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Holiday Gear Up

Holiday Gear Up
Are you ready for the Holiday Season?

Maybe not since we have roughly 10 weeks to go. For most photographers, the winter months can bring a noticeable slowdown, but this also presents the perfect opportunity to seize seasonal event opportunities like Santa Portraits and holiday parties.

These festive events are in high demand, and with the right tools, you can make the most out of them!

We want to share a success story from a Santa Portrait Event that took place in the last few years, along with how NowCandid’s Workflows can help you maximize your success this holiday season.

Santa Portrait Station Success

Rachel S., a photography business owner from South Florida, a few years ago landed a Santa Portrait event at a Zoo and turned it into a HUGE win. With Candid's Scanner ID Workflow, Rachel was able to use the same techniques of a typical sports or school picture day and apply them to the Holiday Zoo Lights Santa Event.

To manage the event, Rachel used the Scanner ID Workflow, and generated blank QR cards to pass out to people while they waited in line.

The QR codes were scanned by the guests who then paired their contact info with their QR code! Once they got to the front of the line, Rachel's photographers would scan the next guest's QR with their tethered device, and then take their photos!

The device tethered to the camera would then upload the photos right after they were taken!

With the contact info and pictures both in the system, gallery links were then automatically texted directly to the subjects, right away.

Overall, this event garnered over $42,000 in it's first year!!! Not bad for a couple weeks of work!

NowCandid Workflows: Make Your Holiday Events a Breeze

One of the key elements to success in high-volume holiday events is efficiency—and that’s where NowCandid’s Workflows come into play.

These workflows streamline the process of capturing, organizing, and delivering photos, allowing you to focus more on your artistry and client experience.

Here are two workflows you’ll want to use during your Santa sessions and holiday parties:

  1. Scanner ID: The Workflow Rachel used! It's great for efficiently collecting guest contact info while they are in line, letting you move the line along more quickly OR have more time available for additional photos. Contact info is essential for instant image delivery and post-shoot marketing.
  2. Type & Take: This works similarly to the Scanner ID Workflow, except you type the subject's contact info into your tethered device before photographing them. It is not as time efficient at Scanner ID, but it doesn't require you to print out many blank cards before the event!

Seasonal Retail Theme to Add to the Experience

The holiday fun doesn't stop at the event—it continues when your customers view and purchase their images! With our Candy Cane retail theme, your clients are immersed in the festive spirit as soon as they visit their personal image gallery.

Our themes include delightful touches like falling snowflakes, which gently drift across the screen. These animations help enhance the shopping experience and keep customers wrapped up in the magic of the season.

Theme: Candy Cane - Watermarking: Default

Use Overlay Art to Add a Special Touch

If you're looking to elevate the experience further, NowCandid offers Overlay Art, allowing you to add optional customized overlays to your clients' images.

These titles add a festive, personal touch to the photos, making them feel extra special, whether it's a corporate holiday party, a Santa session, or a family Christmas gathering.

Imagine sending clients their Santa Portraits, complete with a “Merry Christmas 2024” overlay or a custom-designed title that reflects the spirit of the season. It’s little touches like these that make clients feel valued and excited about your services—leading to more referrals and repeat business.

Why You Shouldn't Sleep on Holiday Opportunities

The holiday season offers some of the most lucrative photography opportunities of the year, especially when it comes to events like Santa Portrait sessions, corporate holiday parties or large family and friends gatherings.

With many photographers considering this time a "slow season," there's an opportunity to stand out from the crowd by offering fun, engaging photo experiences that families, organizations, and individuals will love.

Adding these events to your services can also build lasting relationships with your clients—because who doesn’t want to make holiday memories they’ll treasure forever?

Don't Miss Out: Prep for the Holidays Now

The key to success is preparation. Start planning your Santa sessions, promote your holiday event photography, and make sure you're using NowCandid’s powerful tools to handle your Events with ease.

And remember: festive cheer isn’t just for clients. By embracing the holiday season and seizing these photography opportunities, you can fill your calendar and finish the year strong.

Cheers, and may there be many holiday events in your future!

Candy 🍬

Related articles

More Than Software: Why NowCandid Is a True One-Stop Shop for Photographers
NowCandid 101
August 27, 2026

More Than Software: Why NowCandid Is a True One-Stop Shop for Photographers

8
 minutes read
Photographers do not just need software.

They need a workflow that helps them capture images, connect those images to the right customers, sell products online, fulfill orders, and support the customer experience after the sale.

That is where NowCandid is different.

NowCandid is backed by Candid Color Systems, a company with its own professional photo lab, fulfillment operation, software tools, and decades of experience supporting high-volume photographers. That means we are not just a software platform connected to someone else’s lab. We are part of a company that helps support more of the full process — from capture to customer order to finished product.

And for photographers, that matters.

A Real One-Stop Shop

Many photography platforms focus on software first. They help photographers build galleries, collect orders, or send customers to an online shopping experience. But when it comes to printing and fulfillment, they often rely on third-party lab partnerships.

NowCandid is built differently.

Because NowCandid is part of Candid Color Systems, sales flow through a company that actually has its own professional photo lab. That gives us a more complete view of the process and a stronger ability to support photographers from start to finish. Your workflow does not stop when a customer clicks “order.” That order still needs to be produced, fulfilled, shipped, and supported. With NowCandid and Candid Color Systems working together, the software and fulfillment side are more closely connected.

Why Software + Fulfillment Matters

When software and fulfillment are separated, things can get complicated.

If a photographer has a question about an order, product, shipment, or customer issue, the answer may depend on multiple companies. The software provider may point to the lab. The lab may not have full visibility into the retail or customer experience. Support can become fragmented, and accountability can get fuzzy.

NowCandid helps reduce that disconnect. We can see and support more of the full customer journey. From the event setup to online ordering to lab fulfillment, our team has a broader view of what is happening and a better ability to help. That does not just make support easier. It makes the entire experience feel more connected for your customers.

Behind every NowCandid order is connected fulfillment through Candid Color Systems’ professional lab—turning online photo sales into finished products ready for customers.

Built to Help Photographers Keep More of What They Earn

A connected software and lab model also helps us keep the photographer’s bottom line in mind.

When a platform has to rely heavily on outside fulfillment partnerships, those additional layers can affect pricing, margins, support, and flexibility. With NowCandid, sales are driven through Candid Color Systems’ lab, which helps us control more of the process and pass savings on to photographers where possible.

The goal is simple: give photographers a powerful platform without stacking on unnecessary complexity.

NowCandid helps photographers sell prints, downloads, packages, and products online while keeping fulfillment connected through the same company behind the platform.

One Platform. More Accountability.

Photographers already have enough moving pieces to manage.

They are planning events, managing equipment, working with schools, leagues, graduates, families, and event organizers, training staff, uploading images, answering customer questions, and trying to sell more photos.

They should not have to wonder who is responsible when software, retail, production, and fulfillment do not line up.

NowCandid’s one-stop shop approach gives photographers a more connected path:

  • Capture and upload images
  • Match photos to the right customers
  • Deliver galleries by text or email
  • Sell prints, downloads, packages, and products online
  • Fulfill orders through Candid Color Systems’ professional lab
  • Support customers with more complete visibility into the process

It is not just about convenience. It is about confidence.

Why This Matters for High-Volume Photography

For high-volume photographers, small workflow problems can become big problems fast.

A delay in fulfillment, a product question, a customer support issue, or a disconnected order process can impact hundreds or thousands of customers during a busy season.

That is why a true one-stop shop matters.

NowCandid is designed for photographers who need more than a gallery. It is built for photographers who need a complete path from photo day to payday — with software, sales, marketing, fulfillment, and support working together.

From online order to finished product, NowCandid is backed by Candid Color Systems’ professional lab—helping photographers keep software, sales, printing, and fulfillment connected.

The NowCandid Difference

NowCandid combines flexible photography workflows with online photo sales, automated marketing, customer galleries, AI-powered tools, and professional lab fulfillment through Candid Color Systems.

That makes NowCandid more than just software.

It is a connected capture-to-commerce solution backed by a company that understands both the technology and the lab side of high-volume photography.

For photographers, that means fewer disconnected systems, clearer support, and a more complete platform built to help them capture, sell, and deliver with confidence.

Ready to See How NowCandid Works?

If you are looking for photography software that connects more of the process — from capture to online sales to fulfillment — NowCandid was built for you.

Click here to open a free account today and see how a true one-stop shop can help simplify your photography workflow.

Weekly Recap: New Discounts, Batch AI Editing & More Upload Controls 💸✨
Feature Updates
August 21, 2026

Weekly Recap: New Discounts, Batch AI Editing & More Upload Controls 💸✨

4
 minutes read
Hey photo friends! 👋

Candy here with a big one this week: Discounts are officially here! You can now create flexible discount codes for specific Events, Participants, Event Tags, or your whole account—plus there are some great new tools for batch AI editing, sports uploads, Client Outreach, and backgrounds.

Let’s jump in!

💸 NEW: Discounts

You can now create and manage your own discounts directly in NowCandid.

Discounts you create can apply to:

  • 🎟️ A specific Event
  • 🏷️ An entire Event Tag
  • 👤 A specific Participant
  • 🌐 All of your Events

And you can choose from several discount types:

  • 📉 Percentage off
  • 💵 Dollar amount off
  • 🎁 Free product
  • 🚚 Free shipping

🔐 Flexible code options

  • 🔤 Create a static 4–8 character code
    • Best for creating a limited time discount for all of your customers
  • 🎲 Generate random one-time-use codes
    • Best for distributing "coach gifts" for sports leagues
  • 👤 You can also limit a discount to one use per Participant Gallery
    • Automatically on for random one-time-use codes

A few important rules:

  • Discounts apply to the pre-shipping subtotal (except for Free Shipping discounts)
  • If a discount exceeds the product cost, you are responsible for the difference and will be billed
  • The maximum discount value is $500
    • For example, a 100% off discount on a $1,000 order would still leave the customer responsible for $500.

📚 Full documentation:
https://app.nowcandid.com/docs/discounts

🎨 Batch AI Editing from Manage Images

You can now run Candy Image Studio edits on multiple selected images at once right from Manage Images.

  • ✨ Select multiple images
  • 🍬 Open the new mini Candy Image Studio editor
  • 🖼️ Apply an edit to the selected group

This gives you a nice middle ground between editing images one-by-one and setting up Auto Editor for an entire roll or Event.

📤 Better SportsPics Upload Controls

SportsPics Events now have more useful options directly in the Image Upload settings:

👥 Mark All Images Group

  • Automatically mark every uploaded image as a Group Photo.

🏷️ Assign a PhotoTag during upload

  • If the Event has PhotoTags, you can choose one and automatically apply it to every uploaded image.

This is especially handy when uploading to a Face Matching Event, to ensure the images don't go out to subjects via Face Matching before you have a chance to mark them as Group/Team Photos!

✉️ Client Outreach email designer improved

  • Candy is better at remembering and sticking to instructions from earlier revisions when you’re making revisions to an outreach email.

Favorite your most-used nodes

  • Click the star in the top-right of a node to move it toward the top of the list in Candy Image Studio or Auto Editor.
  • Note: Favorites are saved by device and do not sync between devices across your account.

🖼️ 39 New Default Background Sets

We added 39 new background sets for Offers and Virtual Groups!

New additions span categories like:

  • 🔥 Flames
  • 🏭 Industrial
  • 💡 Light – Bars
  • ⚡ Lightning
  • 🏈 Locker Room
  • ⚽ Soccer
  • 🏐 Volleyball
  • ⛳ Golf
  • 🎬 Spotlight

Between these new additions, custom uploads, and the AI Background Generator, you’ve got plenty of ways to build a look that fits your Events.

Example: New Volleyball Backgrounds!

A closer look at one of the examples above!

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 PhotoRoster & PhotoTag Improvements

🏷️ PhotoTags carry into new PhotoRosters

  • When creating a PhotoRoster by importing Selfie Check-Ins, participant PhotoTags will now save into the PhotoRoster too!

🧹 Duplicate PhotoTag import fix

  • Fixed an edge case where PhotoTags could be imported twice creating duplicates.

✂️ Background Removal Update

  • 👥 Background Removal no longer runs on Group Photos

Group Photos are not meant to go through Background Removal! Though it can kind of work, typical team photo poses are not recommended for Background Removal (picture floating subjects who were previously sitting on a bench or bleachers).

🛍️ Retail: Duplicate Download Warning

Retail now helps prevent accidental duplicate digital purchases.

  • ⚠️ If a shopper tries to add a digital download product (or package that includes one) that already contains the same image, crop, and artwork settings as a digital image already in their cart, they’ll see a new: “You already have a Digital Download of this image in your cart” popup.
  • ➕ They can still add it anyway if they really want to!

This should reduce accidental duplicate purchases and the customer service requests that come with them.

Little improvements to make the platform better and better.

🛠️ Dashboard Fixes & Cleanup

  • 🪟 Fixed popups flickering when background data refreshed
  • 🎯 Fixed Unassigned filters/counts in edge cases involving cutouts of AI edits
  • 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Fixed Virtual Group row settings reverting to auto after deleting a subject

That’s the week!

Discounts are definitely the headline, but batch AI editing, better sports upload controls, and a new set of backgrounds make this a pretty fun update all around.

Keep creating magic,

Candy 🍬

Weekly Recap: More Virtual Group Control, New Sports Backgrounds & Better BGR Tools 🏈✨
Feature Updates
August 14, 2026

Weekly Recap: More Virtual Group Control, New Sports Backgrounds & Better BGR Tools 🏈✨

5
 minutes read
Hey photo friends! 👋

Candy here with another weekly recap! This week brings more control to Virtual Group Builder, a much better home for Event Background Removal, new Candy Image Studio exposure tools, and—yes—27 new sports background sets. 😎

Let’s jump in!

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Virtual Group Builder Additions

Ask and you shall receive... sometimes! We’ve gotten some good feedback on Virtual Group Builder, and this week several new controls are here to make layouts easier to fine-tune:

↕️ Force subjects onto different rows

  • While dragging a subject, new Add to Row buttons appear over the other rows. Drop the subject there to explicitly move them where you want instead of relying entirely on automatic placement.
  • Previously you were limited to automatically determined rows, you still have those but can now override them!

🔍 New logo size slider

  • Adjust your corner logos to be smaller or larger than the default.
  • Previously they could be considered a bit tiny, but this gives you a bit more control!

🌫️ Individual cutout fade control

  • The Subject Inspector now has its own cutout fade intensity slider, separate from the global setting, so you can fine-tune individual subjects when needed.
  • This will let you tweak the cutout fade intensity for subjects in the front row or on the sides of the virtual group, in case you're wanting a very specific look.

👥 Smarter merged-participant image selection

  • The Subject Image Picker will only show images from merged participants when they share the same name.
  • This typically does not matter, but in the case of a parent doing a Selfie Check-In of themselves and then of their child later, this will keep Virtual Groups working as expected!

Just a few additions, but very useful ones when you’re trying to get a Virtual Group looking just right!

Drag and drop subjects into other rows for more control than ever!

New options to more quickly space out your subjects!

When viewing subject details, adjust them by individual!

Control the size of your logos!

🏈 27 New Sports Background Sets

Alright, shoutout to the random guy who told me (me being Candy, in case you forgot!) that he didn’t like the backgrounds. We heard you! 😂

This week we’ve added 27 new sets of sports backgrounds, including a brand-new Sports – Locker Room background category.

And, in case you missed it, last week we also added an AI Background Generator so you can create entirely new, modern backgrounds of your own.

A quick reminder... you already have a lot of control over which backgrounds your customers actually see:

🎨 Edit the default backgrounds in your Offers

📤 Upload your own custom backgrounds at both the Offer-level and Event-level

🤖 Generate new backgrounds of your own with AI

🏈 Choose from our (now growing) collection of built-in choices

We have a TON of default backgrounds—and yes, many have been around for a while—but you’re never locked into using them. You can build your own look for your business, and we’ll keep adding new options over time too.

✂️ New Dedicated Background Removal Page

Event Background Removal now has its own dedicated Dashboard page, accessible from the Event Sidebar. It is not longer just a popup!

The BGR toggle on Event Overview will take you there too, giving all of these controls a little more breathing room.

On the new page, you can:

✅ Enable or disable Background Removal

🖼️ Manage your Event Backgrounds

🎨 See your Offer Backgrounds with a direct link to the Offer

📊 See how many cutouts have finished and how many are still processing

⏳ Watch a live progress bar while Background Removal is working

📂 See all valid Event folders and which ones are marked for Background Removal

And if your Event is a new Event: ✂️ You can mark an existing folder for Background Removal even if it already contains images!!!

🎨 Candy Image Studio: Better Exposure Fixes

🌙 New Fix Underexposure node

  • Helps recover images that came out too dark.

☀️ Fix Overexposure greatly improved

  • The existing overexposure tool has been reworked for more reliable results.

Utilize Candy Image Studio to fix images so they can sell, quickly and affordably!

🏈 Jersey Jotter Progress Tracking

New Jersey Jotter progress bar

  • When Jersey Jotter is active and still has unprocessed images, its dedicated page now shows processing progress—similar to Candy Culler and the new Background Removal page.

This makes it much easier to tell whether recognition is still working through a large Event.

🛍️ Retail Improvements

Titled Luxe Prints now work with package prefill

  • Packages can now automatically prefill eligible Titled Luxe Print products just like other supported products.

🖼️ Titled Luxe Print package rendering fixed

  • Fixed an issue where these products could render incorrectly inside packages.

🤖 AI-generated backgrounds now render correctly on products

🎨 Selected backgrounds now stay visible through the final product step

  • Fixed an issue where the chosen background could sometimes disappear on renders when reaching quantity and finish steps.

📝 Several product descriptions updated

  • Some product descriptions have been refreshed for better clarity.

🖼️ AI Edit + BGR Assignment Fix

👥 BGR versions of AI edits now keep direct participant assignments

  • If the original non-AI image was directly assigned to someone, its Background Removed AI-edited version will now correctly inherit that relationship.

📦 Order Details Fix

📝 Package captions now display correctly

  • Fixed cases where Order Details did not show caption information for certain products contained inside packages.

📱 Capture App 5.9.1 – iOS OTA

📸 Photo Booth fix for iPad

  • Fixed the Photo Booth gallery strip being cut off on certain iPad models.

That’s the week!

More Virtual Group control, a much stronger Background Removal workflow, some useful exposure tools, and plenty of fresh sports backgrounds to work with.

And if you still don’t like the backgrounds... now you’ve got plenty of ways to show us how it’s done. 😉

Keep creating magic,

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.

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