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Darwin's Quic Tips for Mastering Graduation Photography

Darwin's Quic Tips for Mastering Graduation Photography
Graduation season is a bustling time for photographers.

Capturing the essence of such a monumental event requires not just skill but also the right strategy. At NowCandid, we understand this well, which is why our GradPics Now program is designed to maximize both the quality and efficiency of your graduation photography services.

Here, Darwin, our long-time Photography Specialist with a wealth of experience in graduation events, shares his top tips to help you excel this graduation season.

1. Prioritize Speed Over Extensive Retouching

In the fast-paced environment of graduation ceremonies, the quick delivery of photos can significantly boost your sales. Darwin emphasizes that speed in making images available often trumps the detailed retouching of images in terms of sales impact.

Graduates and families appreciate quick access to their photos to share their special moments. Therefore, focus on capturing the best possible shots in-camera.

2. Stick to SRGB Color Profiles for Retouching

If retouching is necessary, Darwin advises saving images in an SRGB color profile. This ensures that your photos look consistent and vibrant across all viewing platforms, be it digital devices or prints, enhancing the overall appeal of your photos to clients.

3. Use Direct Flash to Enhance Image Quality

Proper lighting is crucial in photography, especially in the varied environments of graduation venues. Using direct flash can help mitigate common lighting issues such as facial shadows, ensuring your subjects are evenly lit and standout.

This simple technique can significantly improve the color and clarity of your photos, making them more appealing to your clients.

4. Be Prepared: Carry Extra Batteries and a Backup Camera

Always be prepared for the unexpected. Darwin recommends carrying extra batteries and a backup camera to all events. This ensures that you can continue shooting uninterrupted, even if your primary camera fails or batteries run out.

Being prepared is key to a smooth operation during busy events like graduations.

Darwin's Impressive Track Record

Darwin brings a vast amount of practical knowledge to the table, having managed the capture of over 35,152 graduation images in just the last two weeks of this season alone. His experience underscores the effectiveness of these tips in real-world settings.

Why Choose GradPics Now?

NowCandid's GradPics Now program is tailored to streamline the graduation photography process. By integrating Darwin's tips and our state-of-the-art technology, photographers can not only enhance their efficiency but also improve their sales potential.

The program supports instant uploading and sorting of images, enabling photographers to focus more on capturing great shots and less on post-event workflows.

Graduation season doesn't have to be overwhelming.

With the right tools and strategies, you can turn this busy time into a highly profitable and fulfilling part of your photography career. Embrace these tips, utilize GradPics Now, and capture the milestones with confidence and efficiency.

Ready to transform your graduation photography approach?

Join the many photographers who have already found success with NowCandid. Learn more about GradPics Now and schedule a session with Darwin to fine-tune your strategy. Let’s make this graduation season your best yet!

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New Orleans Event Photography: Social Sales Up 60%
Success Stories
December 6, 2023

New Orleans Event Photography: Social Sales Up 60%

7
 minutes read

New Orleans Event Photography, led by the dynamic duo of Amy Lombardo and Brian Junod, has had quite the success at a recent social Event!

Though they had successfully covered this annual social Event in 2022, their experience and preparation, combined with NowCandid's improvements over the past year, led to over a 60% increase in sales covering the same Event in 2023.

Left: Amy Lombardo     Right: Brian Junod

The Backstory

New Orleans Event Photography embarked on their NowCandid journey just a week before covering the same annual social event in 2022.

Despite the brief preparation period, they managed to prepare Microsoft Surface Go tablets to utilize NowCandid’s Tap-A-Face, connected to the internet via LTE hotspot, to generate over $15,000 in sales. Typically, devices with LTE built-in are highly recommended, but in a pinch, an LTE hotspot works!

This impressive feat marked just the beginning of their journey with NowCandid! Their 2023 results were even more impressive.

Elevating Sales through Education and Experience

Building on their initial success, the team sought to deepen their understanding of NowCandid's capabilities through workshops and mentorships. This proactive approach was key to their remarkable 60% sales increase.

"With the mentorships and workshops we have done over the past year, we have grown the sales of the same event over 60%," they reported. This educational commitment catapulted their sales from over $15,000 in 2022 to over $25,000 in 2023.

It's worth mentioning that their profit (before paying their photographers & crew) was well over $20,000. An almost 83% profit margin! Not bad for an Event where they were only taking photos for 5 hours.

What were some of the lessons learned through workshops and mentorships? 

Putting some of the more nuanced lessons aside, the basics were: more photographers, more images taken, using LTE-enabled tablets, and knowing when and how to utilize Selfie Check-In.

While in 2022 New Orleans Event Photography had 4-5 photographers at the Event, in 2023 they had 7 photographers in total, with approximately 7 additional crew members there for support.

Additional photographers allowed a significant increase in poses and images taken, while the additional crew streamlined the Event and allowed them to garner hundreds of Selfie Check-Ins as attendees arrived at the Event. Amy & Brian could not have succeeded at this Event without the help of their awesome photographers and crew!

By having additional crew present to acquire Selfie Check-Ins, the photographers did not need to spend as much time on tapping faces (though there were still plenty of Tap-A-Face entries at their Event as well) allowing them time to take even more images.

What New Orleans Event Photography Liked Most About NowCandid:

Focusing on the Photography

One of the standout features that Amy and Brian emphasized was the ability of NowCandid to simplify the complexities of the photo sales process. This allowed them and their team to concentrate fully on their photography and increasing their volume.

"It is nice to be able to just focus on the photography aspect knowing that the sales, marketing, and technical features are being handled by NowCandid," they shared. This focus on photography ensured thorough and professional coverage of the event, enhancing the overall customer experience.

Ease of Use and Customer Satisfaction

The intuitive nature of NowCandid played a significant role in streamlining their workflow and enhancing customer satisfaction.

"Our customers have loved the experience of instantly receiving their photo proofs and being able to order on the spot," Amy & Brian noted. Instant gallery delivery not only simplified the process for the photographers, but also delighted their clients.

Responsive Improvements and Growth

Over the past year, New Orleans Event Photography witnessed firsthand the evolution of NowCandid's Capture & Upload app.

"The NowCandid crew listens to feedback and has vastly improved the application since we first used it a year ago," they acknowledged. This responsiveness to user feedback demonstrates NowCandid’s commitment to continuous improvement, aligning with the evolving needs of professional photographers.

The story of New Orleans Event Photography and NowCandid is one of collaboration, innovation, and remarkable growth.

Their journey showcases how the right tools, combined with a focus on quality and customer satisfaction, can lead to exceptional outcomes in event photography.

NowCandid 101: The Capture & Upload App
NowCandid 101
December 5, 2023

NowCandid 101: The Capture & Upload App

8
 minutes read
Capture & Upload Quick Bullet Points:

Hello there photo wizards, Candy here! 📸

It's time for another session of NowCandid 101. Today, we're diving into the Capture & Upload app. Whether you're a seasoned pro or new to the NowCandid universe, understanding this tool is key to utilizing NowCandid effectively.

The Two Primary Functions of the Capture & Upload App:

Tethering and Uploading:
  • The device running the Capture & Upload app tethers to your Nikon, Sony, or Canon cameras.
  • Images are uploaded to the cloud as you take photos, ready for immediate marketing and sales. 🌐💫
  • This not only boosts sales, but also cuts down on post-event workload, and enhances your customer experience.
Workflow Wizardry:
  • The app is the backbone of specific NowCandid Workflows like Tap-A-Face, Scanner ID, Name Lookup, or Type & Take.
  • It pairs photos with your subjects, ensuring every photo finds its way to the right phone or inbox, right away. 📲

Platform Availability and Recommendations:

  • You can find the app on both Apple and Microsoft App Stores.
  • Whether a Microsoft Surface Go 3, or an Apple 10th Generation iPad, the app functionality is essentially the same - though the Apple experience may be a bit more consistent.
  • Compatible with iPads, iPhones, and Windows tablets (like the trusty Surface Go 3).
  • A pro tip: Opt for an LTE-enabled device to stay connected and upload images in real-time, saving you from poor venue WiFi quality and troublesome WiFi hotspots. 🌍✨

Optional but Optimal for Selfie Check-In:

  • Using the Selfie Check-In Workflow? The app here is optional but highly recommended.
  • It allows for live-uploading, adding an extra layer of efficiency. However, you can also choose to upload images post-event using the NowCandid Web Dashboard. Once uploaded, images match with Selfies and begin marketing right away.

In the dynamic world of event photography, staying ahead is all about using the right tools effectively.

The Capture & Upload app is one such tool, designed to make your work easier, faster, and more profitable. So why wait? Embrace the future of photography with NowCandid’s Capture & Upload app, and watch your business soar! 🚀🌟

That's it for today's NowCandid 101. Stay tuned for more tips, tricks, and insights to keep your photography business on the cutting edge. Links to view the app store pages for each version of the app can be found below:

Download the App (Windows)

Download the App (Apple iOS)

Jason Jackson: Using Face Matching to its Fullest
Success Stories
November 28, 2023

Jason Jackson: Using Face Matching to its Fullest

6
 minutes read

Welcome to another inspiring success story from the world of NowCandid!

In this feature, we're shining the spotlight on Jason Jackson, a talented photographer based in Texas.

Jason Jackson of TSS Photography

Jason's recent venture at a collegiate ring ceremony using NowCandid's GradPics Now Program and Selfie Check-In Workflow showcases the transformative power of our platform in the realm of event photography.

The Numbers

Jason Jackson's latest Event, a collegiate ring ceremony, has been a resounding success. Utilizing the GradPics Now Program alongside the Selfie Check-In Workflow, he managed to generate an impressive $5000 in sales with 122 participants, all within just two weeks of the Event!

This feat translates to an average of over $39 in sales per participant, all while earning an outstanding 78.8% profit margin as well.

The Power of More Photos

Something that played a part in Jason's success was how many photos he took – well over 2000! For only 122 participants!

Taking a higher number of photos correlates strongly with increased sales, and Jason's recent experience backs up that idea even more.

Jason elaborated, "Our key takeaway: taking more pictures significantly boosts sales. The broader the selection, the more they're inclined to purchase!"

His conclusion is clear – a wider range of images encourages more (and larger) orders, a concept NowCandid's Face Matching technology effortlessly supports by accurately pairing each photo with the right individual, allowing you (the photographer) unlimited freedom to take as many photos as you want.

Multiple poses, family photos, portraits, even shots of your subjects in action! No matter how many photos you take of your subjects, NowCandid's Face Matching has you covered.

Family Photo Station Enhances Sales

Jason's introduction of a family photo station also proved to be a strategic move in maximizing sales. This approach demonstrates how creative thinking and adapting to circumstances can substantially elevate sales performance in Event photography.

"We adapted to rain at the event by moving the family photo station indoors during the morning session," Jason explained. "The decision to retain this setup for the afternoon significantly boosted overall participation."

Embracing Opportunities with NowCandid

Jason Jackson's story is a powerful story of the potential that new innovations in photography sales have brought about. It also exemplifies how leveraging NowCandid's tools and features can transform standard Events into even more lucrative opportunities for photographers.

For more insights and success stories from the world of NowCandid, stay tuned!

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.

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