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

📸 Candy’s 12 Days of Christmas: Day 12 – Photo Booth Mode! 🎄🎉
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 very 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 new “Photo Booth” button once you log in to an Event and create a Folder (after the update of course).

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 setup.
  • Solid Internet Connection Required: The app downloads any custom overlays or backgrounds you’ve set on the web dashboard, and live-uploading images of course requires an internet connection, 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 Events using the QuicPics Program, each photo is sent via MMS with the overlay art included! And with every NowCandid Program, a gallery link is delivered where retail site users can download images and order photo products.

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? Guests can “Reshoot” and start the session over at any time.

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:

  • For Face Matching Events: Guests are guided to tap the faces they see on-screen, and then can enter contact info for each face! If this is their first or only reference photo for the Event, it will also match them to shots taken outside the Photo Booth!
  • For Positive ID Events: A simpler approach: participants just type in their contact info and send off the images! Easy peasy.

Either way, photos head straight to their phones via QuicPics (if you’re using that Program) and will always 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 if they don't self-identify during their photo booth session!
  • QuicPics & PartyPics: The images upload instantly, letting your guests receive them right away via MMS (with QuicPics), or find them in their personal gallery for easy purchase or free download (with every Program).

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.
  • 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 to 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 🍬

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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.
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  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
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Proms: An Untapped Gold Mine

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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!

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

Stay profitable, photographers! 📸

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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!

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