We want to see your best images that capture "Backlit" lighting for our next Critique the Community.
Between now and February 12th, you may submit up to two of your best images that depict something "Backlit". We will be selecting a total of 20 images to give feedback to and two entrants will win a free Fstoppers original tutorial. The first winner will be decided by the highest average community rated image and the second will be chosen at random. Please note that we want to see high quality pictures and will probably overlook anything that looks like a snapshot.
Once you've uploaded your submissions, we encourage you to scroll through everyone else's and give them ratings and comments of your own. Please keep feedback encouraging and helpful.
I would not take it to personal. This is a internet platform and not a jury by professionals. I saw some pretty good pictures rated very low. But I think when give it 1 star you should indeed comment why.
Agreed
Better off not entering these contests, since they are judged by other photographers that all hate each other..LOL.
:)
If you're new to this site, you'll soon learn that low ratings and angry people are a sort of specialty with this community. That is not to say that there are not tremendous teachers, photographers and creators here too, because there are. It's just the mad and angry crowd is louder, so often they get more attention. If you're able to figure out how to separate and push through the 'noise', you'll find a surprisingly generous and helpful group of people here, who personally have been very beneficial to my growth as a photographer. The ego crowd is less about their own images (in my opinion) than simply interested in rating everything low in order to see others get as angry as they feel. My advice is don't take these contests personally, look at them solely as opportunities to improve, and most importantly, have fun!
While it sucks that a photo gets one star, does it help to throw a fit that someone rated you low? I really doubt that people are rating low because they are threated. To be honest, most of our work, needs work. We are sensitive and demand "oh wow, that looks amazing!"
If someone rates you low but, you really like the photo, does it really matter? No. Get off your phone and live.
I don't think I was throwing a fit. It is aggravating for myself but my biggest "gripe" I guess is that I see AWESOME images from others that get really low ratings. I know my content needs work... I am here to learn for that reason. While I am on my "phone" trying to learn and improve my skills others are on their phone just being rude. There is always someone who has to ruin it for everyone else.
Only if you let it ruin your fun.
I just checked my profile and images that are "excellent" on there, "need work" in this contest. Lol oh well...
Yeah I see some of that as well. Its just silly.
I feel, being an amateur myself, that a constructive critique can be as good as a great score. As if anyone gets one here. Ha!
I think the only critique of the critique is that low scores deserve comments for improvement.
A lot of people commenting don't seem to realize that a 3 here means you'd be proud to put it in your portfolio. That's means it's a good photo. Right? So a two is not really that bad. But stay away from here if your ego bruises easily.
It would be good to have an 'off topic' button that we could select. If there are enough people hitting off-topic, the image is automatically removed from the contest. It would save time of any moderators and lots of comments here.
Why the effort. Just skip the photo and move on to the next. The last thing we need is that opinions lead their own life"s.
Mainly because skipping the photo is not a consistent endeavor. Too many others just rate it as a snapshot instead, even if it is an incredible image. I personally think an 'off topic' button would be highly beneficial. But that's just me.
This is a great idea.
If you, like me, are feeling very negative about the response to your photos there is something you can do. Comment on as many photos as you can and 1) compliment something that you like about their photo and 2) suggest an idea for improvement. It doesn't matter what you rate the photo, a little positivity will go a long way for that photographer.
That’s a great idea!
You did this for my photo and it was indeed greatly appreciated
Lots of great images. Some I wouldn’t call backlit tho. Good luck all. It’s always exciting to see who makes in the list
One thing that always amazes me when I've watched these videos, or now looking at submissions: I used to do 3D renderings. The goal there for years was to try to make images more photorealistic. With the post processing done on a lot of photos now, they're made to look less photoreal and more like a rendering.
It's like as artists we're competing to make each other's work.
As a former 3d artist myself (back in the day), I can not disagree with your observation. haha.
same here. started photography just to get away from my pc from time to time. was doing 3d for 15 years before this photo thing started. this way to much doge and burn and fq seperation - community hyped pictures often not only look tacky as hell they also look like renderings from the early 2000 when the renderers wasn't no yet so far
I jumped straight on that bandwagon when I started shooting a few years ago, then drastically dialled it back. I like having the ability to 'heavily' retouch (you never know when you might need it), but I try to keep it to blemishes and pimples now.
I feel like a quarter of these images are just naked hot women and the merit of the image hangs solely on these women's bodies and exploiting their sex appeal. The photography of the hot woman is mediocre if not plain poor. Where are the gratuitous picks of hot muscled men with giant sausages? Take your spank-bank pics to another forum please.
You are totally right Leslie about those naked women. They shouldn't place them all inhere. You can send them to me pk9878830.gmail.com
I love this Idea of men with giant sausages, would be a hilarious German motive
Exactly. Like I always say – the worst thing about women is that they have bodies. The sooner we stop highlighting that fact, the sooner society can focus on what's important. Men.
If your reaction to the style of nude images posted here is "hot", "sex appeal", and "spank-bank", the problem may be with your perception and not the photographers.
One of the "exploitative" submissions is mine, please be sure to vote on it according to your moral views, not on its technical merits.
I'm glad you think she's hot. She'd be happy to hear it! Although I'm not sure about the spank bank comment, at no point during shooting or editing did I feel the necessity. Sounds like you have some pent up sexual tension there Leslie!
Thank you, bunch of old men. I think women's bodies are wonderful and should be highlighted. What I object to is a total lack of artistry shown in some images here, where the subject is just nudity, without story, design, or artistry. It is lazy, shallow, and usually looks pretty boring. Just asking for ppl to think with their brains, design good imagery, and not be such overtly sexist bunch of brutes with a camera. If you take a nude, ask yourself why, what does your image convey to you and your viewer. What is the point?
Do a lot of people delete and repost??? I feel like there is a few people at least that I have seen several, 4 or more, images from?
There are usually a few but for varying reasons.
Sometimes an artist may make a minor edit to the photo and delete/repost.
Other times they delete/repost in the odds of a better "star" result; hoping the "1 start all photos but my own" people have moved on or went to bed for the evening.
Other times yet, the website itself will post the same image a few times (though there is only actually one post) be it a glitch, or trying to "balance" to number of images on display at that moment.
Very rarely, a contest will allow more then 2 entries. This happened a few contests back; but it's nearly always limited to two.
Guilty as charged... newbie here and I stupidly tried to post from my phone... ended up with wrong photos posted. Removed it soon as I saw what I had done and put up the correct ones.
The description says to submit by the 12th, so now I've lost my chance to submit because I did not look for inconsistencies. :(
Does anyone know how to rotate an image after it has been uploaded?
Thanks in advance.
Did they change the submission deadline? I thought I had read Feb 12th final day, then went to upload today and saw it was closed. Bummer, but at least I can have fun rating the other submissions!
Yes, I'm sure that it was the 13th Feb when I checked a week(ish) ago, gutted, I've been working on an image to submit and now I can't (but it did motivate me to process this one that I've been sitting on for a while).
It's funny how a lot of the actual backlit photos have very low ratings
It’s pretty funny that these professional looking “backlit” photos most likely taken by really good photographers don’t really know what a backlit photo is, unless they’re stolen off the internet
Could we please have an option to choose how many images are loaded when you click 'load more'? With so many entries, it takes far too long to go through them all because of the restriction of 25 at a time. I'd prefer to be able to grab the next 100 or more at a time so I can spin through looking for highlights. Expecting us to thoughtfully consider over 800 photos is wishful thinking ... or that just me?
I don't have fast internet by any sense of scale.. Well.. it's "okay"... That said I'd love an option for a "load all" preference setting. These thumbs load so fast as it is, hit me with all 800 or 1600, it's fine. Or at least 250 a batch?
Long-gone are the days with dialup connections and jpgs loading one line at a time. :)
Id rather have a "off topic" button. And when someone keeps submitting off topic photos, there should be a temporary ban from participating.
It would also be nice if they loaded randomly instead of by time order. The earliest submissions aren't going to get many votes if people have to go through hundreds of images to see them.
im fairly sure, some people hold on to their pics until the last second. Its a hell of a lot easier to get lets say a 3.6 vote with only 5 people voting vs getting a 3.6 over 80 people voting.
First Time i entry for a fstoppers contest. I'm Surprise by the effort of some people revoting your image to lower the ratings..
Not that I care particularly but, like I said, It surprised me
The majority of the images don't even fit the theme "Backlit". I think some people are confusing silhouette and/or shadows with backlit. At the end it's all about practice and getting know the subject better.
Hello....ello....llo.....lo....ooooo. Did another earthquake strike the Islands or something....hehe
Not sure I've ever seen a contest close where the previous contests critique video wasn't out yet. Hopefully they're alright out there in beautiful Puerto Rico!