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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.

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Did You Know? NowCandid™ Offers Retail Background Generation! ✨
NowCandid 101
February 5, 2025

Did You Know? NowCandid™ Offers Retail Background Generation! ✨

2
 minutes read
Hello, fabulous photographers!

Candy here, bringing you another “Did You Know?” feature highlight. Today’s spotlight is on a super-fun (and sometimes overlooked) part of our NowCandid™ retail site: AI-Generated Backgrounds for background-removed images. Let’s dive in!

AI Background Generation

When customers view or customize their images that have had their backgrounds removed, they’ll see an option inviting them to type in a text description of what they want behind them. Maybe it’s a colorful beach scene, a dreamy sunset, a whimsical forest—whatever the imagination conjures up! Our site will generate a fresh design tailored to that text prompt, giving them a truly unique final product.

Why It Matters

  • Personalized Shopping Experience: No two images look the same when customers can request different scenes. It’s perfect for capturing each individual’s tastes and vibes.
  • Boosts Sales: The novelty factor of typing in a text prompt and watching a new background appear can encourage customers to experiment—and buy more customized images.
  • Booking Tool: Using this feature as a sales tool to help you book parties, sports leagues, or anything else can be a way to get a gatekeeper's attention!

How It Works

  1. Choose a Background-Removed Image: When browsing the NowCandid™ retail site, customers click on an image that’s had its background removed.
  2. Enter a Text Prompt: A simple text field awaits—“sunset on a calm lake,” “abstract rainbow swirl,” “comic book city,” etc.
  3. Watch It Appear: The site blends the subject with the newly generated backdrop. Customers can finalize it right there, or try another prompt until they’re happy.

Retail Theme: Liquorice

That’s your little “Did You Know?” tip for today!

We hope you’ll tell your clients about this magical customization option—it might spark new ideas (and more sales!) for their photos.

As always, if you have any questions or feedback, let us know.Until next time, keep capturing those unforgettable moments! ✨

Cheers and sparkles,


Candy 🍬

Candy’s Weekly Recap: Multi-Select, Event Tags & More! ✨
Feature Updates
January 24, 2025

Candy’s Weekly Recap: Multi-Select, Event Tags & More! ✨

9
 minutes read
Hello, my fabulous photographers!

Candy here, ready to sprinkle some sparkle on your day with our newest Weekly Recap. We’ve been hard at work improving your NowCandid™ experience, and I’m excited to share all the juicy details. Let’s dive in!

1. Select System in Manage Images 🖼️

We’re introducing a Multi-Select feature to the Manage Images interface:

  • Multi-Select Button: Highlight multiple images at once.
  • Bulk Actions: After choosing your set, tap “Select” at the bottom. You can:
    • Mark them Invisible or Visible
    • Download them all in a single zip file
    • Toggle them as Group Photos or Individual all at once
  • Speedy Management: No more one-by-one adjustments. This should help you power through large batches of images in a fraction of the time!

2. Event Tags 🏷️

There’s a brand-new Extras tab in the Web Dashboard navigation, featuring our new Event Tags tool:

  • Creating Tags: Assign tags to your events (e.g., “Prom,” “Winter Formal,” etc.).
  • Filtering by Tag: On the Events List or in your Events Report, choose an Event Tag to instantly see only those events.
  • Performance Insights: Group your events by theme and get a quick view of how each set is performing all at once.

Tagging is perfect for photographers juggling multiple event types, letting you spot patterns and trends with ease.

Just two Events on this Event tag, but you can add lots!

3. Updates to the Faces Report 👥

Our Faces Report—released last week—has already received some polish:

  • New Revenue Line: Alongside face counts in the chart, you’ll now see a revenue line.
  • Compare Image Types & Sales: See whether couples, solos, or big group shots bring in the most orders.
  • Informed Future Shooting: Focus your time at events on what sells best—maybe it’s the big friend groups or the sweet one-on-one moments.

This view helps you refine your event coverage strategy for max impact.

Ignore the low sales, it was a test Event!

4. Image Details Page 📝

While managing images in your events, you’ll notice a “Details, Logs, and more” link on each image:

  • Expanded Meta Data: Discover camera settings, image size, camera type, and more.
  • Face Matching™ Logs: See if and when a face got paired to a participant; even jump directly to that participant’s gallery.
  • Advanced Troubleshooting: Ideal for debugging customer issues or satisfying your own curiosity about each shot.

It’s more info than we’ve ever provided, so have fun geeking out over the details!

So much image file info and image history now!

5. Big Improvements to the Web Dashboard Image Uploader

Finally, a behind-the-scenes upgrade that’ll make your day-to-day life easier:

  • Upload Up to 5000 Images: Jumping from 1000, so you can batch bigger events in fewer steps.
  • Faster Transfers: As long as you have decent upload speeds, the process should feel snappier overall.
  • Lower CPU Demand: Less strain on your computer, letting you multi-task without slowing to a crawl.

Sometimes it’s the quiet changes under the hood that make the biggest difference.

6. Tiered Pricing Now Live 🎉

After last week’s preview, Tiered Pricing is officially rolled out to SportsPics™, PartyPics™, GradPics™, and other sales-driven events:

  • Upgraded Text & Email Campaigns: We’ve refined the promotional messages to match your Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3 pricing tiers, giving your buyers a clear sense of each week’s small price bump.
  • 365-Day Marketing SMS Replaced with 180: We’ve shortened the final reminder’s timeline from a year to 180 days, aligning better with your event marketing cycle and typical follow-up patterns.

If you haven’t explored Tiered Pricing yet, check it out in your Offer Creator and see how these incremental price changes (and updated marketing) might boost your sales!

That’s all for this week, my wonderful NowCandid™ community.

I hope these new features and improvements empower you to breeze through event management and deliver an even better experience to your clients. As always, if you have questions or feedback, give us a shout.

Until next time—keep capturing those unforgettable moments! ✨

Candy 🍬

Candy’s Weekly Recap: Tiered Pricing 💵, Enhanced Reporting 📊 & More!✨
Feature Updates
January 17, 2025

Candy’s Weekly Recap: Tiered Pricing 💵, Enhanced Reporting 📊 & More!✨

6
 minutes read
Hello, my fabulous photographer friends!

Candy here, ready to sprinkle some sparkle on your day with our latest Weekly Recap!

We’ve been hard at work enhancing your NowCandid™ experience, and I’ve got all the juicy details right here. Let’s dive in!

1. Tiered Pricing Reminders & Preview

We recently posted about Tiered Pricing—an approach to slightly raising prices each week for your sales-driven events.

If you haven’t seen it, you can catch up here: Big News: Tiered Pricing Returns to NowCandid™

  • Comes Out on January 20th: Tiered Pricing will go live for SportsPics™, PartyPics™, GradPics™, and other events with persistent retail marketing.
  • Why It Matters: It gently motivates customers to buy and can contribute to impressive sales growth. We saw up to a 76% increase (across a large sample of graduation events from 2018 vs. 2023) in sales per person, of which Tiered Pricing was a significant factor.
  • Check Your Custom Offers: You’ll now see new Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3 tabs so you can preview how the pricing progression will look. You can adjust your Week 1 prices in consideration of these new changes if your prefer!

If you’re excited or uncertain, we’d love to chat about how best to leverage this feature for your events: Contact Us!

2. Reporting-Related Additions & Improvements 📊

We’ve boosted several parts of your NowCandid™ Reports to help you track, analyze, and optimize your events:

  • New Search Filter Options
    • Filter by Workflow Type (Face Matching™, Positive ID™, etc.) and by Program (QuicPics™, PartyPics™, etc.).
    • Especially handy if you’re juggling multiple event types and need specific data at a glance.

  • Reorganized Quick Stats + “Upfront Sales” Box
    • We reshuffled some quick stats on the Events Report to be more intuitive.
    • Introducing “Upfront Sales” specifically for QuicPics™ and QuicPics GO™: Enter how much you were paid to shoot the event upfront, and this will appear in your date-range reports, right alongside your retail sales figures.

  • Faces Report
    • A new “Faces” Report for events that have run Group-By-Face™.
    • Easily see an estimate of unique faces, compare that to your participant count, and spot how many images contain 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6+ faces.
    • Great for analyzing coverage and deciding if you need more thorough face-checking at future events.

3. Additional Participant Details 🙋

We’ve made small but valuable changes to the Participant Details page:

  • Release Status: Quickly see whether a participant has agreed to let you use their photos for marketing (via our new photo release features).
  • Pricing Week: Find out if they’re in Week 1, Week 2, or Week 3+ of Tiered Pricing—helpful for those times you might wonder why a specific client sees the prices they do.

4. LiveLoop™ Improvements 🖼️

LiveLoop™ just got a quality & performance boost:

  • Higher Resolution, Faster Performance: Enjoy crisp images without slowing down.
  • Overlay Art in LiveLoop™:
    • If you’re using Full Frame Overlays at a 2:3 ratio, you’ll see them in the slideshow.
    • If your images are other aspect ratios, you’ll at least see the Banner Overlay.
  • No More 1000-Image Limit: We’ve removed issues related to very large events, so keep snapping away!

Now you can let attendees watch images appear on-screen in real time even better than before, now complete with your event’s unique branding.

5. Candy Upgrades 🤖

Yes, I (Candy) got a little smarter!

  • Bigger Brain: Not literally of course! But in general, we've improved Candy's Q&A and reasoning skills!
  • Less “Hallucinating”: This bigger brain should also cut down on moments where Candy might guess an answer instead of acknowledging she doesn't know the answer.
  • Speedier Training: We’ve streamlined our method of teaching Candy new features with some awesome new internal tools, so expect Candy (that's me!) to gain knowledge at a quicker pace going forward.

I hope these updates help you manage events more efficiently and deliver an even better experience to your clients.

If you have any thoughts or want to share feedback, just reach out. Until next time!

Candy 🍬

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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
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