Critique the Community
Submit Your Most Unique Photo
Congratulations to the winners!
Congratulations to the lucky 20 images chosen for this Critique the Community, and congrats to the top rated image by Thomas Wohl. This week's random winning submission goes to Mike James. Please contact Lee Morris to claim your free tutorial from the Fstoppers Store.
If you want to submit to our next Critique the Community, you can post your best "action" photos here: https://fstoppers.com/critique-community/submit-your-best-action-photo Make sure your enter your photos by January 24th at 11pm Eastern Time for your chance to make the next episode!
Rules & Prizes
We've all taken a photo of a pet, a landscape, a flower, or a girl walking on train tracks. We don't want to see any of that, unless of course you've figured out a way to do one of these cliche shots in a different way. We want to see something unique. Maybe you came up with a really unique concept, photographed a totally different subject, or used some sort of different lighting or post-processing.
We want to see images that are different from what casual photographers around the world are producing.
Sun, 01/05/2020 - 13:00
This contest has ended.
608 people have cast a total of 45,769 votes on 663 entries from 435 participants
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.
103 Comments
The contest ratings and portfolio ratings are separate, even if you submit one directly from your portfolio. They do a lot "wrong" with these contests, but that is one thing they undoubtedly do "right". On top of that, it's proof that the rating system here doesn't reflect the actual quality of the work, so there's no point in getting too upset over it.
I don't know about everyone else, but I'd never submit a portfolio image if they were connected. It would be portfolio rating suicide.
Great selection, congrats to all 👏
Foto Toad Same here. I'm grading hard too. My aim for my own photo was 3 stars. It's now at 2.5 and I think it's a fair assessment. Its my first time I'm submitting a photo here and in general for the sole purpose of criticism and feedback. Its great and I'm glad you are grading harsh too.
"We want to see something unique" does not mean 'hey just post all your average iPhone shots'.
Come on, there are so many shoots we all have seen thousands of times, even if they are technically good - you should see they do not belong here.
Look at all those 1-2 star ratings and guess why you got them.
I would be very glad if people actually read and follow the rules.
I took the picture of the two pyramids (PY1). They are located in Montreal's Old Port, and house a multimedia show conceived by the founder of Cirque du Soleil.
The colors on the taller pyramid were projected onto the sides of it and would change every 20 seconds or so (on the night where I was there). The sides are made of a cloth material stretched around a steel frame.
I composed the shot to exclude the construction fence in front of it, the cars passing by, trees and street lamps. I tried fixing the white lines and cleaning up some of the banding, but it ended up looking too fake for my liking. I'll need to work on my retouching.
Glad you liked it and thanks for the feedback :)
They should have added the rule that you have to state in the description what makes it unique.
The structure with its surroundings:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BREBL229QYqGLWf3_xA9Ub3xU24oFkSp
That's why I mentioned my landscape photo white balance was changed to tungsten...otherwise it's just another swamp.
I like the rules; it's going to be an interesting contest for sure! Good luck to everybody and let's play! :-)
Congratulations Thomas...that is a fantastic image 😁....although I didn't even get into the top 20 I am really chuffed that I got 175 votes with an average of 2.9...it gives me hope that I,m improving !!!....so Thank you to all the people who voted ...means a lot to me ....( it was the black and white image of a cremation taking place in India)
Hello Fstoppers admins,
I won the contest and as you guys say in the video, I wrote to Lee Morris in order to get the prize.
I wrote him over fstoppers, email, instagram; no answer. Can someone please answer me?
Best regards,
Thomas
I entered a shot that on screen isn't a thriller. I don't boast about my photos, but this shot, while on screen will not garner much praise, in print form (I printed it on metallic based paper) is stunning.
I've been selling prints for about 4 years now. I've never picked a shot that I've numbered to make it a 'limited edition', but this is the first one that I've numbered.
The processing has a lot to do with it, but had I printed it on a satin paper or some sort of cotton rag, it wouldn't have taken on the unique 'personality' that the metallic paper gives it.
Next critique: Mail your best print to Puerto Rico to be critiqued 😄
I don't imagine that you have too many birch trees in Puerto Rico!
Now that I entered and rated some shots, the theme that has been pervasive in these contests is still in play; rate shots lower to help my shot. I'm not a certified judge, but some of these shots, considering the theme, are terrific yet get less than a '2' rating. It's a shame.
At any rate, a lot of really talented people here. :-)
Terrific doesn't mean unique though and given the criteria for this contest I can see a terrific shot getting 2 stars.
Please leave a comment on images, especially if you are going to rate them low. My images tend to be rated between 1.5 and 2.9, which I am ok with I just wish people would give feedback on how I can improve.
I joined Fstoppers, and submit to the critiques for feedback, but rarely do I get any. I feel that this has become an unfortunate reality for most people now.
Would be nice for at least one contest to require a comment along with your vote to explain why it fits that rating level. Having just read the rating levels, I think they're well thought out. I wonder how many people actually read the rating descriptions. It would be interesting to see people explain their rating. Would probably also help the photographer learn.
Voting takes much less time than writing a comment. It'd take hours to comment on every low rated image. Unfortunately, most people can't spend so much time on this.
I don't put any stock what so ever in the rating system for contest. There's so many disingenuous people down rating to i guess push themselves up somehow. You can take an image on a profile that those who voted considered it world class then submit it to a contest then you get nothing but needs work from every vote. Of course no comments stating what could be done to improve it. It's kind of a joke really.
I tend to vote higher than the average voter because I try to follow the official Star Rating system.
Same here. Often i'm probably more generous than i should be.
Having just read the rating levels, I wonder how many people even know what they are.
this is my first ever photo that i have posted. i'm looking for honest critique and feedback. i now see that my photo is not really unique. well, that is a good reality test so far. the photos so far are really impressive. i see that i'm playing with the big boy's now. good luck to all. it has been a learning process so far.
I literally just quickly went through the entire submissions (to date) i saw 1 image to which i thought fit the competition.
I think people just upload randomly these days to promote their own work.
Naked lady (NOT UNIQUE)
The Moon (NOT UNIQUE)
Forest Fog (NOT UNIQUE)
Flower.......
BORED........
I would love to know which one you did feel fit, would you mind sharing? One of my favorites from the critique so far is Bela Acs portrait which talks about global warming.
I think this is a real issue in this contest. I try to vote according to what the rating system is supposed to mean and also according to the rules of the contest. Very few others seem to do this. There are genuinely unique and interesting shots with sub 2 ratings and hugely cliche images with 3+ ratings. Nothing unique about standard landscapes, naked girls, and trees.
My hope is that the actual critique has those few unique images shown, but I have a feeling that when choosing images, the subject may go out the window and the critique may end up showcasing the top images, regardless of uniqueness. Hopefully I am proven wrong!
Are there really that many people who spend their time trying to 'cheat' this contest by downvoting and multiple accounts just to have a chance at winning a tutorial!?? Lame. They should put their energy into photography.
Tyler Mattas don't take it personally if people vote low for whatever reason, it's a very diverse crowd and photographers seem to be very harsh judges. In my opinion there are a majority of portfolio quality submissions but in my mind I might give a 2 star if it is not an outstanding example of the theme of the contest. I might add a star to a less technical photo if it's truly unique... Meanwhile both may be portfolio-worthy.
I must admit I liked it better when David(?) used to select the photos. He always had a more interesting variety of selection than Lee Morris
I agree. But Lee won't admit it, neither will he admit that the whole rating system is floored, making these contests laughable. I would kill them off entirely as they are an ego trip only for some people
See Mark Ensbey’s comment above, he said it perfectly.
Think this is the line from the rules that should be a clue as to whether or not a photo fits:
"We want to see images that are different from what casual photographers around the world are producing."
There are many photos that are really nice, but they just don’t meet the “out of the ordinary” theme that was requested.
On what basis do you make that judgement. Its a bit like "Needs work rating" - what does that mean ???
See Mark Ensbey’s comment above, he said it perfectly.
Wayne: Very easy to critique but I don't see you with any skin in the game. Where's you amazing work?
I’ve got one. I like the photo,, and it follows the “unique” theme... I believe anyway. My ego will not be torched if it doesn’t get a 3, or 2...or a 1 for that matter. I’ve been shooting since 1974 - event and portraits mainly, freelance and part of my marketing tasks the last 15 years. I like the process of shooting, so most of what I take is an experiment for me. The skill does help to pay the bills. - - It’s the flat layout of the SE5a model airplane kit.
I feel as if the community is too harsh of critiques. Almost seems like if you don't have professional lighting and if your photo wasn't shot in a studio then its automatically a crappy photo to "professionals". I get that it has to be unique but who are we to say how unique a photo is? Because a lot of the high rated photos look the same as a "regular" submission and not a unique one.
I agree with you, photos that do well here are good landscapes and anything lit with strobes... Anything spontaneous like street photography will be averaging 2.
I think that has more to do with the size of the audience for the genres and the amount of "noise" in each genre. There's a lot of people shooting "street" photos, as a result, you really have to sift through a lot of average or sub average photos to find the really good ones. Even then, the street genre seems to be considerably more subjective in what is good and what is not. When you move over to something lit in a studio, the number of contributions compared to street photography is likely going to be smaller because there's fewer people doing it. For one, there's going to be more of an investment in gear to shoot studio work. There's also another technical aspect to learn that seems to be challenging for some. These two things limit the number of images you sift through when compared to street photography. Just my opinion of course.
I don't know that I have much to add to what has already been said. It would seem if you combine all the comments here, that is what is "wrong" about this contest. It's much the same with the DP Review challenges. It seems "created photos" are rated higher than "found" photos.
The definition of "unique" is so broad that it is easily interpreted in a myriad of ways. And, it would seem obvious that there are a lot of photos that don't belong here- but who's to say what "unique" means. Maybe the contest theme should be more narrow? Then, if you do rate a photo low and leave constructive criticism it's taken personally. One of my photos here was graded one star within two minutes of being posted, a result I believe of having given constructive criticism. Or was it just coincidence?
Agree. An image in my portfolio is 3.57 and the same photo in this contest is a 2.19. 1928 Ford Tri-Motor. Not too many of those flying around these days.
I think the confusion is the interpretation of unique. Photos of cars abstractly isn't unique. A photo of a rare car might be considered unique. Guess it's up to the community to decide what their idea of unique in this instance is.
I personally am a unique individual...perhaps I should have posted a selfie 🤣
With little else to do last evening, I checked the ratings of newly added photos every half hour or so; all 1 or 2 stared right off the bat; every one, no acceptations.
The simple solution would be, if you rate an image (1 thru 5) then you must leave a comment with the rating you gave right next to the replied post. That would clear out a lot of the nonsensical ratings. Not going to happen, but hopes eternal.
I just removed my images, I'll sit this one out, and catch the next in a few weeks.
I agree. I think every rating should require a comment, and the comment should have the rating next to it so that there is more transparency with everything. Every live Judging that I have been to has required the judges to justify their scoring. Makes sense that we hold the community to the same standard.
I suggested this last contest. Lee and Patrick have zero intention of changing the system because it's still getting them tons of views.
The fact that composites or "created" images always get rated higher is just normal FStoppers. This community has always leaned more towards digital art than photography. Look at any of the top rated images on the site and you'll see there's almost nothing real about them.
right to all of you who seem to struggle to read, what they are asking for is "images diffrent from what casual photographers around the world are producing". right that honestly cant be that hard to make a sound judgment around can it?
lets give some exapmles ok:
girl sat on a bench: NOT UNIQUE
girl holding a guitar with a bloody flame coming out the top: UNIQUE
A duck landing on water: NOT UNIQUE
A lego clone trooper looking into a coffee cup: UNIQUE
right is that easy enough to understand then?
I think the term "unique" is so subjective. What is unique to one person is normal to another. I put a photo in that is unique to me, it is not what I normally shoot but I love the look of the photo and the history behind it. There are a lot of really good photos in this critique. I wish it was more open for everyone to critique eachother and not just down vote everyone, hoping to win a tutorial. If you want one that bad, just buy one.