Critique the Community

Your Best Panoramic Image

Submit your best panoramic image for a chance to win a free Fstoppers tutorial.
  • Submission Deadline: Tue, 01 Oct 19 02:45:00 +0000

    This contest has ended.

  • Voting is closed.

  • Congratulations to the winners!

    View Results

Panoramic images are typically created by taking a series of photos side by side and stitching them together with software. However, for this Critique the Community, you can also submit any photograph that has been stitched together. That means any photograph made up of at least 3 separate images that gives the viewer a larger view than any one of the single frames that makes up the pano.

*UPDATE*  Please resize your images to a reasonable size before uploading. Our server is having trouble processing massive 50mp+ images so please resize your submissions to around 2000 pixels on the long end.

Over the next week, we invite you to submit your best panoramic images for the community to review. The entrant who submits the highest rated photo will receive a free Fstoppers original tutorial as will one other randomly selected entrant. You'll have until September 30th at 11:45PM to upload your images. 

Once you've uploaded your best shots, scroll through the rest of the submissions and assign them a number based on the Fstoppers rating scale below. If you see an image that could use a little work, go ahead and leave an encouraging comment detailing how you think it could be improved. 

  • Submission Deadline: Tue, 01 Oct 19 02:45:00 +0000

    This contest has ended.

  • Voting is closed.

  • 677 people have cast a total of 45,342 votes on 823 submissions from 572 contestants.
  • Congratulations to the winners!

    View Results

50 Comments

Darn I uploaded the wrong file Is there a way to delete it?

Click the three dot icon at the top right of the page on your photo. There is an an option to delete in the dropdown menu,

I'd say by the very nature of a pano, these can't be 1's.

What if it is made in camera or google stiches them in post for you?

So what? It still takes a decent bit of thought to look at a scene and think it would be best as a pano.

I am realy looking forward to the discussion in the video about this. We all know it is comming.

Even Lightroom has the option to automatically stitch the photos together. I suppose in certain cases if it's done in camera, especially on a phone, it could be considered a 1. I have seen many photos in which people have just messed around with the automatic pano function.

When people are uploading panoramic images stitched together but not even stretched or cropped appropriately to make for a properly bordered, rectangular image... I'm sorry, the letter of the ranking descriptions aside, that's a 1.

Have you heard of multi row panoramic? So you will only judge wide aspect ratio photos? If so thsts ridiculous

Of course. Why would I only judge wide aspect?

I'm not judging by aspect ratios. I'm talking about photos that have big black areas because they didn't take enough photos to actually fill in an image coherently.

Often when trying to capture building details for my own record and unable to step back far enough to do single shot (narrow streets etc) I'll just fire off a series of photos in row/column handheld and quickly knowing that lightroom can stitch them relaibly. They're panos but definitely snapshots...

Would love to enter but there is no way that I can crop the photo I have to get it 15mb and it still look like a pano.

Both lightroom and photoshop have an export option where you select the size of the file you want. You can select size in Megabytes and type in how small or big you want it to be. Do a quick Google search to find how to do either

Thank You for your reply.

And yet everyone else can

In the previous Critique Patrick suggested that iPhone pano's were permissible. Is that true?

A pano is a pano is a pano, the medium it was shot with is irrelevant. It you shot a pano with a Potato, I want to see it.

I am not one who does this style and am enjoying some of these amazing shots. There are so many here that do not appear to be stitched however. It is too bad that we can't upload photos to the comments. I'd love to see the three or more individual images that make up these. Many appear to be a single wide angle cropped. Looking forward to the critique!

You are right Ruth. But people don't use the description to explain it. I think it would avoid many misunderstandings...

When I take a pano, I often stitch vertical images, just because I don’t like the obvious flat horizontal pano look.

2000 pixels on the long end for a Pano--- you just said that with your outside voice ya know?

Thoughts and prayers to everyone who didn't upload before their server woes...

I got in there with 15mb at 11591 × 1725px. Scored like I never picked up a camera. I think the display limitation is killing it for me. Crap for feed back. Hey Lee Morris, should make low score judgements ad 100 word comments on why, why I tell you, how, the creator can improve.

Yeah, the ratings are pretty brutal here.

Same, A shot I consider decent which required hours of post-proccessing is at 1.88. The other barely hit 2.
It's just funny at this point...

I think the photo fstoppers used for the contest page above would score a 1.8 at this rate.

It would be around a 2.6 if submitted, I suspect--provided it didn't have Patrick or Lee's name associated with it. Name recognition confers a clear boost on this site, too.

The rating system is just very bottom-heavy. A 3 feels like a crappy, mediocre rating out of 5, but they're saying that a 3 is portfolio quality, keeper image. The kind you'd want to sell and sell yourself with. So anything less than that is already a 1 or a 2. And since 1 is merely a snapshot, I suspect the 2 rating is *overwhelmingly* the mode rating in these contests. Especially this one.

I know it's cold comfort (my only entry sits around a 2.something), but, oh well. :)

Yes, Jarrett, it would help any here know what the "critic" expected. Don't get discouraged.

Ok, my photo has been submitted, let the pummel begin. Either way, I love this shot and we're printing it to metal this week to frame on our walls. Cheers to those who are sharing their photo in the critique and those who vote with us.

Ok, seriously, what's with the "snapshot" rating on a photo that was 8 individual shots, merged via Photoshop, balanced out the lighting including the natural vignetting going on. That isn't what a snapshot is and whoever does this, knows it. And, again, the person who does this never speaks up and says what they don't like.

Perhaps subjecting yourself to public scrutiny is not your bag.

If that were true, I wouldn't have submitted two shots. I'm not referring to mine. I did an average on another shot that I rated and could tell someone hit it with a 1. That shot was not a simple shot and the photographer just told me what went into the shot. That isn't what a 'snapshot' is and someone trolled him.

and your comment is ironic since you have no profile pic, no photos posted....perhaps subjecting yourself to public scrutiny is not your bag.

There's no irony at all. I submitted an image. I just haven't bitched and moaned about my average. Unlike some.

iPhones can take panoramic images. Its not the effort that goes into the shot, its how compelling the final image is, and whether its percieved as a snapshot or not.

Your submitted photo took effort in both composing, lighting, and post, but if it isn't compelling to me, that makes it a snapshot?

then the word "snapshot" would have no meaning. By definition, a snapshot is taken quickly, without intent, composition consideration or effort. The effort itself distinguishes a snapshot from other shots. When I see a shot here that someone clearly put time into composing at least, it isn't a snapshot. Yes, an iphone panorama shot can be a snapshot. I see highly arranged photographs that are not very compelling to me, but I'd never call them a snapshot if they have 5 light rigs, backdrop, posed models, ball balancing seals and properly composed simply because it isn't compelling. Lots of the top pics in the "editors choice" are boring to me, but they aren't "snapshots".

For instance, the photograph that prompted my comment is a well considered shot that I'm sure the photographer did far more than yank out a camera, snap a pic and not think about it. While his photo is now around 2.2 (tough crowd), when I made the comment it was at 1.3 with 3 votes. That means someone "snapshot" the photo that was absolutely NOT a 'snapshot' by definition. If anything it is a textbook landscape shot of hills and he is more likely a 2-3 on that image.

2.2 stars average isn't a 'snapshot'. Even 1,5 already considered a 'needs work'. So, the community altogether doesn't consider your photo as a snapshot, not even close.

Read the comment again, it wasn’t my photo.
Nor was I referring to the average.

By 'your photo' I meant the photo you are referrning to. It's quite long comment. What's your point in short?

If people are going to rate a solid image a 1 can they please explain why in the comments? It almost seems like people are just trolling this contest.

Hah! Might as well ask for people to stop breathing.

That seems to be the norm in these contests. Rate people low to try and win, I just rate honestly from the three to fives I like, perhaps they need the tutorial more than the better photographers.

Exactly, Thane

I was thinking the same thing :-(

People tend to rate pretty harshly in these contests, this is nothing new. Anyone who has watched the Critique the Community videos knows this. Do not take it personally.

However, I do think that the very nature of panoramic photos makes them less interesting unless carefully planned out. Because it is impossible to visualize the shot before you actually shoot, and see the stitched result in PS, Lightroom, etc, it tends to lead to a ton of wasted space and dull compositions, shots that are way too wide on the long end. It is possible to make it work of course, but oftentimes most do not.

So many of the submissions here do feel like someone saw a pretty scene, whipped out their smart phone, and shot the pano. While technically not a snapshot, many of these photos are barely more than a snapshot. But this is just my thought on the matter.

Don't hold your breath. People have been asking for this since dirt.

is there any way i can change my submission?

Contest Submissions

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

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