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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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Big News: Introducing QuicPics GO! 🌟
Feature Updates
August 30, 2024

Big News: Introducing QuicPics GO! 🌟

4
 minutes read
Hey, fabulous photographers! 🎉

Candy here with some sparkling news about a brand-new program that's just been added to the NowCandid family—introducing QuicPics GO! 🚀

You all know and love our QuicPics program, where you get paid upfront by an event organizer and deliver free downloads to your photo subjects throughout the event, all while still offering them the option to purchase physical products. It’s a fan favorite for those looking to provide an engaging, modern experience!

So, what’s new with QuicPics GO? 🤔

Well, the “GO” in QuicPics GO stands for Gallery Only! That’s right, this new program is designed to streamline the process by delivering just the image gallery link to your subjects—no individual MMS image files sent directly to them.

The QuicPics GO Gallery provides multiple ways for your subjects to download their free images, as well as the opportunity to purchase optional photo products, making sure they still have plenty of options to enjoy and share their favorite moments! 🎁

While this may be a less flashy approach, it’s perfect for those who are looking for a more cost-conscious solution, while still utilizing NowCandid's convenient Workflows & technologies to deliver free downloads to guests. 📷✨

Why choose QuicPics GO?

Affordable Pricing:

QuicPics GO offers a budget-friendly option with a fee of only 6 cents per image at this time of launch — that’s significantly lower than the 20 cents per image fee for standard QuicPics. Perfect for events where cost-conscious clients are looking for a great value!

Simple Experience:

While QuicPics provides that cool, interactive experience of receiving images via MMS throughout the event, QuicPics GO keeps it simple with just one link to the image gallery. It’s less flashy, but it gets the job done!

So whether you're working with a budget-conscious client or just looking for a way to offer a simpler service, QuicPics GO is here to provide that perfect middle ground. 🎈

Important Note:

Just like with QuicPics, you’ll need to have a credit card on file with your NowCandid account to use QuicPics GO. This ensures a smooth, hassle-free experience for everyone involved. 💳

Streamlined Free Checkout for QuicPics GO! 🚀

We’ve made grabbing your free QuicPics images easier than ever! While easy downloads are available directly from the site, we’ve also simplified the checkout process for those who prefer it. 🎉

Now, instead of filling out billing and shipping info for a $0 cart, all your subjects need is a cell phone number and email address to complete the free checkout.

Quick, convenient, and hassle-free—just the way it should be! 🖼️📲

We’re thrilled to bring you this new addition, and we can’t wait to see how you’ll make the most of it!

As always, if you have any questions or need a little help, just reach out. We’re here for you! 💌

Cheers and sparkles,


Candy 🍬

Big News: Introducing NowCandid’s All-New Web Dashboard! 🌟💻
Feature Updates
August 23, 2024

Big News: Introducing NowCandid’s All-New Web Dashboard! 🌟💻

9
 minutes read
Hey there, amazing photographers!

Candy here with the latest and greatest update in our “Big News” series. We’re thrilled to announce the launch of Web Dashboard 2.0—the final piece in our massive overhaul of the entire NowCandid platform this year.

With this release, we’ve essentially delivered completely new versions of every aspect of NowCandid, including the Web Dashboard, Mobile Dashboard App, Capture & Upload App, and Retail Site. Welcome to a new era of NowCandid! 🎉

Want to check it out yourself? Head to (app.nowcandid.com) and log in!

A Whole New Experience 🚀

With Web Dashboard 2.0, you’ll notice a fresh, intuitive interface and a host of new features designed to make managing your photography business easier and more efficient.

Offer Creation is one of the biggest additions to the new Dashboard, but since we’ve already covered that in a previous blog post (click here to read that blog post), let’s dive into the other exciting updates! 🌐

New Home Tab: Stay on Top of Everything 🏠

Your new Home Tab provides an at-a-glance overview of recent activity in your account. You can quickly see orders, sales, and upcoming, active, or recent Events. We’ve also rebuilt the Sales & Events reports from the ground up.

These reports now include more filter options and can be easily downloaded, giving you the data you need, when you need it.

Expanded Event Management Tools 🎛️

Event creation may feel familiar, but there are now way more tools at your disposal for managing Events. Let’s dive into each of these new features!

Marketing History 📊

Now you can view the full marketing history for each Event directly from the dashboard. This lets you track all your promotional efforts and ensure things are running smoothly as your Event progresses.

Participant Management 👥

Participants are now fully visible and editable in the dashboard. You can also access and share their personal gallery links directly from this section, making it easier to manage and support your clients.

Roster Uploads 📋

Got a list of participants? You can now upload rosters directly to your Event, streamlining the process of adding participants manually and enabling NowCandid's (Name Lookup Workflow)

Full-Resolution Image Downloads 📸

Need to pull an image for a customer or event organizer? You can now download your full-resolution images directly from the Manage Images section of the dashboard.

Image Uploader Improvements 🖼️

The image uploader now checks all images for compatibility before uploading them. This includes checking for correct file type, DPI, color profile, and more, helping you (and us!) avoid production and support issues before they arise.

Custom Backgrounds 🌈

Add a personal touch to your Events with our new Custom Backgrounds feature. You can upload up to 4 custom backgrounds per Event, allowing your clients to choose a backdrop that suits their style.

Learn more in our (Custom Backgrounds blog post)

Full Frame Overlays 🎨

Our new Full Frame Overlay feature lets you apply full-frame graphics to your photos, giving them a unique, professional look.

Explore how this can enhance your photos in our (Full Frame Overlay blog post)

"Greek" Keyboard 🇬🇷

Now you can use a Greek keyboard when adding text titles to your photos, offering more personalization to Text Overlays for your fraternity and sorority clients.

Customizable QuicPics Texts ✉️

The “Your images are arriving soon” text that gets sent via QuicPics is now customizable! Tailor your messaging to better suit the tone and style of your Event, or even promote an Event's sponsor!

Event Management Portal: Selective Access for Photographers 🔑

Introducing the new Event Management Portal! This tool allows you to provide selective access to your Events for lead photographers without giving them full access to your account.

The portal uses the same email + passcode login as the Capture & Upload App and grants the user access to the following settings and features:

  • Image Viewing & Retail Image Visibility Settings
  • Manual Image Uploading
  • Participant Editing & Manual Participant Adding
  • All Gallery Access & Personal Galleries Access
  • LiveLoop URL Access
  • Image File Downloading
  • QR Code Access

This is perfect for giving your photographers the tools they need without compromising the security of your entire account. The portal can be accessed at (www.quic.pics/portal), so it doesn’t even mention NowCandid—keeping things sleek and professional.

Private Shareable Gallery URL 🌐

Need to share Event photos with an organizer? We’ve got you covered with a new private shareable downloadable gallery URL.

This makes it easy to provide event organizers with any photos they need, all in one convenient place, without transmitting hundreds of large image files via Dropbox, Google Drive, or similar services.

New Image Upload Tester 🧪

Worried about compatibility issues? The new image upload tester allows you to test a single image before even trying to upload it to your Event.

It checks for issues like color profile, DPI, file size, file type, and incompatible characters in the file name—making sure everything runs smoothly.

Rebuilt UI for Key Pages 🎨

We’ve also rebuilt the Account Settings, Resources, and FaceMatch Import pages from the ground up with a fresh new UI. These updates ensure a more intuitive and efficient experience across the (dash)board!

And More to Come… 🔮

We’re not done yet, folks! There’s more exciting stuff on the way, so stay tuned for future updates.

We can’t wait to see how you use our new Web Dashboard to take your photography business to the next level.

As always, if you have any questions or need assistance, we’re here to help!

Cheers and sparkles,


Candy 🍬

Big News: Introducing Custom Backgrounds for Your Events! 🎨✨
Feature Updates
August 22, 2024

Big News: Introducing Custom Backgrounds for Your Events! 🎨✨

4
 minutes read
Hey there, fabulous photographers!

Candy here with some exciting news in our "Big News" series. We’re thrilled to announce the latest addition to NowCandid: the Custom Background feature!

This new option allows you to upload up to 4 custom backgrounds for your customers to choose from when they’re selecting their photos on the retail site. Let’s take a quick look at how this can elevate your photography offerings! 📸

What are Custom Backgrounds? 🖼️

Custom Backgrounds give you the flexibility to provide your clients with personalized background options tailored to the specific Event.

Whether you’re photographing graduates and want school-specific backgrounds, or covering sports events with sport-specific designs, this feature has got you covered!

  • Up to 4 Custom Backgrounds: Upload up to 4 custom backgrounds for each Event, in addition to the default options.
  • Horizontal and Vertical Versions Required: Each background needs both a horizontal and vertical version to ensure your photos look perfect, no matter the orientation.

Check out the screenshots below for a glimpse of the new Custom Backgrounds interface:

How Does It Work? 🤔

Using Custom Backgrounds is easy! Simply upload your backgrounds at the Event level when setting up your Event.

If you decide not to use this feature, don’t worry—AI background generation and default backgrounds will still be available for your clients. This feature is entirely optional but provides a great way to add a personalized touch to your photos.

  • File Requirements:
    • JPG format
    • Around 300 DPI
    • SRGB color profile
    • 2x3 or 3x2 aspect ratio
    • Recommended dimensions: 2000x3000 or 3000x2000

Here’s an example of a photo with a fun custom background applied:

What’s Next? 🚀

Currently, Custom Backgrounds are added at the Event level. But stay tuned—we’re exploring the possibility of adding backgrounds at the Account level in the future. This would make it even easier to offer consistent, branded options across all your Events.

We’re so excited to see how you’ll use this new feature to enhance your photography and delight your clients.

As always, if you have any questions or need assistance, we’re here to help!

Cheers and sparkles,


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.

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How to customize formatting for each rich text

How to customize formatting for each rich text

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