retail theme, your clients are immersed in the festive spirit as soon as they visit their personal image gallery.

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Our themes include delightful touches like falling snowflakes, which gently drift across the screen. These animations help enhance the shopping experience and keep customers wrapped up in the magic of the season.

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Use Overlay Art to Add a Special Touch

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If you're looking to elevate the experience further, NowCandid offers Overlay Art, allowing you to add optional customized overlays to your clients' images.

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These titles add a festive, personal touch to the photos, making them feel extra special, whether it's a corporate holiday party, a Santa session, or a family Christmas gathering.

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Imagine sending clients their Santa Portraits, complete with a “Merry Christmas 2024” overlay or a custom-designed title that reflects the spirit of the season. It’s little touches like these that make clients feel valued and excited about your services—leading to more referrals and repeat business.

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Why You Shouldn't Sleep on Holiday Opportunities

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The holiday season offers some of the most lucrative photography opportunities of the year, especially when it comes to events like Santa Portrait sessions, corporate holiday parties or large family and friends gatherings.

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With many photographers considering this time a "slow season," there's an opportunity to stand out from the crowd by offering fun, engaging photo experiences that families, organizations, and individuals will love.

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Adding these events to your services can also build lasting relationships with your clients—because who doesn’t want to make holiday memories they’ll treasure forever?

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Don't Miss Out: Prep for the Holidays Now

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The key to success is preparation. Start planning your Santa sessions, promote your holiday event photography, and make sure you're using NowCandid’s powerful tools to handle your Events with ease.

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And remember: festive cheer isn’t just for clients. By embracing the holiday season and seizing these photography opportunities, you can fill your calendar and finish the year strong.

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Cheers, and may there be many holiday events in your future!

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‍Candy 🍬

Hello, my wonderful photography friends!

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Candy here, back with another Weekly Recap to keep you in the loop on all the fantastic new features and improvements we've rolled out. 🌟

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We've got some real game-changers this week that I'm sure you'll love. So, grab a comfy seat and let's dive in! 🛋️

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Chip Board Now Included with All Print Orders 📦

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We're enhancing the quality of your clients' "unboxing" experience!

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• • Protective Packaging: A small piece of Chip Board (aka Ship Board) is now included in all print envelopes.
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• • Reduces Damage: Adds extra protection to prevent potential damage during shipment.
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• • Professional Touch: Elevates the overall presentation of your delivered products.

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QuicPics & QuicPics GO Enhancements 🚀

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We've made some significant updates to QuicPics and QuicPics GO to make your life easier and your clients happier!

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• • Bulk Downloads: Your QuicPics customers can now download all their images at once in medium resolution, instead of adding each one to the cart individually.
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• • Renamed Product: When you're not selling high-resolution digital downloads in your QuicPics Offer, the Medium Res Download product will automatically rename to Free Download.
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• • Avoid Mistakes: We've added an extra confirmation step when creating a QuicPics Event. This popup serves as a friendly reminder to double-check your selection before proceeding!

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Access to Selfie Check-In from All Images Gallery 📲

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Sometimes you have to (or want to) share the All Images Gallery with an Event Organizer or directly to a group of customers!

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Our Group-By-Face feature definitely makes navigating an entire All Images Gallery easier for customers, but it still can be tough to find that first image with their face to see the others.

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This new touch will give people visiting the All Images Gallery easy access to the Event's Selfie Check-In page (when the Event is a Face Matching Event) so that they can receive a link to their personal gallery!

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• • Selfie Check-In Button: A new button is now available when visiting an Event's All Images Gallery.
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• • Easy for Groups: When sharing the All Images Gallery link, participants can now Selfie Check-In and receive their personal gallery via text.
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• • Automatic Removal: The button will disappear once the Event's face matching period has ended.

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Order History Enhancements 🛍️

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Some new quality of life improvements when it comes to your orders!

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• • Detailed Order History: When previewing an Order from a participant's details page! Includes order contents and subtotal.
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• • Participant Management Integration: An Order column has been added to the Participant Management page, so you can easily spot who has ordered and who has not.
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• • Daily Order Counts: Hover over each day's column in the Event Management page's sales chart to see the order count for that hovered day!

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Import Backgrounds and Overlays from Past Events 🎨

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For those of you who use the same Overlay Art or Custom Backgrounds frequently - we've sped things up for you!

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• • Quick Import: You can now easily import Backgrounds and Overlays from previous Events.
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• • Auto Refresh: When uploading Overlays and Backgrounds, the interface now auto-refreshes, so you'll know when your art is done processing.
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• • Ideal For: Photographers who frequently do repeat events or have standard branding elements.

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Capture App Version 4.5 Update (for iOS)📱

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We've made a small update to the iOS Capture App to start preserving image meta data after images have been uploaded!

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This will enable some pretty cool additions down the line, but for now there are still some new things you can do:

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• • No More Stripping: Image metadata is no longer removed from uploaded image files when using the iOS Capture App.
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• • Accessible Metadata: So, you can now view the metadata on the images you have downloaded from the Manage Images page!
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• • Benefits:
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  • Check image timestamps to check photographer productivity.
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  • Review camera settings from past shoots for comparison.
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  • Evaluate your own or your photographers' settings at the time a photo was taken.

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New Marketing Preview Page 📣

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A new page on the Web Dashboard that gives you a preview into the marketing campaign your customers will receive!
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• • Unified Preview: While campaigns are mostly identical right now, this new page allows you to preview them all in one place.
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• • Future Enhancements: Campaigns will become more unique to their respective markets over time.

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Minor Changes & Bug Fixes 🐞

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We're always working behind the scenes to improve your experience:

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• • Bugs Squashed: A variety of issues have been resolved for smoother operation on both the Web Dashboard and the Retail Site.
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• • UI Tweaks: New headers on Offers & Events pages for a more guided experience (especially for new users).
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• • Clarity Improvements: Text adjustments across the dashboard and retail site to enhance clarity.
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• • Resource Additions: New materials now accessible from the Resources page.

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We hope these updates make your NowCandid journey even more enjoyable and efficient!

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Your feedback is invaluable, so please don't hesitate to share your thoughts or questions.

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Cheers and sparkles,

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Candy 🍬

Hello, fabulous photographers!

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Candy here, and I'm buzzing with excitement to bring you this week's jam-packed recap! 🌟

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We've got some big news that's going to make your NowCandid experience even more delightful and efficient. So, let's dive right in! 🏊

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🌐 The New Dashboard Is Here to Stay!

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First things first—the new NowCandid Dashboard has officially become our main dashboard! 🎊

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• All-in-One Place: Every feature from the old dashboard (now called the Legacy Dashboard) has been brought over, plus so many more new features to supercharge your workflow.
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• New Accounts: All new NowCandid users will exclusively see the new dashboard, ensuring a seamless and modern experience right from the start.
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• Update Your Bookmarks: If you're a long-time user, it's time to say goodbye to old habits. Replace any bookmarks from dashboard.nowcandid.com with app.nowcandid.com. Trust me, you won't want to miss out on all the new goodies! 😉
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• Accessing the Legacy Dashboard: Need to peek at the old dashboard for any reason? No worries! There's a handy button on the new dashboard that lets you access it anytime.

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We're thrilled about this upgrade and can't wait for you to explore all the enhanced features designed to make your life easier!

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🖼️ Photographer-Uploaded Backgrounds Render in Personal Galleries

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Great news for those of you who love adding that extra flair to your images! Your uploaded backgrounds will now render directly on BGR (Background Removed) images right in your clients' personal galleries. 🌈

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• Visual Impact: Clients can instantly see how amazing their photos look with your custom backgrounds applied.
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• Boost Sales: By showcasing these options upfront, you can provide more options from the get-go it can be a more intuitive experience for your customers.

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This enhancement creates a more engaging and personalized shopping experience for your clients!

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🛍️ Retail Site Checkout Improvements

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We've made some nifty changes to the checkout process to make it smoother than ever:

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• Split Process: The original checkout flow is now divided into a View Cart screen and a Checkout screen.
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  • Better Visibility: Clients can easily review their cart contents before proceeding to checkout.
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  • Facilitates Express Options: This change provides space to accommodate our growing number of express checkout options, making the payment process quicker and more flexible.
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• Enhanced Clarity: The new layout reduces confusion and helps prevent cart abandonment, as well as more clarity regarding subtotals and shipping costs.

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Making shopping a breeze means happier clients and more sales for you! 💰

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🎒 Bag Tag Product Now Has Live Rendering

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Exciting update for the Bag Tag product:

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• Live Rendering: Clients can now see real-time previews of all art styles available for Bag Tags.

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Offer your clients a preview of their custom creations to enhance their shopping experience! 🛍️

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📝 Blog Now Accessible in the New Dashboard

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Stay informed without ever leaving your dashboard!

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• Integrated Blog: Our blog is now hosted right within the new dashboard.
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• Easy Access: Get the latest updates, tips, and tutorials at your fingertips.
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• Stay Updated: Never miss out on important news that can help you make the most of NowCandid.

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Knowledge is power, and we’re putting it right where you need it! 📚

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🔐 Update Credit Card Info & Change Password Easily

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We've streamlined account management features:

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• Change Credit Card Info: Update your payment details directly from the new dashboard.
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• Change Password: Easily keep your account secure with straightforward password management.
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Your convenience and security are our top priorities! 🛡️

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🌍 Now Supporting Photographers Worldwide

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We’re expanding our horizons!

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• International Support: You can now select countries other than the U.S. during account creation and in your profile settings.
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• Global Community: Photographers around the world will soon be able to use NowCandid to grow their business.
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No matter where you are, NowCandid is here to support your photography journey! 🌐

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📞 Retail "Contact Us" Visualization

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Communication made clearer!

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• Business Info Editor: In your profile settings, you can now visualize how your contact information appears to clients on the retail site.
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• Professional Appearance: Ensure your clients have the correct information to reach out to you when needed.

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Clear communication builds trust and improves client relationships! 🤝

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🕸️ New Font: Geist!

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We're getting into the festive spirit!

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• Font Update: We've switched from Inter to Geist for both the web dashboard content and the retail site.
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• Spooky Vibes: Geist may not look spooky, but the name of the font alone adds a touch of whimsy appropriate for the Halloween season. 🎃
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Enjoy a fresh look as you navigate through your dashboard and retail site! 👻

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We hope these updates make your NowCandid experience even more enjoyable and efficient.

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We're constantly working to bring you the best tools and features to help your photography business thrive. 🌱

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As always, we're here to support you every step of the way. If you have any questions or feedback, don't hesitate to reach out! 💌

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Cheers and sparkles,

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Candy 🍬

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P.S. Don't forget to update your bookmarks to app.nowcandid.com to stay connected with all the latest features! 🔖