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Graduation Success: Candid Color Photography's Triumph at an Oklahoma Advancement Ceremony

Graduation Success: Candid Color Photography's Triumph at an Oklahoma Advancement Ceremony
Candid Color Photography (CCP) in Oklahoma City recently orchestrated a resounding success at a local medical school's advancement ceremony.

With only 100 graduates attending the ceremony, CCP generated an impressive average revenue of roughly $49 per person in just 31 days. This achievement underscores the potential of graduation photography when executed well!

While $49 per graduate is incredible, aiming for $20 per graduate is a more consistent target to aim for and achieve for both high school and college graduations. This benchmark is attainable with proper execution, although many events (such as CCP's) can surpass this figure!

Candid Color Photography has been a longtime user of NowCandid & GradPics Now, and is able to get the most out of the program thanks to their experience with the platform! But even in the beginning, they were able to see immediate improvements when switching to NowCandid for their graduations. In 2022, CCP transitioned 82 graduation ceremonies to the GradPics Now program, resulting in a significant 22% increase in sales per person on average, compared to their previous year's sales per person at those same ceremonies.

This switch not only boosted their sales, but it also led to an ~8% discount in their previous production & software costs. NowCandid's Workflows also saved them countless hours in post-event labor compared to their previous workflows.

While there are many factors that can impact your sales averages, here are some of the most important ones CCP keeps in mind at every graduation ceremony they photograph.

Key Strategies for Graduation Photography Success

Quality of Images:

Ensure each photo is properly lit and tightly cropped to create sellable images that appeal to your buyers.

Efficient Data Collection:

Utilizing Selfie Check-In with high participation rates ensures efficient data collection and marketing opportunities. Positioning staff with QR codes at strategic points, like check-in or holding areas, can streamline the process and enhance participant engagement.

Selfie Check-In in combination with using our Capture & Upload app will also allow you to sell to parents and graduates during the ceremony! In our experience and research, speed is one of the most underrated factors in increasing your sales.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, using Selfie Check-In facilitates the next item in our list in a huge way.

Volume of Images:

Using Selfie Check-In frees you from the shackles of sequencing, alignment, and keeping things in order. With it, you can be free to photograph graduates in any order, and add as many extra shots of your subjects as you can.

Beyond standard portraits and handshake moments, with Selfie Check-In enables capturing dynamic processional shots, candid buddy images before the ceremony, and family celebrations post-event.  Employing multiple photographers can facilitate comprehensive coverage.

These extra photos can significantly increase sales volume, as more photos translate to more sales opportunities. In addition to more sales opportunities, it also creates bigger personalized galleries to be marketed to your subjects! Bigger personalized galleries means bigger orders from your buyers.

Preparation is Key:

Having all necessary materials ready, such as your Event's Selfie Check-In QR code, charged batteries and backup equipment, and a clear plan for photo stations, handshake photo timings, and post-ceremony family shots, is essential. Coordination with educational institutions for logistical and promotional support can also yield better outcomes.

Graduation Success Stories from CCP

CCP’s methodical approach has been mirrored in the experiences of individuals like Jason J., Eric M., and Bruce H., whose stories of successful graduation photography projects highlight the effectiveness of these strategies.

Read more about their graduation success stories:

     -     Jason J. - Using Face Matching to its Fullest

     -     Eric M. - School’s Out, Earnings In: A Teacher's GradPics Now Success

     -     Bruce H. - How Bruce H. Used GradPics Now to Increase Sales

By adopting CCP’s proven methods, photographers can transform any graduation event into an even more lucrative opportunity.

Related articles

Weekly Recap: NowCandid Docs Are Here (60+ Pages), Capture App 5.6, and Smarter Retail + Dashboard Tools
Feature Updates
May 1, 2026

Weekly Recap: NowCandid Docs Are Here (60+ Pages), Capture App 5.6, and Smarter Retail + Dashboard Tools

8
 minutes read
Hey photo friends! 👋


This week’s updates are packed with improvements that make your day-to-day workflow smoother—especially if you like clear answers, fewer edge cases, and cleaner experiences across Capture, Retail, and the Dashboard.

The headline this week: NowCandid Docs are officially live inside the Dashboard—and they’re already huge. Let’s jump in. 💫

📚 NEW: NowCandid Docs (Built Into the Dashboard)

We’ve launched official, up-to-date NowCandid documentation directly inside the Dashboard. Just click “Docs” in the sidebar to open it.

Here’s what makes it special:

  • One dedicated place for everything: programs, workflows, Capture App, JerseyJotter, Candy Culler, and more
  • Over 60 pages of documentation already (with screenshots and even some videos)
  • Regular updates, with a timestamp on each page showing when it was last updated
  • Smart Docs search (use the search button at the top of the Docs sidebar)
  • Mobile supported: works fully inside the Mobile Dashboard app
  • Clickable images: click any image to preview it bigger
  • Table of contents + feedback: on larger screens, you’ll see a right-side table of contentsand a “Give Feedback” button to report missing info, typos, or confusing sections
  • Private by default: you can share a docs link, but the viewer must be logged in to access it

Preview of New NowCandid Docs
NowCandid Docs Image Timeline page preview
NowCandid Docs Jersey Jotter page preview

🍬 Candy got smarter (because Docs exist)

Candy now pulls from the new Docs when answering questions—so she can:

  • Share direct links to guides
  • Pull relevant screenshots and videos
  • Give more accurate, up-to-date help

Also, the Candy Navigation Assistant now uses docs search as the fallback destination if it can’t find a page you’re looking for—often with your question prefilled!

📱 Capture App 5.6 (iOS & Android) — Not OTA

Capture App v5.6 is now available for iOS and Android (this is not an OTA update).

What changed:

  • Fix: Android “Update Available” popup now correctly links to Google Play, not the Apple App Store
  • Feature: The app now rejects images under 1,000 pixels with an error popup (similar to the color profile error). The Dashboard already enforced this, but this prevents rare edge cases—like a camera outputting low-res images during capture.

🛍️ Retail Improvements (Better behavior, clearer checkout)

A few retail updates landed that improve clarity and fix edge cases:

  • BGR + PhotoTags fix: Background removed images in PhotoTag events will now show correctly even if the originals are marked invisible
  • Pay Later badges removed from the store sheet (the “Pay Later Options Available in Checkout” messaging still appears in package configurators for packages $30+)
  • Z-cropped images now show faceboxes (and the faceboxes are adjusted to the z-crop, too)
  • Checkout completion screen now shows your Business Logo (if you’ve added one)
  • Updated “Your order is complete” copy to note:
    • retouching may delay orders
    • physical products typically arrive in 7–14 business days

🖥️ Dashboard Updates (Clarity, savings, and better reporting)

  • Positive ID edge case fixed: Manually assigned images now show up correctly in an additional contact’s gallery
  • Client Outreach SMS savings: Non-standard encoded apostrophes now auto-convert to standard apostrophes to reduce segment costs
  • Auto Editor access fix: Resolved an issue preventing some users from accessing Auto Editor
  • New Candy Image Studio node: Traditional Black & White (distinct from the Black and White Film Print node)
  • Reports pages upgraded: Added titles and descriptions for better clarity
  • Participant List: Unmarketable Participants filter
    • You can now filter to show only unmarketable participants—or hide them
    • The download sheet now includes an “Unmarketable” column (Yes/blank)
    • “Unmarketable” can include opt-outs/unsubscribes, invalid contact info, etc.

🍬 Candy UI improvements

Candy received a bunch of UX upgrades, including:

  • Click images to preview larger
  • New table rendering
  • Scroll fades
  • Type without having to click/focus the input first

📱 Mobile Dashboard Improvements (No app update needed)

  • Fixed sidebar scrolling triggering “pull to refresh”
  • You can now slide/pull from the side to open the sidebar—no need to scroll to the top and tap the sidebar button

That’s the week! 💫

This release is all about reducing friction—with official docs inside the Dashboard, a tighter Capture App, better retail behavior for BGR and z-crops, and Dashboard refinements that improve accuracy, clarity, and even lower messaging costs.

Keep creating magic,

— The NowCandid Team 🍬

Keep More of What You Earn with NowCandid™
NowCandid 101
April 28, 2026

Keep More of What You Earn with NowCandid™

5
 minutes read

A lot of platforms are happy to look affordable at first—and expensive later.
We prefer the opposite.

NowCandid™ is built to support photographers long-term, which means our pricing is designed to be easy to understand, easy to plan around, and easier to live with as your volume grows. When you’re running real events—schools, sports, graduations, leagues—the last thing you need is a platform that nickel-and-dimes you for the core tools required to deliver and sell images.

The Simple Part: Two Fees, No Subscriptions

With NowCandid, your costs are straightforward:

  • 5% e-commerce fee
  • 3% payment processing fee

That’s it.

There’s no subscription fee and no onboarding fee, so you’re not paying monthly just to keep your account active—or paying extra just to get started.

The Important Part: No Surprise Add-Ons

Many platforms charge extra for the features that actually make your events run smoothly. NowCandid includes the tools high-volume photographers rely on without tacking on separate line items.

Here’s what you don’t pay extra for:

  • No fees on sales tax collected
  • No extra charge for background removal
  • No extra charge for automatic exposure correction
  • No extra charge for image storage
  • No extra charge for automated SMS + email marketing tools
  • No extra charge for white-labeling
  • No extra charge for Face Matching™
  • At least 20 years of image hosting included

That’s the difference between a platform that adds tools later and a platform that includes the tools up front.

Why This Matters for Real Photographers

When the platform includes the tools you actually need, two good things happen:

1) You keep more margin on every order

If your costs don’t balloon as you scale, more of every sale stays with you—without you having to raise prices just to cover software overhead.

2) Your workflow gets simpler

You don’t have to stitch together multiple services (and multiple bills) to accomplish basic event goals like:

  • identifying subjects
  • delivering galleries quickly
  • protecting images
  • marketing via text/email
  • selling through a modern checkout

Those pieces are part of the core system—because they’re not “extras” in real event photography.

The Takeaway

NowCandid is built to support photographers—not squeeze them. Our pricing model is intentionally structured so that the platform remains sustainable for your business as you grow, and so that more of what you earn stays with you.

If you want a platform that’s designed for high-volume reality—and doesn’t charge extra for the essentials—NowCandid is built for you.

Pricing Disclaimer

Pricing, fees, and included features listed in this article are accurate as of the original publication date and may change over time. For the most current pricing and terms, please contact our team.

Weekly Recap: Auto Editor (Beta), Pay Later Badges, and Faster Manage Images
Feature Updates
April 24, 2026

Weekly Recap: Auto Editor (Beta), Pay Later Badges, and Faster Manage Images

5
 minutes read

Hey photo friends! 👋
This week’s updates bring a mix of AI editing power, cleaner review tools, and a small boost to retail conversion clarity—plus a helpful Android Capture App fix.

Let’s jump in. 💫

🧠 Auto Editor (BETA)— AI Edit an Entire Event or Folder

We’re rolling out an Auto Editor (Beta) that can automatically AI-edit:

  • • All images in an event, or
  • • All images in a specific folder

Auto Editor is powered by Candy Image Studio (same nodes, same pricing), and edited images keep their existing matches—just like when you run Candy Image Studio on an event image.

Important notes:

  • • You are billed per image edit.
  • • This is a BETA feature—we recommend testing on yourself (or doing one-offs in Candy Image Studio) before relying on it for a real event.
  • • Auto Editor can run up to 60 days after the event start date, similar to other event workflows.

Common use cases

  • • Light face retouching
  • • Fix subject lighting
  • • Reduce glare on glasses
  • • Remove alcohol
  • • Add green screens

Fun use cases

  • • Automatic glamour looks
  • • Anime style
  • • Chibi style
  • • Anything you can build with a custom text node

Where to find it

  • • On an Event page in the Dashboard sidebar, near JerseyJotter and Candy Culler
  • • The folder selector will show whether you’re running an Event Edit or a Folder Edit
  • • The Event List will show an Auto Editor attribute for events that used it (and includes an Auto Editor filter)
  • • EMP also shows the Auto Editor attribute on its event list page

🎨 Candy Image Editor + Manage Images Improvements

A few upgrades landed that make AI editing and review smoother:

  • • New node: Alcohol Remover is now available in Candy Image Editor.
  • • Replace uploaded images more easily (non-event images): you can drag a new image onto the one you already uploaded to replace it, instead of starting over.
  • • New “Preview Original” option on Manage Images lightbox for AI-edited images uploaded from Candy Image Studio
    • • You can also toggle this view using \.
  • • Manage Images search is faster (image searching performance improved).
New Alcohol Remover Node

Preview Original Image Option

📣 Client Outreach: URL No Longer Required for Texts

Client Outreach texts no longer require a URL, but the system will show a warning if you try to send one without a link.

One important reminder: the number Client Outreach texts send from is different than the number used for automated event marketing—so recipients may not have any message history for context when they receive it.

🏷️ PhotoTags Page: Clearer Counts

The Event PhotoTags page now shows Contacts and Participants as separate columns for better clarity.

🛍️ Retail: Pay Later Badges (more visible financing options)

Retail now shows Apple Pay Later and PayPal Pay Later badges on the store sheet for items $30 or more.

A few notes:

  • • Pay Later options have always been available—this change just makes them more obvious to customers.
  • • This UI may be temporary and could be removed at any time.

Reminders on existing Pay Later availability:

  • • Klarna & Affirm are available through Apple Pay for orders $35+
  • • Some credit cards offer Pay Later through Apple Pay (eligibility varies)
  • • Klarna, Affirm, and Zip are available through Google Pay for orders $35+
  • • PayPal Pay Later (Pay in 4) is available for $30+
  • • PayPal Pay Later (Pay Monthly) is available for $49+

🤖 Android Capture App 5.5: Duplicate Image Fix

The Capture App on Android (v5.5, Google Play) now fixes an issue where some cameras were sending duplicate images to the app.

That’s the week! 💫

Between the new Auto Editor (Beta), smoother “preview original” review flows, and clearer Pay Later messaging on retail, this update is all about saving time and helping customers convert with less friction.

Keep creating magic,
— The NowCandid Team 🍬

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.

  • List One
  • List Two
  • List Three
  • List Four
  • List Five

This is a link

This is bold text