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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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Weekly Recap: Even Stronger Image Privacy & UI Polish 🔒🧰
Feature Updates
October 24, 2025

Weekly Recap: Even Stronger Image Privacy & UI Polish 🔒🧰

5
 minutes read
Hey photo friends! 👋


This week we further tightened subject image provacy, and freshened up the UI across Dashboard and Retail.

Here’s what’s new:

📋 Dashboard

  • 🏷️ Clearer overlay labels: Event List & Event Details now show Banner or Full Frame thumbnails instead of a generic “graphic overlay” text label only.
  • 🧩 Overlay importer: Now a tidy 2-column layout instead of one at a time, to more quickly let you seek out a specific event's overlays to reuse.
  • 📥 Participant download sheet (big data friendly): Handles very large folder/frame totals without breaking.
  • 🧭 Smarter participant pic choice: If a participant was merged from multiple sources, the sheet now prioritizes the non–Roster record for their participant pic (instead of the silhouette).
  • 🖼️ Retail cover editor: See a preview of the cover photo on retail before saving (not just after).
  • 🔔 Auto-resume marketing alerts: If marketing has been paused too long, you’ll get an inbox + push when it auto-resumes (first Friday after 20 days).
  • 👤 Participant Details upgrades:
    • 🖼️ Higher-res non-BGR images & backgrounds
    • 💡 Lightbox UI and previews that match Manage Images
    • 🟠🟥🟩 Thicker status borders + bold assignment text
  • 🏷️ PhotoTags popup: New All / Assigned / Unassigned tabs for faster tagging.
  • 🧾 Merged participant awareness:
    • Order counts on Participant Details and Participant List now include merged participants
    • Marketing count shows which contact info each message went to
  • Performance wins:
    • Participant List scales better with hundreds or thousands of people
    • PhotoRosters FaceGroup list is snappier with large rosters
  • 🪟 Updated popups: Smoother UI with animated width/height changes.

🛍️ Retail

  • 🖥️ Small desktop fix: Layout issues resolved for some compact screens.
  • 🛡️ Harder to lift images: Retail page changes to defeat "allow right click" browser extensions to continue to try and protect images & privacy.

🔒 Image Privacy & Other Fixes

  • 🔒 Enhanced privacy on retail: Images are now even safer from link guessing or misuse while the experience stays the same.
  • Fewer auth requests: Both Dashboard and Retail make fewer calls when refocusing windows, resulting in improved performance!
  • 🧩 Private Download Gallery: BGR cutouts/backgrounds load correctly again.
  • 🔎 Search released images: Now supports BGR and hides not-visible images.
  • Clearer “active” events: Event List now shows “Live on Capture App” to indicate capture-ready status, as opposed to "Active" which caused confusion related to Face Matching.

That’s the scoop! 💫

Less friction, clearer signals, and stronger protection—so you can spend more time shooting and selling.

Keep being amazing,
Candy 🍬

Weekly Recap: Sharper Images, A New Workflow & Capture App 4.20.10 📸✨
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Weekly Recap: Sharper Images, A New Workflow & Capture App 4.20.10 📸✨

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Hey photo friends!

This week’s updates are focused on clarity, quality, and efficiency—from sharper image previews across the board to a brand-new Face Matching Workflow, Roster Check-In.

Let’s take a look! 👀

🏅 New Workflow: Roster Check-In™

Made for sports and other rostered shoots when you want Face Matching™ + a roster in one workflow.

How it works:

1. Upload a roster to the Event (via the Dashboard, under your Event's Participants & Contacts page)

2. In the Capture & Upload app, log into your Event and choose Roster Check-In™ as your shooting mode

3. Pick a name from the roster (or add one via Type & Take)

4. Take a quick reference photo (using the device's camera or a tethered camera)

Done! Future image uploads, from the Capture & Upload app or from the Dashboard, will automatically match to that person and market them their new gallery.

Note: Requires Capture & Upload App 4.20.10

📋 Dashboard

  • 🏷️ PhotoTags on Tap-A-Face: You can now set PhotoTags when creating a participant via the manual Tap-A-Face available on the Image Details page
  • 🖼️ Higher-resolution images across key pages, including:
    • Manual Assign Images page
    • Image Release Gallery
  • 🎨 Overlay importer now shows full-frame previews (previously only banners)

🛍️ Retail Site

  • 🧖 Confirmation popup when adding Retouch items to the cart—provides extra info to the subjects about the retouching process
  • 😊 Face Finder now shows higher-resolution previews for better clarity

🔒 Private Image Download Galleries

  • 🖼️ Higher-res image previews for a sharper, more polished experience

📱 iOS Capture App 4.20.10 (coming Oct 10–13)

  • 👥 New Workflow: Roster Check-In™ — streamline your workflow by checking in subjects directly using a roster and the Capture & Upload App
  • 💬 UI updates:
    • Most error popups replaced with native dialogs for cleaner alerts
    • Login popup stays open on invalid login (no more accidental closures)
  • Performance boosts everywhere:
    • Less memory usage for uploads
    • Faster image details popups and Name Lookup lists
    • Better performance for image previews across the shooting page, film strip, image gallery, and FM Roster Check-In

🧩 Smaller Fixes & Improvements

  • 📸 Faster image loading:
    • Participant list and event overview now use smaller thumbnails
    • PhotoRoster™ Selfie Check-In™ imports now load quicker
  • 🗂️ BGR folder fixes: Group status button behavior corrected for edit folder popups
  • 📍 Tap locations on Image Details page now align correctly
  • 🖼️ Higher-res thumbnails on Manage Images (even in the smaller grid view)
  • 💌 Email-only participants now receive new image alerts after placing an order
  • 🧠 Watermark improvement: Retail site static watermarking now shows the word “Copyright” instead of your business name — this helps prevent AI tools from removing it as platforms are adding copyright-protection safeguards

That’s everything for this week! 💫

From sharper previews to smarter check-ins, these updates make every step of your workflow a little smoother (and crisper!).

Keep being amazing,
Candy 🍬

Turning Shipping Into a Smart Strategy with NowCandid™
NowCandid 101
October 6, 2025

Turning Shipping Into a Smart Strategy with NowCandid™

5
 minutes read

Shipping isn’t just about getting products into your customers’ hands—it’s a vital part of your business strategy. With NowCandid™, photographers gain control and flexibility to make shipping not just efficient, but profitable and professional.

Let’s explore how shipping can work harder for your business.

1. Flexible Shipping That Fits Your Business

Every photography business is different—and so are its logistics needs. With NowCandid™, you’re in control. You can set your shipping prices on a scale that fits your market, giving you the freedom to align costs with your audience, region, and event type.

Want to keep things straightforward? Match your lab’s costs and pass them directly to customers.


Need to account for higher packaging or handling expenses? Adjust your pricing accordingly.

This flexibility ensures you can stay competitive, protect your margins, and offer customers transparent, fair pricing—without the guesswork or hidden fees.

2. Shipping as a Profit Center

Instead of treating shipping as a pass-through expense, many photographers use NowCandid to turn it into a profit opportunity.

By setting shipping rates slightly higher than lab cost, you can generate additional income per order—a small margin that adds up quickly across dozens or hundreds of orders.

You’re already capturing the moments, managing the orders, and providing the customer experience. Why not let shipping work for you, too?

A few dollars added to each order’s shipping fee can translate into a reliable, consistent revenue stream—helping you grow your bottom line without extra work.

3. Shipping as a Customer Experience Tool

Shipping is more than a logistical step—it’s often the final impression your business makes. With NowCandid, every order is handled through a professional, automated process that builds trust and satisfaction.

✅ Orders are processed with consistent timelines.


✅ Taxes are automatically calculated and remitted as part of NowCandid’s marketplace facilitator model.


✅ Communication is streamlined and branded under your business name.

This creates a professional, polished experience that parents, schools, and organizations love. It’s not just about the product they receive—it’s about the confidence that it will arrive smoothly and on time.

Why It Matters

Traditional photographers often see shipping as an unavoidable expense. NowCandid helps reframe it as a strategic lever—a small but powerful part of your business model that can:

  • Protect your profit margins through scalable rate control.
  • Enhance customer trust with clear, reliable fulfillment.
  • Boost your professional reputation through smooth delivery experiences.

With full control and transparency, you can adjust your shipping strategy any time based on season, event type, or customer feedback.

Final Thoughts

At NowCandid™, our goal is to help photographers build stronger, more profitable businesses—with smart tools that work behind the scenes.

By managing shipping strategically—not just as a necessity but as part of your customer and revenue plan—you can deliver a better experience, strengthen your brand, and keep more of what you earn.

 

👉 Ready to put your shipping strategy to work? Create your free account today and see how NowCandid helps you ship smarter.

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

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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.

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