Critique the Community: Submit Your Best Architecture Photographs Here

Critique the Community: Submit Your Best Architecture Photographs Here

In this next episode of Critique the Community, we'll be sitting down with Architectural Photographer, Mike Kelley. Mike is best known for his incredible light painting methods. In less than 5 years of owning a camera, he has gone from knowing very little about photography to shooting National Ad Campaigns for the Architecture industry. If you want Mike and us to consider your image for this episode, leave a link to your image within the community and we will give you our honest opinion.  

The internet can be a cruel and cut throat place for photographers. For some reason photographers are often extremely negative and cynical when looking at the work of their peers.  Most photographers overwhelmingly say that they would like others to "C&C" their work, yet the conversation can often times become less than inspiring and often down right depressing.  Our hope with this new segment called Critique the Community is that Lee and I can offer a fair yet encouraging commentary on some of the images found in the Fstoppers Community.

 

The Fstoppers Community Rating System

If you have an Fstoppers account, you are able to create your own profile and portfolio directly within the Fstoppers Community.  Once you have a portfolio uploaded, you can browse images in the community and rate the photos of your peers.  Even though art is usually a fairly subjective matter, we wanted to create a rating system that was as objective and unbiased as possible.  This way if one of your images has been rated 50 times and has received an average rating of 2 stars, you could feel confident that maybe that particular image is not up to par.  Below is a simple chart explaining the Fstoppers Community Rating System. 

1 Star - The Snapshot

1 Star ratings are limited to snap shots only. Snap shots are usually taken to document a time or location but little to no thought has gone into the creation of the image. If an image has been "lit" with external light (besides a direct on camera flash) it is at least a 2 star picture. The majority of 1 star images have had no post production work done to them but do often have an "instagram style" filter added to them. The average person these days snaps 1 star images every single day with their smart phones. Most 1 star images that pop up on sites like ours are images of flowers, pets, landscapes, sunsets, objects around a house, etc. If you read Fstoppers, you should not be sharing 1 star images for any reason. 

2 Stars - Needs Work:

All images, besides maybe 5 star images, always have room for improvement but 2 star images "need work" before they should be included in your portfolio. As photographers we are snapping thousands of images per year but only a few of those images should ever be shared or put into our portfolio. A photographer who has taken a 2 star image has put some thought into the composition, exposure, and post production but for some reason has missed the mark. 2 star images should not be in the portfolio of a full time professional photographer, and amateur photographers should strive for something better. Even complete amateurs who don't understand photography at all are capable of taking 2 star images from time to time. 

3 Stars - Solid:

A 3 star image is an all around good image. The photographer has a solid understanding of the basics; composition, color, focus, subject matter, and post production. A 3 star image is "good" but it's not great. Most part-time professional photographers have mostly 3 star images in their portfolios. Usually a level 3 image would have been rated 4 stars if it had been shot in a better location, or with a better model showing a better expressions, or there was better post production. A photographer capable of taking a 3 star image is capable of taking 4 and 5 star images if they would simply pay more attention to the details. 

4 Stars - Excellent:

4 star images are fantastic. In most cases, 4 star images have a certain style to them that links them directly to their creator. 4 star images usually require planning and attention to extreme detail. It's almost impossible to shoot a 4 star image by getting lucky. 4 star images have almost flawless conception, composition, lighting, subject matter, and post production. If you have any 4 star images in your portfolio you should be very proud of yourself.

5 Stars - World Class:

5 star images are flawless and unforgettable. The amount of time, energy, and talent that goes into the average 5 star image is staggering. In many cases these pictures require a team to produce including a professional retoucher. The concept, lighting, subject, location, and post production on these images has to be perfect. In some cases the jump from 4 to 5 stars may be as simple as changing the unknown model in the picture with a celebrity or bringing in a set designer or stylist to make the image slightly better. Although there are always exceptions, most 5 star images take days, if not weeks or months to produce.

 

Strengthening Your Own Portfolio

Even with our objective rating system, people are going to disagree with what they like because ultimately art is still a matter of opinion.  However, I believe once an image has been rated over 25 times it will have a rating that is pretty fair and honest (We hope to deter trolls by giving negative Karma points when a vote is more than 1 star away from the community average).  If one of your images in your own portfolio is rated lower than what you personally feel it should be rated, I'd urge you to try to look at the image from an unbiased angle.  Step back, erase your memory of the photoshoot itself, and try to imagine an art buyer, stock agency, potential client or local gallery as they decided if they wanted to invest in your services.  Would your image make the cut?

Lee and I are not the greatest photographers in the world.  There are many many genres of photography that we have not been successful in or in many cases have not even attempted in our careers.  However I believe we have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn't in terms of commercial viability.  Not every image is meant to sell or book you work, and that is okay!  Snapshots and sentimental images are great and most definitely have a purpose.  Hopefully our insight and critiques can help you decide what is and isn't worth putting in your own public portfolio.  I hope these video critiques can help you see beyond the technical and personal elements that make up an image and begin looking at your own work in a new light.    

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116 Comments

I would love to have my image critiqued in the show - https://fstoppers.com/photo/52065

Hi guys i have just uploaded 10 architecture photos to my profile, feel free to rate and comment them all, thanks:

https://fstoppers.com/profile/41732/portfolio

More: http://www.art-sanchez.com/

Here's my before and after shot. https://fstoppers.com/photo/29023
More on my website: http://drrave.com/interior

Here is my submission... https://fstoppers.com/photo/17059

Would love a critique, thank you. https://fstoppers.com/photo/52108

Here is an interior of a home in Tahoe I shot (the photo above the fireplace is also mine and mentioned in your landscape critique last time). I shot the home during the day to add some interest with the light coming through the windows.

https://fstoppers.com/photo/52595

You'll need to upload this to your portfolio and include the link to the image in order for us to be able to critique it.

This one was from my first real estate shoot! Would love some critique! - https://fstoppers.com/photo/52148

Thank you very much for your rate and comments.
https://fstoppers.com/profile/41901

You'll want to add an image to your profile so we can critique it.

Here is my shot

another shot for a hotel room

I think pictures need to be uploaded to the portfolio to be voted

You'll need to upload this to your portfolio and include the link to the image in order for us to be able to critique it.

This should be good to watch. I love these critiques that Lee and Pat have done in the past. I don't know what makes an engaging or "good" architecture image(unlike portraiture or even landscape) so I'm curious to see what Mike, etc will be using for criteria.

Here is an interior picture I've made for a shicha bar in my home town :
http://samten.fr/storage/cache/images/000/168/SamtenCommandes-10-mini,la...

You'll need to upload this to your portfolio and include the link to the image in order for us to be able to critique it.

I realize that i should, but I can't upload one more picture on my portfolio as I didn't get enough review and vote on the other pictures and I can't resolve myself to delete one :(

One of my personal Favorites

https://fstoppers.com/photo/52197

Here is my submission http://fstoppers.com/photo/52198
Kings's Palace at Meknes, Morocco

Some industrial work I was commissioned for last fall - https://fstoppers.com/photo/34895
More at my site - http://www.coldcreekstudios.com

Hi
Finally architecture - looking foreword to this.
I would love to have a critique, here is my submission:
https://fstoppers.com/photo/52210

love it

Thank you Kim

Let me know what you think!

https://fstoppers.com/photo/52265

https://fstoppers.com/photo/52255
Currently updating my architecture portfolio and this is one of my latest shots going into it. Would love to hear what you guys think

Would like to be added to the critique list please. https://fstoppers.com/photo/52266

I would welcome a comment or two on this one. Thank you so much,

https://fstoppers.com/photo/52271

Thanks in advance for the critique Mike & Fstoppers.

Some light-painting for your CC. thx.

Hi Sam, you'll need to upload this to your portfolio and include the link to the image in order for us to be able to critique it.

One of my personal favorite shots so far doing the architectural thang. Very interested in a critique.
https://fstoppers.com/photo/52288

Here's a shot I did over the summer. I had the awesome opportunity to do a shoot for a model unit for a new resort in Barbados. This was the main image they were looking to get - highlight the unit interacting with the nature and the open space concept.

This image was created with the 'Mike Kelly Technique' composited lots of light painted images. There was a little camera movement I had to deal with in post because the camera was mounted on the back of a pickup truck and lots of wind on location.

I'd love a critique from you guys and let me know what you think. I've been doing photography professionally for about 3 years now (mostly real estate listing stuff).

https://fstoppers.com/photo/52292

here's my photo, thanks! - https://fstoppers.com/photo/52322

Great work in my book!

This was the only one I shot in Europe that wasn't almost completely symmetrical so it's the one I'd love to hear your thoughts on. This is at the EU Court of Justice building in Luxembourg: https://fstoppers.com/photo/44243

University of Maryland and a Conservatory

Hi Dan, you'll need to upload this to your portfolio and include the link to the image in order for us to be able to critique it.

Here's mine. Love to know what you think.- https://fstoppers.com/photo/52338

Here's mine. Would love your thoughts

Edit: Link to portfolio: https://fstoppers.com/photo/49823

Hi Jun, you'll need to upload this to your portfolio and include the link to the image in order for us to be able to critique it.

Thank you for offering this critique! I would love to hear any feedback.

Hi Alexander, you'll need to upload this to your portfolio and include the link to the image in order for us to be able to critique it.

I would also love to have you critique some of my work. Uploaded several images here: https://fstoppers.com/profile/6757/portfolio

Thank you!

This image is typical of what I am delivering to my real estate agent clients. Most of my work includes at least one flashed layer and one ambient layer hand blended in PS. Thanks Mike.

Hi Craig, you'll need to upload this image to your portfolio before we can consider it! Please leave a link to the image within your Fstoppers Portfolio.

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