HomeNavigation arrowBlogNavigation arrow
Current page
Success Stories

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

Candy’s Weekly Recap: Extended Face Matching™ & Image Overwrite Upgrades! ✨
Feature Updates
March 7, 2025

Candy’s Weekly Recap: Extended Face Matching™ & Image Overwrite Upgrades! ✨

4
 minutes read
Hello, my fabulous photographers!

Candy here, and welcome to this week’s Weekly Recap.

We’ve got some exciting updates that will make your NowCandid™ events even smoother—so grab a coffee and let’s dive in!

Extended Face Matching™ Window

Great news for Face Matching™ events! We’ve extended the Face Matching™ window to last 30 days from your event’s start date. Here’s what that means:

  • • Longer Matching Period:

    Previously, Face Matching™ ended when the event concluded. Now, images uploaded even several weeks late will still find their matches, as Selfie Check-In™ remains live for the full 30 days!
  • • Consistent Marketing:

    Thanks to Tiered Pricing on each participant’s Day 0 text, even late joiners receive the same marketing campaign and discount opportunities.
  • • Event End Date Still Matters:

    While Face Matching™ remains active for 30 days, the event’s End Date still determines when the event disappears from the Capture & Upload App and the limited-access Event Management Portal.
  • • Flexible Event Management:

    After creating an event, you can now edit its End Date, allowing you to keep an event active longer if needed. Plus, on the All Images Gallery, Selfie Check-In™ is prominently displayed for Face Matching™ events—making it easier for stragglers to get their images.

This extended window opens up new opportunities and helps ensure no one misses out on their photos!

an expired event (mar 7), with face matching™ still active

Image Overwrite Feature in the Web Dashboard 🔄

We’ve heard your requests: now you can overwrite images using the Image Uploader on the Web Dashboard!

  • • Edit & Replace:

    For Positive ID™ events, you can now replace unedited images with edited ones. The new, updated images will slot directly into each participant’s retail gallery and your Manage Images page, replacing the originals seamlessly.
  • • Enhanced Workflow for Positive ID™:

    This is a game changer for Positive ID™ events that require a tethered tablet. You can take photos, assign them during the event, then edit and replace them later—all without disrupting your marketing.
  • • Important Reminder:

    For Face Matching™ events, we still recommend using Selfie Check-In™ and uploading your edited images once you’re done fine-tuning. And always export in the proper sRGB color profile for printing and uploading.

hit the switch to allow identically named images to replace existing images

Miscellaneous Updates ⚙️

  • • Press & Hold Download Fix:

    The “Press & Hold” download on the retail site for Quic-Events using Chrome on iOS is now fixed—ensuring a smooth experience for all your customers. (The Free Download product was available for those who had issues previously, so no worries! People still got their pics.)

That’s it for this week’s recap!

These updates are designed to extend your event’s image matching capabilities, streamline your image editing workflow, and improve overall user experience.

As always, your feedback is invaluable—drop us a line if you have any questions or suggestions.

Thanks for being an essential part of the NowCandid™ community, and keep capturing those unforgettable moments!

Cheers and sparkles,

Candy 🍬

Candy’s Weekly Recap: QuicPortraits™, QuicPics™ Updates & More! ✨
Feature Updates
February 28, 2025

Candy’s Weekly Recap: QuicPortraits™, QuicPics™ Updates & More! ✨

5
 minutes read
Hello, my wonderful photographers!

Candy here, bringing you another Weekly Recap packed with fresh features and improvements to your NowCandid™ experience. Let’s dive right in!

1. Introducing QuicPortraits™ 📸

We’re thrilled to add a new Program to our lineup—QuicPortraits™—joining PartyPics™, GradPics™, Portraits, SportsPics™, QuicPics™, and QuicPics GO™:

  • • One-Time Text Limit: Each image can only be texted out once—perfect for headshots or single-family portraits where you only need to share each image a single time.
  • • Why?: Because of this limit, QuicPortraits™ costs less to use than QuicPics™. It’s a budget-friendly version of the same great service designed specifically for portrait & headshot photography.
  • • No Extra Setup: If you already know how QuicPics™ works, you’ll feel right at home with QuicPortraits™!

A new Quic-Program, with different functionality and pricing!

2. QuicPortraits™ & QuicPics™ Feature Additions 🤳

These upgrades apply to Quic-Events created AFTER today’s system deployment (March 1st):

  • • “Images Are Arriving Soon” Records: View text records in your event’s Marketing History page.
  • • Render Previews for Texted-Out Images: Know exactly when and to whom each image was sent—complete with a small preview.
  • • Unsubscribe Keyword “NOPE”: “Images Are Arriving Soon” texts use “NOPE” for event-based unsubscribes, aligning with other NowCandid™ marketing.
  • • Future Integrations: Under-the-hood improvements now let us potentially add advanced NowCandid™ features (like background removal) to QuicPics™ down the road!
  • • No App Update Required: Older Capture & Upload App versions can handle QuicPortraits™; they just won’t display its icon. For the icon, see iOS version 4.13.72 below.

And good news for existing QuicPics™ fans—our behind-the-scenes tweaks should speed up QuicPics™ deliveries even more!

For when you're curious, or need some help checking on a customer's images!

3. Capture & Upload App for iOS (4.13.72) 🍎

We’ve rolled out Version 4.13.72 with the following fixes and updates:

New Icon: You’ll now see a QuicPortraits™ icon (older app versions don’t show it, but will still function fine).

Photo Booth Mode:

  • • Added two new default backgrounds.
  • • Fixed old artwork sticking around when switching events.
  • • Corrected face tap location on custom background or filtered images.
  • • Fixed bug where filters sometimes failed to apply on uploaded images.

If you’re on iOS, make sure to update for the smoothest experience!

That’s it for this Weekly Recap, folks!

QuicPortraits™ adds a brand-new, simpler way to handle headshots and single-user portrait sessions, while QuicPics™ receives behind-the-scenes speed boosts and more detailed marketing records.

Next week’s recap might be even juicier—stay tuned!

Candy 🍬

Webinars You Can't Miss
Events
February 25, 2025

Webinars You Can't Miss

1
 minutes read

We don’t have any upcoming webinars at the moment, but check back soon for new sessions! Stay tuned for updates.

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