HomeNavigation arrowBlogNavigation arrow
Current page
GradPics

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

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

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!

Related articles

How One Night Led to $15,000 in Social Photography Sales
Success Stories
December 12, 2022

How One Night Led to $15,000 in Social Photography Sales

9
 minutes read

Amy Lombardo, and her photography group recently sent several photographers to a military ball and at the time of writing this article, had over $15,000 in sales! To accomplish this, Amy used Now Candid’s Party Pics Now program & Tap A Face workflow with 4 photographers at the event. Several of these photographers worked photo stations with backdrops Amy provided (gray backgrounds with flags bordering the background) while other photographers roamed the party taking posed photos of the guests.

$15,000 is a lot of sales for one social event already, but it is especially impressive when you consider the fact that this was Amy’s first Now Candid event.

Amy Lombardo had this advice for those considering using Now Candid for their next event: “Keep it simple and trust the process. … When planning my first Now Candid event, I was advised to not overcomplicate things and to not get hung up on some of the more minor details. Following through with how the system is intended to work turned out very well for us!”

Thanks for trusting the process Amy! We wish you many successful events to come. To see Amy’s entire video testimonial, click the play button below.

Scanner Identification Now Available in Our Microsoft Store App
Feature Updates
December 1, 2022

Scanner Identification Now Available in Our Microsoft Store App

7
 minutes read

We have a new update now available for the Now Candid Microsoft Store App! This update has several quality of life changes and logging improvements, but the main change is that Scanner Identification has finally been implemented!

 

Scanner Identification is a system that positively IDs images to your customers using, as the name implies, a scanner to scan a customer’s QR card.

 

When setting up your event you can generate these QR cards (more on that later) that your customers can scan with their phone to input their contact information. From there, the info & QR code are linked. Any time a QR code is scanned by the photographer that starts a session, and all subsequent photos taken will be matched to that contact info until another QR code is scanned.

 

At this time, Scanner Identification will only be usable with Sports Pics Now and Portraits Now. During event creation, when one of those two programs have been selected, you’ll choose either the “Tap A Face & Selfie Registration” option, or the “Scanner Identification” option. Once Scanner Identification has been selected and the event created, you’ll be able to input how many QR cards you need and a PDF will be generated with that many cards.

 

You’ll want to print out the PDF on perforated paper such as this 4 up card paper found on Amazon to more easily distribute cards without manually cutting all the paper.

 

The Scanner Identification workflow does require an LTE tablet! It’s required both as a device to connect your scanner to and as a way to upload your images live at the event so that guests can have links to buy their images moments after their session ends! Since facial recognition is not being used, galleries will be sent even more quickly and with 100% of the images taken during the session.

 

If you happen to have a very poor internet connection at your event, bringing the tablet and camera to a location with a strong internet connection after the event will send up all the images at that time! Paired to the data you scanned with it at the time of taking the image.

How Bruce H. Used GradPics Now to Increase Sales
Success Stories
April 21, 2022

How Bruce H. Used GradPics Now to Increase Sales

3
 minutes read
Bruce Heflin utilized Now Candid’s Grad Pics Now, with Selfie Check-In at a recent graduation, so far racking up roughly $2600 in total sales in less than two weeks.

Heflin had covered this Nursing College’s graduation in previous years, generating roughly $200 in sales each year. The sales had been so dismal the administrator would provide gas money to keep Bruce coming back. This year was a different story, Heflin has managed to increase his sales by roughly 1200% with the help of Grad Pics Now’s Selfie Check-In Workflow & automated marketing campaigns.

Here's How He Did It:

1. Used Selfie Check-In to collect correct & current contact data

2. Sent automated marketing messages during the event

3. Bruce had about $200 in sales by the time he reached home an hour or so after the event (he didn't have to go back to the office!)

4. He used a mix of GPN Price Levels 1 & 3

5. He had a total profit margin of roughly 75% across the College’s ceremonies after accounting for the 85% margin for digital downloads.

6. We’re excited to see people discovering the effectiveness of Now Candid’s systems in action when executed properly with quality photography!

We recently caught up with Bruce to get a better idea of how he started incorporating Now Candid's tools into his existing photography business. Watch the video below to hear from Bruce.

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