We want to see your best images of plants or flowers for our next Critique the Community.
Between now and December 4th, we invite you to submit up to two of your best images of foliage. 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.
it's easy, look for composition and lighting LOL
which is why im sure i thought it might be artistic choice but when i saw no comment in the caption for an explanation and when i saw none, assumed it was novice error. but i keep getting 2 s on my entry, and id love to hear what is so horrible about my shot that its not portfolio worthy lol-ot was licensed at great expense for a 9x8 wall print at a tech business and is one of my best selling rpints so im not worried about it’s quality—but id also love insight as to why people have given it 2 s and 1s when i discuss the planning, lighting and step ladder it took to make the shot happen :)
If it makes you feel better, mine is a composite of 5 images to ensure it's sharp from front to back, and to ensure both the bright sky and dark foreground are perfectly exposed, and it’s at a 1.96, last I checked.
Regardless of the image submitted, ratings between a 2-2.6 are par for the course in the competitions.
Jordan, I keep seeing you complaining about your 1.9 rating and repeating that is a 5 images composition ecc.. Sorry man but you should be more self critical and think that your image even if it took hours and a lot of experience to be made is just not that interesting. ;-)
You've missed the point of my argument. A photo stacked image, by definition of the rating system, cannot be a 1. I'm simply pointing out that a number of ratings here are disingenuous and are not to be taken as gospel.
I have understand what you mean, but if the perception is a "snapshot" that is what it get. I give it a 2. In the other hands I love the colors and composition of your second one and give it a 4. Maybe is less "technical" than your 1st image but is more pleasing.
This is why I think it's important for Lee and Patrick to change the system so that any "needs work" level rating is forced to input a comment before the rating will stick.
He said and posted two pictures... 😂
I have a question about the voting, if I participate at the start of the contest and imagine that out of the 50 votes that my photo had I got a total score of 2.90, and there is another participant who participates at the end of the contest and has 1 vote of four stars, will this other participant with only one vote stand in front of me because in the end it totaled a score of 4.00?
Theoretically, yes. But I never saw that happen.
I thought that too. With 50- 2 star votes, I'll never get out of that hole.
I think the 1 star rating people are at it again, unfortunately. My image was rated a lot lower than I would have guessed and I've noticed other great images with low ratings too. I am willing to accept an honest rating, but I keep seeing evidence that some people are maliciously lowering ratings.
Here's a suggestion. Make an effort to leave specific comments on images which deserve an honest compliment. I tend to trust comments more than ratings because the ones who would deliberately undermine a photo rarely have the energy to type something at all.
Here's another idea. The Fstoppers team could select eligible voters on this site through a verification process. Only the verified voters would be allowed to submit ratings.
If anyone has similar thoughts, I would love to hear it.
I think that would be a good idea.. but it would be hard to verify voters.. maybe if they should make it so that if someone votes 1-2 stars they have to leave a comment otherwise it dosent count
When will the segment be aired on YouTube?
Usually a few days after the close of submissions.
Wish people would comment more so I can work to get better instead of voting so low and not giving helpful criticism
I am completely brand new to the community and saw the last of CTC and wanted to try myself at it but after this experience of horrible ratings and no explanation of why I don't think I will be doing it again. And after learning how broken the rating system is I don't think I can really trust what rating I am getting from everyone.
well, you can always find someone who has a portfolio you admire and ask if they can give you some cc?
I'm pretty new here myself and felt that same disheartening feeling. Then I realized the star system is not only not linear, but people have their own interpretation of the system, ignore the system and twist the system (example of giving a very low score for being off theme, which is outside the guidelines of the system as far as I know). I then noticed that 3 stars is "solid" but in contests anything over a 2.5 is the same "solid"... so all ranks are pushed back a half a star.
That all said, I've been spending some time in the groups and the community is fairly nice and helpful and people are more opt to give feedback if asked for a CC.
What rating would you give your photos? I think the rating is pretty accurate between snapshot and needs work. To me they both have a strange aspect ratio and composition. The black and white image lacks contrast and just seems flat. The color image is better but the whites on the flowers are blown out and lacking detail. Don't be discouraged, I have never had a 3 star rating in one of these CTCs. Just keep working at it.
Hello to all! I have been following Fstoppers for quite a while and this contest is the first one that I have submitted two entries in. I have been inspired by many of the posted images and admire the effort that it takes to create a creative and interesting image. To be included in a venue where I can at least show some of my images is a pleasure as other photo sites have mostly disappeared and most because of in-fighting and very sensitive egos that have been broken. Art is very subjective so there will be all types of responses to a submission. It's like everybody is entitled to a different opinion. I do not expect to be the winner but I enjoy being a participant and to have the pleasure of sharing and posting along with others. Please shoot to please yourself first and not for someone else to rave over. I have many prints hanging on our walls,( my wife loves everything so I'm lucky), I've sold a few also, that's a bonus. I try to enjoy this art form and will continue .
For those who are always upset with a lower star rating, perhaps there should be a special gold crown for just being a participant. Life is to short to be upset easily. Please excuse my rambling today.
Well said, Orv :-)
What is the etiquette on submitting more than one photo?
Usually, participants are allowed to upload up to two photographs.
Thanks.
I'm curious, are most people reviewing the images on desktop computers or on phones and tablets. I think that would influence the perception of the images.
I only use a laptop for this.
I only use a phone
desktop
https://fstoppers.com/entry/434905 VOTE!
:D
Everyone can see the posted photos and vote on them. Don't think it merits a separate 'announcement' comment. IMO.
oh, ok sry
I have been a fan of Fstoppers for awhile now. I love the critique the community. I learn so much from hearing what others think about an image. I have also learned that if I take a minute or two to provide input on an image that someone else has created I learn because I have to think about the way it was shot or edited.
I don't understand how someone can give a one or two star review without some kind of feedback. We are a community of photographers that should try to help lift each other up not beat each other down.
Thanks for listening, rant over.
Because some simply drop stars without any thought on critique or quality being considered. Several have admitted in these comments that they put 1 star because they don't like a photo or consider it out of topic. That isn't quality criticism. I see photos all the time I don't like personally but know they were well done and are portfolio worthy. I see a strong difference between my "don't like" and "good job all the same". Further, as we've heard many times, 1 star means snapshot, no planning, no composition, no lighting, and yet I've seen it thrown at my photos, other photos, when I know they weren't "snapshots"
All that does is turn this into a pathetic popularity contest and people submitting photos need to take that into account when they put up great photos and get told they're only worthy of 2 stars. We haven't seen the "community" give anyone above 4 stars in a long time. Top notch photos are being given 3 stars which changes the rating scale from 1-5 to 1-3.
100% agree. When the highest rated image is a 3.4 then getting a 2 is actually pretty high up.
i think its fair to low rate an image when its obviously off theme 😳 say they say flowers and its a shot of just a beetle, no flowers no background?
Did that happen?
happening right now in this current contest 🥺🥺
its the only shot in my portfolio if you want an easy way to view it for yourself 😳
yup, i feel that, unless it is completely obviously a snapshot...my sinflower barn has recieved a lot of 2s even a 1 (watching my averages change tells me) and in the caption i talk about the planning, loghts and even stepladders i had to use go get this capture—so obviously not a snapshot—yet noooo feedback
I’ve been here for over a year now, and I have mixed opinions on the system. On the one hand, we can yell at Fstoppers to “fix” it, but on the other hand, it’s also the users that are the problem. I mean, it’s a bad idea to have a contest where the contestants themselves vote against the competition, but in a vacuum, it could work if everyone is honest. But a lot of people aren’t honest because there’s no inventive to be. It’s a kind of vicious cycle. As I’ve mentioned in a previous comment, it’s gotten to the point where Reddit is a better source of honest feedback (yikes) thanks to their bots and moderation. Also, like it or not “karma” points are an incentive. Perhaps some sort of “reputation” system would work here, but those are also easy to abuse.
I’ve seen, and have made, tons of suggestions that would “fix” the system, but at the end of the day nothing is perfect as soon as people are given agency. Personally, I have no interest in the community score or the tutorial, I’m more interested in hearing other people’s take on the images I’ve added, regardless of if I agree with it or not.
At the end of the day, all we can do is try our best on an individual level. I personally haven’t given much feedback to anyone, yet, because I put time and thought into my criticism and I haven’t had a lot of time to dig though the over 600 submissions to comment on the pictures I see promise in. I’ll try my best to at least get to some of the people asking for feedback in the comments.
the next CTC has to be Christmas, surely :)
Anyone know when they record the show?
usualy like 3-4 days after the submissions close..I..think. so maybe today or tomorrow
Damn, too late
Would still appreciate feedback
It's soft focus on purpose
https://fstoppers.com/photo/435785
dear people, i noticed that the community is pretty harsh in votings, its ok i understand the cravings for quality, the differentiation between very good and very bad is certainly noticeable. still i would suggest if you already rate an image and you are giving it a very low rating, then pls be so fair and spend a bit more time in giving constructive criticism. i am not seeing it as a popularity contest but as a place to share good images AND good info.
Love how this time arund the amount of comments is huge comparing to the past critiques :)
I have tried to make a comment on any photos I have given low scores to as well as any photos that I love!