Our next Critique the Community will feature your best shots with long shutter times. What cool effects have you created with long exposure?
Between now and November 11th at 11:45PM EST, you have the opportunity to submit up to two of your best long exposure images. This means your shutter had to have remained open for more than one second, preferably longer. We will choose a total of 20 images to provide feedback to and two lucky entrants will win a free Fstoppers original tutorial. The first will be chosen based on the highest community rated image and the second will be chosen randomly.
Once you've uploaded your photos, scroll through the other entries and provide ratings and feedback of your own using the Fstoppers rating scale below. The easiest way to assign ratings is by using the number and arrow keys on your keyboard. If you see an area where an image could be improved, kindly pass along some advice to your fellow community member.
I mean Patrick Hall already told you why your images are 2's and you still insist that they're award winning. You're only going to improve if you take a hard look at your own photos and question why they're being rated low. Going to other sites where everything is a big circlejerk of people trying to get followers isn't going to help you improve.
The lighting in your car photo is strange. You can see the uneven catch light lines in both cars and there are blown out areas on the cars. The lights in the background look sloppy and should be cloned out. The lighting on the ground surrounding both cars is uneven and has hot patches. Take a look at some professional automotive photos and see where you can improve, because you certainly can.
Your logic is flawed because there are plenty of high rated shots, so did the "trolls" just forget to downvote those ones?
I have done automotive lightpainting thank you. The proper way to do it is by doing multiple shots and blending them in post. That way you can get good lighting without catch lights on each area of the car you want to be lit.
The lights in the back are overexposed and take your eye away from the cars. If they were properly exposed then they'd be fine where they are I guess.
You're getting very defensive over some advice that you should listen to if you want to improve your automotive photography. Or you can just keep complaining about your 2 ratings. Up to you.
This is an anonymous account because people like you would undoubtedly revenge vote me for critiquing your photos. The photo I submitted on my real account is in the mid 3's in this contest. I use this account to respond to people like you. Was Patrick Hall "trolling" when he critiqued your photos? Honestly, you should be happy he did that, not everyone gets that.
Tell me what I said that was incorrect if you think I'm trolling? Was I wrong that professional automotive photographers use multiple shots to light paint their cars? Look up any tutorial on the internet for lightpainting and it will back up what I'm saying.
You're just the classic case in every one of these contests of submitting photos that need improvement and then crying that they're getting poor ratings and calling everyone trolls. Instead try listening to the people around you, might actually improve that way.
Again, you're just shouting troll because you have nothing else to say. You can't refute any of my points. Please explain how I am trolling. I gave you reasons why your images are 2's but instead of listening or approaching this with a rational mindset you just lashed out because you can't deal with criticism. Maybe you should stick to viewbug, since professional advice isn't for you.
Being anonymous doesn't negate anything I've said, whether you want it to or not.
Curiosity question - what awards did these images win?
Asking the real questions here...I’d be curious to know too
it was posted in an earlier comment. It's through viewbug. A photo-contest website. With contest wins in a "creative lighting contest" (light painting) and a "roadking" (assuming car only?) contest. And finalist positions in other car related contests.
Either way, from what I can tell, the contests in which the awards were given seem to have been very specifically related to cars, light painting and automotive images.
Here, the images are competing against an entire genre of photography, filled with milky ways, stars, thunder, waterfalls, waves, camera trickery, light painting, etc, etc. It's a far wider spread of images. It's not impossible for an image to do well in a specific category with a genre, but might fall short looking at the wider genre.
Also, I had a look at the website, seemed interesting, so, had a look at what reviews had to say on the website itself. So far, shows some weird stuff. Lacking transparency in the contests, being quite "like for like" heavy regarding the results and awards, and not actually judged by a panel. + the amount your photo's get seen by others (and voted on) seems to be helped with a premium membership and your activity on the website by awarding and voting others.
No one said you made up the awards, they said they were curious as to what awards they were.
I was excited to see his photo after all this hype, but it seems he removed it out of spite?
They're still there, just hover your mouse on the little image icon under his profile picture. Prepare yourself for award winning images.
I might be the only one but to be honest I think I'm getting slightly higher votes than I expected in here
The milky way guarantees you an average of 3 and above
You are not the only one! I think my shot is lower 2. But community gave me almost 3 so far, which is mind blowing! At first it was even around 3.5!
Funny, the image I submitted has a 3.97 on my profile and like a 2.5 on the challenge.
I agree that there are a lot of good images here and I think I only voted one image 1 star. Long exposure is a pretty advanced way of shooting compared to just taking a shot And I think most people here did very well. I rated quite a few 3 and a select few 4, but no 5s. I’m kinda bummed that mine isn’t sitting over 3. I think it fits this theme better than the last “Moody” theme that I had over a 3 rating. With that being said, I’m really looking forward to seeing this episode.
i think my picture got that 1 star. LOL :)
No. Wasn’t yours.
thank god!! :)
I think i might make the cut with my photo
Lee has stated in a past video his dislike for lightpainting like that so maybe they'll put it in to bug him
I'm new here, curious to see how this contest goes..
It would be awesome if a 2/"needs work" vote had a prompt or drop down menu for the voter to indicate what they believe needs work (composition, post-processing, subject matter, etc. . .). Would make it easier for people to provide feedback without typing a message for each image. New here, so not sure if this has already been suggested or not. Just my two cents.
I very much agree with this idea. If a image is rated 2 stars as in 'needs work', the person rating propably has something in mind already about what needs to be done so the image would be better.
I like this idea a lot.
Hey FSTOPPERS, Maybe on one if these CTCs you could have guest judges that know nothing about photography and judge the images based on a client or consumer perspective. I'd find value in their opinions in addition to the opinions of fellow photographers. After all thats the target audience for most of our photography right?
Didn't Lee's mum do one?
She did! And whilst on alot of images they had similar opinions there was a few where they had very different ratings and opinions and it was really interesting to hear her reviews.
Yeah that was a good one. Not exactly what I had in mind tho. I was thinking more of people that have no understanding of the technical skills or composition rules, just to see what they would consider a 3, 4 or 5 star image. You have an awesome portfolio by the way!
Thanks!
Maybe an IG influencer? That might be an interesting critique.
Yea, thats certainly an alternate opinion that would be worth hearing.I am interested in hearing the feedback from the people who would be buying or using an image rather than taking an image.
Love looking at everyone's long exposures. I feel like if i get a 2.5 on this category, it'll feel like 5 stars to me.
what about doing a "details" contest? gettingall the fine details of certain things such as cars, people, buildings etc.
Me : "I'll submit, then check out and rate a few photos to see what other people are up to."
- 3 hours later-
"Please, somebody help!
I can't stop!"
How do the community (and Lee and Patrick) feel about entering an image into this critique that is a 30 second base exposure with a couple waves composited in from a shorter exposure (.6 seconds)? I know I'm late to the game here, and there might not be enough time to get an "official" ruling of sorts, but wanted to float the question out there. I'll create corresponding posts in the Long Exposure and Landscape and Nature groups if anyone is curious to see the choices before rendering a judgement.
100% enter them, i love them. Wether it is blend of two exposures it's still classed as a long exposure shot! They look great
Thanks Ryan, glad you like them! I'm definitely submitting one of them. I don't usually do composites, but this situation seemed like a good application since I wanted to get a bit of a surreal ethereal look in the water and pull out the light streaks coming through, while also conveying the power of the surf crashing around me.
I did 160 seconds in day light....heheheh
Only 160s....
Everyone is rating these simple long exposure photos very high cause they don't understand just because the water is blurred does not make it a good shot.
Ok, this deliberate down-rating is definitely a thing, I submitted an image and almost immediately got 1 star, and the same rating was given to adjacent images in the stream. I'm fine to get an honest and brutal feedback, but this is outrageous.
De-anonymisation might help, also the rating system might be changed so that it strips off one lowest and one highest vote, like it's done sometimes in international sports competitions.
I think the best medicine is to be active and take part in the discussions about the members' submissions with constructive and encouraging feedback. Then we get to know you better and know that your advice really works.
A few months ago I got two stars for a photograph that has been published by National Geographic. So it can't be that bad. The criticism here helped me on the other hand to rethink and look for new methods to be better.
As for your pictures, I voted for them. One of your pictures got from me four stars, a five would it have been if it had told a stronger story.
Best regards from me here in Finland.
There are two common requests in the extensive commentary in every contest and they have shown up here as well: remove the anonymity and fix the scale.
Here are some basic suggestions:
1) Remove anonymity and stop protecting poor behavior.
2) Hold off voting until submissions are closed.
3) Use a ranking scale.
The current scale itself is an issue because the levels are categories not rankings. Rankings would be something more like:
1 - off topic
2 - bottom 30%
3 - middle 30%
4 - above average 30%
5 - top 10%
6 - winner
4) Put a checkbox at the bottom of the rating description and make people acknowledge reading it prior to voting. Will this control unethical voting? No. However, a VAST majority of comments in these contest threads indicate that voters are subjectively applying criteria rather than using the scale.
Will any of this change voters' motivation? No. However, it will better align honest voters.
And doing something - anything - will let the user group know the site owners care. There's nothing wrong with tweaking a system based on feedback!
Solid suggestions.
Holding off voting would take too long and the more the recent photos would get way more votes due to the amount of submissions, people won't scroll to the bottom. Its better that people continue voting as images are being submitted. Perhaps hold the voting open a little while after submissions are closed so that the recent ones get similar amount of votes.
The scale is fine. No scale is perfect but it's pretty clear to anyone with experience what belongs and doesn't belong in a portfolio. Any rating is subjective, and this contest is no different.
Votes should continue to be anonymous. People will target vote based on them receiving bad ratings. Votes are not anonymous if you receive a 4 or 5 because they know anything lower could result biased voting.
How about a suggestion? You use a fake profile to comment because you feel you have to in the current scenerio. How would you change it?
I gave a suggestion to leave the voting open for a short time after the submissions are closed but I don't think all voting should be done after.
I know your heart is in the right place and you're trying to make this community better but I disagree with some of your suggestions which I explained in my last comment.
I think there will always be people (most likely the same ones) complaining no matter what changes are done. I don't think there are any changes that can be made that would change me from replying to the cry babies anonymously.
Deleted, didn’t mean to reply to yours, will repost.
Nice to see someone with a few constructive options to the current system. Not just the common complains. :)
Personally I would love a checkbox saying "off-topic". Right now I am forced to rate photos (or not rating them at all) which has nothing to do with the theme. If i.e. 10 people would check the "off-topic" box, then it is removed until reviewed by an admin.
If you put 1 or 2 stars (which we all do from time to time). I would love if the community are forced to write a comment in addition to the rating. Not only are trolls removed but the idea of improving as a photographer would be much more present than it is today. We are after all here to get better!
My recommendation would be to use the current rating system. Though, have the list present. It reminds people of what is stands for:
1* / Snapshot (+ Comment)
2* / Need work (+ Comment)
3* / Solid
4* / Excellent
5* / World class
Lastly. With the system as it is today one can be very strategic about when to submit their photo. The timeframe would need to be looked over. Instead of having a week to send in the submission do, i.e., something like this:
- 4 days of to submit your work. No voting during this time.
- 3 days casing one's votes.
- Have a randomised order for each and every one going through the submissions.
The result would probably be that fewer people leave a 1 or 2. But more people would get feedback how to improve. Since the order of the photos are at random, no advantage is given a person adding the photos on the first or the last second.
Excellent ideas!