Rules & Prizes

Welcome to the April Critique the Community!  This month's theme is "Emotion" and can be interpreted however you see fit. 

Rules 

  1. Each photographer may submit up to three images. 
  2. This month's contest features a pretty broad theme, therefore any type of photograph is acceptable. When thinking about "emotion," make sure your photo clearly gives the viewer a strong feeling, mood, or experience. 
  3. 10 Images will be chosen by Lee and Patrick for the video critique. 
  4. Finally, every image submitted MUST HAVE some written commentary on how the image was created, what gear was used, and some of the challenges you faced when capturing the image. Any photo with a single sentence description will not be included. 

Prizes

First, Second, and Third Place - This month the top 3 images will receive their choice of any Fstoppers photography tutorial found in the Fstoppers Store. Our elaborate and exhaustive photography tutorials not only help photographers immediately start taking professional quality images, but most of our tutorials also share business and marketing techniques that can help make photography a full time income. With genres like Headshots, Landscapes, Architecture and Real Estate, Fashion, Macro, and Product Photography, there is something for every photographer no matter what genre you specialize in. This prize is valued at $299. 

Promotional graphic advertising 50% off discount with code CTC50 at checkout, valid this month only.

BONUS SPRING OFFER


This month we are offering you, our valued community members, the largest single sale on EVERY Photography Tutorial in the Fstoppers Store

From now until the end of the month, you can use the discount code "CTC50" and save 50% on anything in your cart.  We are only offering this sales here to our most loyal Critique the Community members as a thank you for all the support you've given us over the years and for participating each month in these photo contests.  



Good luck to everyone who enters and we look forward to seeing your best "Emotional" photographs!

Thu, 04/30/2026 - 20:00

New submissions are closed.

137 people have cast a total of 2,956 votes on 334 entries from 183 participants

Winners have not yet been announced.

18 Comments

I can't wait to see all the Street Photography in this contest, as that genre is all about capturing emotion and stories. C'mon, street photographers, let's see your stuff!

Strange to see people voting higher for the same photos via in my image library than in the contest. I receive an average of 3.5 stars via my image library and 2.5 stars in the contest...

That's tactical voting for you. I suppose if people down vote the "competition" they think their photo will do better whilst not realising, of course, others are doing the same to them. Me, I give everybody * (just joking).

That may be true for some, but that just goes to show how shallow some may be.
I typically vote 3 or above for those that work well for me, 1 only in extreme cases where the lack of effort is obvious.

Contest Submissions

Click on the thumbnails below to comment and rate each image.

Click here to learn about the Fstoppers rating system and what each star value means.