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Wrapping Up Grad Season: Key Takeaways for Photographers Using GradPics Now

Wrapping Up Grad Season: Key Takeaways for Photographers Using GradPics Now

As we move past the mid-way point of graduation season, it's a perfect time to reflect on the key takeaways and strategies that can boost your photography business in these last handful of ceremonies.

The impact of using NowCandid's GradPics Now program has been significant for photographers working both large and small events. Here’s a look at what we've learned so far and how you can make the most of the remaining graduations.

Tips for a Successful 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. Focus on capturing the best possible shots in-camera and ensure speedy delivery to clients.

2. Stick to SRGB Color Profiles for Retouching

If retouching is necessary, save images in an SRGB color profile. This ensures consistency and vibrancy across all viewing platforms, enhancing the overall appeal of your photos to clients.

3. Use Direct Flash to Enhance Image Quality

Proper lighting is crucial, 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 stand out.

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

Always be prepared for the unexpected. Carry extra batteries and a backup camera to all events. This ensures uninterrupted shooting, even if your primary camera fails or batteries run out.

NowCandid Best Practices: Selfie Check-In Workflow

NowCandid's Selfie Check-In workflow is designed to streamline the graduation photography process, making it easier for photographers to manage large events and ensuring every graduate's moment is captured. Here's how to effectively use this feature:

  • Ensure Participation: Encourage every graduate to use the Selfie Check-In upon arrival. Consider assigning assistants to facilitate this process and ensure a smooth workflow.
  • Visibility: Utilize multiple QR code placements—signs, lanyards, and handheld QR code signs—to ensure no one misses out. This increases the chances of capturing every graduate.
  • Extended Reach: Gather information not just from graduates, but also their families. This expands your marketing reach and increases the potential for sales.

Highlighting Best Performing Graduations with NowCandid

The power of NowCandid's tools is evident in the outstanding performance of several recent graduation events:

  • An Oklahoma Medical College Commencement
    • ~150 graduates
    • ~$65 sales per graduate
    • ~$9,750 in sales

  • An Oklahoma Graduate School Commencement
    • ~115 graduates
    • ~$41.50 sales per graduate
    • ~$4,772.50 in sales

  • A Louisiana Medical College Commencement
    • ~175 graduates
    • ~$40 sales per graduate
    • ~$7,000 in sales

  • A Louisiana College Commencement
    • ~250 graduates
    • ~$37.50 sales per graduate
    • ~$9,375 in sales

  • An Alaska College Graduation Ceremony
    • ~100 graduates
    • ~$21 sales per graduate
    • ~$2,100 in sales

All these events were photographed in the last two months, showcasing the incredible potential of leveraging NowCandid for your graduation photography needs.

Ready to Elevate Your Graduation Photography?

There's still time to use NowCandid for your upcoming graduation events. If you have any questions or need help setting up an event, our experts Jack and Darwin are here to assist you.

Schedule a session with them today at https://calendly.com/nowcandid-training to ensure you're fully prepared to make this graduation season your most successful yet!

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📸 Candy’s 12 Days of Christmas: Day 12 – Photo Booth Mode! 🎄🎉
Feature Updates
December 25, 2024

📸 Candy’s 12 Days of Christmas: Day 12 – Photo Booth Mode! 🎄🎉

10
 minutes read
Hello, my festive photographers!

Candy here, and Merry Christmas to those who celebrate.

We’ve arrived at the 12th Day of Christmas, and I’m thrilled to unwrap our biggest new feature of 2024—Photo Booth Mode in the Capture & Upload App!

The new NowCandid Capture & Upload App Version that includes Photo Booth Mode will be going live at the end of December, this month!

Let’s get into the holiday spirit and explore everything this mode has to offer. 🎁

What Is Photo Booth Mode? 🤶

Photo Booth Mode is a brand-new option inside our Capture & Upload App—you’ll see a shiny “Photo Booth” button once you log in to an Event and create a Folder.

Give that Photo Booth button a tap, and voilà: your iPad turns into a photo booth station where guests can snap fun pictures with minimal hassle!

  • Multiple Camera Options: Tether a Nikon, Sony, or Canon camera, or use your iPad’s front-facing camera, depending on your particular photo booth frame.
  • Solid Internet Connection: The app downloads any custom overlays or backgrounds you’ve set on the web dashboard, so stable Wi-Fi or LTE is essential.

It’s perfect for holiday parties, corporate shindigs, weddings, or any event where a lighthearted photo booth can bring on the smiles!

The Photo Booth Flow ⏱️

Here’s how Photo Booth Mode keeps your guests engaged:

  1. Tap to Begin Screen: A dimmed live view awaits guests to tap and start. Once they do, the booth will let them know to get ready for three photos.
  2. Three Countdown Shots: Each shot has a 3-second countdown followed by a short preview of the taken pic after each shot. If your event uses a Bottom Banner Overlay or Full Frame Overlay, it shows up in the live view, so no one ends up hidden behind the graphics!
  3. Instant Delivery & Overlays: In QuicPics events, each photo is sent via MMS with the overlay art included. Retail site users can choose or order their images with or without the artwork.

Guests can hop in, pose, and receive fun, branded photos—no fuss required! 🎉

On-Device Backgrounds & Filters 🎨

Before finalizing those memorable pics, guests can personalize them right on the device:

  • Background Selection: If you’ve uploaded custom backgrounds on the web dashboard, the app fetches them before the booth session. Guests can pick from these in addition to several default backgrounds, great for holiday vibes or brand-specific themes.
  • Filter Options: Classic filters like Noir, Sepia, Clarendon, and others let participants get creative.
  • Reshoot Button: Not happy with the shot? Tap “Reshoot” and start the session over.

This ensures a lively, interactive experience that encourages guests to come back for more snaps. ⛄

Positive ID vs. Face Matching 🧐

After styling, the next step depends on your event’s workflow:

  • Face Matching Events: Guests tap the faces they see on-screen, then enter contact info for each face. If multiple people are in one session, no problem—add them all at once.
  • Positive ID Events: A simpler approach: participants just type in their contact info and send off the images.

Either way, photos head straight to their phones via QuicPics (if you’re using that workflow) or land in their personal gallery. 🔔

Seamless Integration with NowCandid 💖

Photo Booth Mode plugs right into your existing NowCandid features:

  • Selfie Check-In & LiveLoop: Photo booth images appear in your LiveLoop feed if you’re displaying one at the event. Selfie Check-Ins can still match participants to their booth photos too.
  • QuicPics & PartyPics: The images upload instantly, letting your guests receive them right away, or find them in their personal gallery for easy purchase or free download (depending on your workflow).

It’s the same NowCandid ecosystem you know—just dressed up in a festive booth format! 🎄

Requirements & Limitations 🎅

A few notes to keep in mind:

  • Camera Orientation:
    • Nikon supports horizontal and vertical live view.
    • Sony/Canon currently only support horizontal orientation for tethered cameras.
  • iPad-Only for Now:
    • Photo Booth Mode works on iPad in vertical orientation, not on iPhone or Windows (yet).
  • No Built-In Printing:
    • If you need on-site prints, consider setting up your own print station with a computer and a printer! Use quic.pics/portal to access your Event images, and then download images with or without overlays and print them on-site.
  • We Value Feedback:
    • Missing something? Let us know! Your input shapes our next updates.

Why Photo Booth Mode Is a Holiday Treat 🎁

  • Interactive & Fun: Guests love choosing backgrounds, filters, and overlays, making the booth a memorable attraction.
  • Fully Integrated: Works seamlessly with QuicPics, PartyPics, LiveLoop, Face Matching, and more.
  • Revenue & Engagement Boost: Branded overlays, holiday backgrounds, or sponsor tie-ins can lead to higher sales and delighted clients.

This mode is a surefire way to add a dash of cheer to any event—holiday-themed or otherwise! ✨

That’s all for now, folks.

We hope Photo Booth Mode adds a dash of magic to your season and beyond.

And thank you for following along with our 12 Days of Christmas!

Enjoy this new feature, and as always, keep capturing the moments that matter most.

Reminder: The new NowCandid Capture & Upload App Version that includes Photo Booth Mode will be going live at the end of December, this month!

Candy 🍬

📸 Candy’s 12 Days of Christmas: Day 11 – Candy Account Integration (Beta) 🎄🤖
Feature Updates
December 24, 2024

📸 Candy’s 12 Days of Christmas: Day 11 – Candy Account Integration (Beta) 🎄🤖

3
 minutes read
Hello again, my ever-curious photographers! 🎅

Candy here, and welcome to Day 11 of our 12 Days of Christmas countdown.

Today’s spotlight is a feature still in its early stages, but full of potential: the Candy Account Integration (Beta). Since it’s Christmas Eve, what better time to peek at a promising work-in-progress?

Key Highlights:

  • Account-Level Insights:

    When using Candy through the Web Dashboard, you can ask about your account’s metrics, such as sales over a certain period or the number of events in specific categories.
  • A Learning AI Assistant:

    Candy’s not perfect yet—she might make mistakes—but this beta integration is a step toward providing instant answers without leaving the dashboard.
  • Future Potential:

    With more opportunities to learn and refine, Candy will become a more knowledgeable and accurate assistant, helping you navigate your data more efficiently.

This beta feature hints at a future where you can access business insights on the fly. 🎉

Check back tomorrow, December 25th, for the final day of our countdown. We’ll be unwrapping something truly special—our biggest new feature of 2024. Don’t miss it!

Candy 🍬

📸 Candy’s 12 Days of Christmas: Day 10 – The Find Me Portal 🎄🔍
Feature Updates
December 23, 2024

📸 Candy’s 12 Days of Christmas: Day 10 – The Find Me Portal 🎄🔍

3
 minutes read
Hello once more, my resourceful photographers! 🎅

Candy here, and welcome to Day 10 of our 12 Days of Christmas countdown. Today’s highlight is the Find Me Portal, a tool that made it simpler and more secure for end users to locate their personal galleries.

Key Highlights:

  • Convenient Access:

    Clients visit quic.pics/find-me, enter their phone number or email, and receive a unique link tied to that contact information.
  • All Galleries in One Place:

    That link displays every personal gallery associated with their contact info, helping them quickly find and enjoy their images from multiple events.
  • Enhanced Privacy & Security:

    By sending the link directly to their provided contact details, we ensured no one else could stumble upon their galleries. It’s both user-friendly and secure.

This feature made it easier than ever for clients to find their photos, improving customer satisfaction and reducing support inquiries. 🎉

Check back tomorrow for Day 11, as we near the end of our festive journey through 2024’s top features. And don’t forget—something extra special awaits on December 25th!

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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