HomeNavigation arrowBlogNavigation arrow
Current page
Feature Updates

Teaser: NowCandid's Game-Changing Updates for Photographers!

Teaser: NowCandid's Game-Changing Updates for Photographers!
At NowCandid, we understand that the success of our platform hinges on the success of our photographers.

Over the past year, we have invested significant time, energy and resources into revamping our system, tailoring our software and interfaces to meet the specific wants and needs of photographers. Our commitment is to create solutions that are built around the photographer, for the photographer. Here’s a look at the powerful new features and functionalities coming to NowCandid:

New Updates to Boost Your Business

1. Custom Offers

Until now, NowCandid users could only use our premade Offers, which have been very successful - but the limited options have sometimes been restrictive in certain situations.

Now, we are excited to introduce the ability for photographers to create their own custom Offers.

This means you can now set your own prices, choose your own product lineup, set your shipping costs, and create your own packages.

You can even choose from a variety of color schemes, including animated holiday themes, that will change the color palette of the new retail site, Selfie Check-In site, and Scan Card Check-In site.

Speaking of, the Selfie Check-In site has been overhauled as well! And now will only allow the subject to take a selfie if there is only one face visible in their camera view.

If you're not sure where to start when building your first offer, instead of building from scratch you can use our recommended premade Offers as templates to get started.

Also, we have revamped our text & email marketing system for Custom Offer Events! Text marketing is now a bit trendier, and includes emojis to improve click rates, and gallery links for QuicPics will now be delivered from the same phone number as their QuicPics image files. Plus, if a new image is added to a subject's gallery after they make a purchase, they will now receive a text or email notification that new images have been added since their last visit.

These new features aim to break down significant obstacles NowCandid photographers have faced, and allow for greater flexibility and customization.

2. Simplified Retail Site with new Features

When you create a new Event using one of your Custom Offers, it will utilize an all-new, simplified, retail site! The new site has a very clean and simple look, and comes with a variety of cool features:

  • Cart-Wide Retouching: End customers can order retouching for all items in their cart for one flat price. This incentivizes larger orders, and allows photographers to focus on speedy delivery by skipping pre-upload retouching.
  • Third-Party Sign-In: Customers can sign in using Google, Apple, Facebook, or X/Twitter accounts. This provides access to an Event History of all personal galleries they’ve accessed, and an Order History complete with order statuses.
  • Product Page Rendering: When viewing the product page, most products will render with the customer's selected image, right there in the product gallery!
  • More Product Customization: Customers can choose from multiple product styles, and change an art style's primary & accent colors before adding the product to their cart.
  • AI Background Generation Tools: For images with backgrounds removed, customers can use text prompts to generate unique AI backgrounds tailored to their specifications, or choose from a variety of popular defaults.
  • Live Face Match Groups: Similar to our popular Group-by-Face feature, this allows faces in a Face Matching Event's gallery to be clicked to view other images in the Event with a matching face. However, this runs live during an Event (not just by triggering it afterwards) on all Tapped or Checked-In faces within the Event.
  • Retail Header Tweaks: Now includes the Event Name first and foremost, followed by your Business Name! Retail Support contact info will be featured frequently throughout the remainder of the sales process.
  • More Private Galleries: Personal Gallery links now require both an Event Name and a corresponding randomized sequence unique to that participant. Making each gallery more private than ever before.

3. App Version 4.0

Our upcoming app version 4.0 for iOS and Windows is a complete overhaul of version 3.22, including:

  • Improved UI: A refreshed user interface for a smoother experience.
  • Dark Mode: A new Dark Theme for the app's UI that also optimizes battery saving on OLED iOS devices.
  • Pre-Highlighted Faces: Enhanced Face Matching with pre-highlighted faces ensures subjects never miss their face when tapping.
  • Significant Performance Improvements: Reduced bugs, lag, and improved battery life.

4. Event Management Improvements

When managing your new Custom Offer Events (different from traditional NowCandid Events) you'll have access to new Event Management tools and information.

  • Manage Participants: A new Manage Participants interface so you can access your subjects' personal gallery URL.
  • Marketing Tracking: Number of marketing pieces sent out (counting both texts & emails sent).
  • Recent Orders: A new "recent orders" window.
  • Sales Chart: A new sales chart tracking sales over the first 30 days from your Event's start date.
  • Image Uploader: An all-new image-upload tool with a variety of improvements.

Why NowCandid?

NowCandid is designed to be incredibly simple to use, with no subscription fees, startup fees, or license fees. We only make money when you do.

Our platform is built to help you scale your business and brand by being completely white-label, handling customer support for your retail customers, and replacing orders damaged in shipping—all for free.

This means there's more time for you to focus on booking and shooting, while we handle the rest.

Ready to take your photography business to the next level? Embrace NowCandid’s new features and watch your business thrive!

Related articles

Helpful Tips: Using QuicPics at your Proms
QuicPics
April 19, 2023

Helpful Tips: Using QuicPics at your Proms

6
 minutes read

QuicPics is an innovative photo booth alternative designed to enhance the photo-taking experience at events like proms. As a photographer, QuicPics allows you to offer a modern, fun, and interactive experience for prom attendees, while you get paid upfront for your services. It can be sold as a “mobile photo booth” service, as a manned portrait station akin to traditional photo booths, or as a service where you provide both! Thanks to our cloud, no matter how many photographers or photo stations you have, they’ll all talk to each other, meaning guests only have to provide their contact info once. 

This short guide will walk you through how to effectively use QuicPics for a prom night:

  1. First, Understanding QuicPics:
    QuicPics is quite different from NowCandid’s other programs, it texts image files directly to guests in addition to a link to their online gallery. With NowCandid’s other programs, only links to online galleries of images are delivered. QuicPics also charges the photographer for each image they take and upload to the cloud, making it the only NowCandid feature that charges the photographer in any way.
  2. QuicPics’ Advantage:
    QuicPics is a perfect alternative to traditional photo booths. It's a mobile, modern, interactive, and engaging way to capture memories at proms. With instant texting of images to attendees, QuicPics ensures a seamless experience for everyone involved.
  3. Create a Unique Photo Station:
    Make your photo station stand out by offering themed backdrops, fun props, and creative lighting. This will not only draw the prom-goers to your station but also encourage them to share their professional photos on social media, giving you free advertising and potentially attracting new clients.
  4. Pricing and Payment:
    As a photographer, it's essential to get paid upfront for your services. We recommend charging between $200 to $300 per photographer hour, possibly offering a discount if they are requesting a large number of photographers and/or hours. Alternatively, talk to the school or with involved parents about increasing the cost of prom tickets to pay for QuicPics services for the prom. Take payments using PayPal, Square, Venmo, via check, checkout on your own website, or whatever means are most convenient for you! Just ensure it looks professional to the school you’re dealing with.
  5. Planning your Workflow:
    To ensure a smooth process, have a tablet available for prom attendees to interact with the QuicPics platform. This will allow them to receive their photos via text message instantly thanks to the LTE connection of the tablets. We recommend using the Tap-A-Face workflow, which simplifies the process of collecting data and pairing it to their face, as well as being a fun addition to the prom already!
  6. Selling the Service:
    To promote your QuicPics services, create a compelling sales pitch that highlights the benefits of a mobile photo booth experience, the convenience of instant photo sharing, and the interactive nature of the platform. Showcase sample photos and emphasize the unique value QuicPics brings to a prom night.

QuicPics is a fun, interactive, and modern solution to traditional photo booths, making it an excellent addition to any prom night. By following these tips, hopefully you'll be able to provide a memorable experience for prom attendees while securing payment for your services. Happy snapping!

Proms: An Untapped Gold Mine
PartyPics
April 14, 2023

Proms: An Untapped Gold Mine

4
 minutes read

Plenty of photographers think photographing a prom is not worth their time and energy. They're not wrong to think that either... as that can often be the case! But, NowCandid's "PartyPics Now!" program has cracked the code and found a way to consistently monetize proms and other school dances!

We analyzed all the proms that took place in 2022 that had utilized PartyPics Now, and found that across dozens of proms, photographers averaged well over $2 per image taken and about $5 per guest at the prom. Not bad, considering the average number of students at any given prom was about 400 students!

The top performing proms well exceeded $2 per image and $5 per guest by doing some combination of the following things:

          • First, they used NowCandid's Selfie Check-In workflow, which gathered the guest's parent's contact data! Marketing the prom images to them as well.

          • Second, they utilized photo stations (sometimes with backdrops and/or props!) with photographer attendants in addition to roaming photographers.

          • And third, they sent 4 or more photographers to ensure they photographed every guest multiple times, making the guest's online galleries (and the larger photo packages) more appealing!

At proms where all three of those conditions were successfully met, the average sales per image was $3 and the average sales per event guest was almost $9!

So, while proms might not be quite as profitable as they were once upon a time, they can still be a great way to make some extra profit in your off season, expand your business, keep your photographers paid and busy, and more!

And... stay tuned! Because a new feature we're calling Group-by-Face rolls out in the very near future! Helping to take your online galleries for social events to the next level! 🎉

Have any questions? Feel free to contact us! We love to chat. 😃

Stay profitable, photographers! 📸

Cap and Gown Chronicles: Master the Art of Graduation Photography with These Expert Tips
GradPics
April 11, 2023

Cap and Gown Chronicles: Master the Art of Graduation Photography with These Expert Tips

4
 minutes read

Graduation day is a momentous occasion, marking the culmination of years of hard work, dedication, and the occasional all-nighter (we're looking at you, college students). As a photographer, you have the unique opportunity to capture these once-in-a-lifetime moments, and we're here to help you make the most of it. From technical know-how to creative flair, we've got you covered with expert tips for optimal graduation photography. And with NowCandid's Grad Pics Now program at your side, you'll be snapping insta-worthy shots in no time. So, ready your camera and let's get started!

  1. Scout the Location:
    Before the big day, visit the graduation venue to familiarize yourself with the layout and lighting conditions. Identify the best spots for group shots, candid moments, and the all-important diploma handoff. This prep work will ensure that you're in the right place at the right time to capture those precious memories.
  2. Use the Right Gear:
    Bring a telephoto lens for close-ups of the stage, a wide-angle lens for group shots, and a fast prime lens for low-light conditions. A monopod or tripod can also help steady your shots and reduce camera shake during those crucial moments and pre- or post-stage cross portraits.
  3. Find the Perfect Angle:
    Get creative with your angles to add depth and interest to your shots. But importantly, always find the right shot in order to get the graduate’s face in the photo! When using NowCandid’s face matching workflows, that’s a very important piece of the puzzle! When you can’t get a good angle, consider asking the school ahead of time to make sure the “handshaker” will always turn towards the camera and smile, prompting the graduates to do the same!
  4. Tell the Story:
    Graduation day is a rollercoaster of emotions, from anticipation to elation. Document the day's events, capturing candid moments and reactions that tell a compelling story. With NowCandid's Grad Pics Now program, you can easily organize and share these images in a personalized gallery, allowing graduates and their families to relive the day for years to come.
  5. Get Creative with Portraits:
    Graduation portraits don't have to be stiff and formal. Encourage the graduates to express themselves, whether it's a celebratory jump or a quirky pose with their diploma. These fun shots will stand out and make lasting memories.

With these expert tips and NowCandid's Grad Pics Now program in your toolkit, you'll be well-equipped to master the art of graduation photography. So, channel your inner photographer and capture the magic of the big day – because, as Ferris Bueller once said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." And no one wants to miss a moment as special as graduation day. Happy snapping!

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