Critique the Community: Submit Your Landscape Photos Now

Critique the Community: Submit Your Landscape Photos Now

If you haven't seen the latest episode of Critique the Community, make sure to check out the new surprise we've added to the series. As an immediate follow up, we're inviting the community to submit their landscape images now for our next round of critique. Make sure to follow the submission rules below to keep your image eligible to be chosen. Submissions will remain open until this Wednesday, January 17, at midnight.  

To submit your landscape images, you must:

  1. Have an active Fstoppers account.
  2. Upload your image to your Fstoppers profile page.
  3. Paste the URL of the image in the comments below.

The Internet can be a cruel and cutthroat place for photographers. For some reason, photographers are often extremely negative and cynical when looking at the work of their peers. Most photographers overwhelmingly say that they would like others to "C&C" their work, yet the conversation can often become less than inspiring and often downright depressing. Our hope with this segment, Critique the Community, is that the Fstoppers team can offer fair, yet encouraging commentary on some of the images found in the Fstoppers Community.

The Fstoppers Community Rating System

If you have an Fstoppers account, you are able to create your own profile and portfolio directly within the Fstoppers Community.  Once you have a portfolio uploaded, you can browse images in the community and rate the photos of your peers.  Even though art is usually a fairly subjective matter, we wanted to create a rating system that was as objective and unbiased as possible.  This way, if one of your images has been rated 50 times and has received an average rating of two stars, you could feel confident that maybe that particular image is not up to par.  Below is a simple chart explaining the Fstoppers Community Rating System. 

One Star: The Snapshot

One-star ratings are limited to snapshots only. Snapshots are usually taken to document a time or location, but little to no thought has gone into the creation of the image. If an image has been "lit" with external light (besides a direct on-camera flash), it is at least a  two-star picture. The majority of one-star images have had no post production work done to them, but do often have an "Instagram style" filter added to them. The average person these days snaps one-star images every single day with their smartphone. Most one-star images that pop up on sites like ours are images of flowers, pets, landscapes, sunsets, objects around a house, etc. If you read Fstoppers, you should not be sharing one-star images for any reason. 

Two Stars: Needs Work

All images, besides maybe five-star images, always have room for improvement, but two-star images "need work" before they should be included in your portfolio. As photographers, we are snapping thousands of images per year, but only a few of those images should ever be shared or put into our portfolio. A photographer who has taken a two-star image has put some thought into the composition, exposure, and post production, but for some reason has missed the mark. Two-star images should not be in the portfolio of a full-time professional photographer and amateur photographers should strive for something better. Even complete amateurs who don't understand photography at all are capable of taking two-star images from time to time. 

Three Stars: Solid

A three-star image is an all-around good image. The photographer has a solid understanding of the basics: composition, color, focus, subject matter, and post production. A three-star image is good, but it's not great. Most part-time professional photographers have mostly three-star images in their portfolios. Usually, a level three image would have been rated four stars if it had been shot in a better location, or with a better model showing a better expression, or there had been better post-production. A photographer capable of taking a three-star image is capable of taking four and five-star images if they would simply pay more attention to the details. 

Four Stars: Excellent

Four-star images are fantastic. In most cases, four-star images have a certain style to them that links them directly to their creator. Four-star images usually require planning and attention to extreme detail. It's almost impossible to shoot a four-star image by getting lucky. Four-star images have almost flawless conception, composition, lighting, subject matter, and post-production. If you have any four-star images in your portfolio, you should be very proud of yourself.

Five Stars: World-Class

Five-star images are flawless and unforgettable. The amount of time, energy, and talent that goes into the average five-star image is staggering. In many cases, these pictures require a team to produce, including a professional retoucher. The concept, lighting, subject, location, and post-production on these images has to be perfect. In some cases, the jump from four to five stars may be as simple as changing the unknown model in the picture with a celebrity or bringing in a set designer or stylist to make the image slightly better. Although there are always exceptions, most five-star images take days, if not weeks or months to produce.

Strengthening Your Own Portfolio

Even with our objective rating system, people are going to disagree over what they like, because ultimately, art is still a matter of opinion.  However, I believe once an image has been rated over 25 times, it will have a rating that is pretty fair and honest (we hope to deter trolls by giving negative Karma Points when a vote is more than one star away from the community average).  If one of the images in your own portfolio is rated lower than what you personally feel it should be rated, I'd urge you to try to look at the image from an unbiased angle.  Step back, erase your memory of the photoshoot itself, and try to imagine an art buyer, stock agency, potential client, or local gallery as they decided if they wanted to invest in your services.  Would your image make the cut?

Lee and I are not the greatest photographers in the world.  There are many many genres of photography that we have not been successful in or in many cases, have not even attempted in our careers.  However, I believe we have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn't in terms of commercial viability.  Not every image is meant to sell or book you work and that is okay!  Snapshots and sentimental images are great and most definitely have a purpose.  Hopefully, our insight and critiques can help you decide what is and isn't worth putting in your public portfolio.  I hope these video critiques can help you see beyond the technical and personal elements that make up an image and begin looking at your own work in a new light.    

David Strauss's picture

David Strauss is a wedding photographer based in Charleston, SC.

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Previous comments

https://fstoppers.com/photo/191074 Japans Bikan Historical Quarter during sakura

I like it all except for the black clouds. Pushing the post processing too much with the clouds which makes them look like smoke instead of clouds especially when compared to the other clouds. Of course just my opinion and would appreciate any feedback on my photos in my account.

i like your opinion sir . thanks

Vernazza, Cinque Terre National Park, Italy
https://fstoppers.com/photo/212725

Nice balance of the city and the sunset. Maybe a bit too much negative space on the left. Could you have moved the camera a little to the right?

Thx for your comment. Yes, i know it's little empty on the left, but i can't moved the camera to the right, because of a building next to me. The only thing i could have done is switching to portrait format. I'll try the next time.

Magic light over a small Valley at the bottom of the Mont-Blanc in France.

https://fstoppers.com/photo/212993

Lake constance , germany
https://fstoppers.com/photo/207256

Nice long exposure. Simple put - a nice photo.

I love the dolomites, especially Alpe di Suisi. You have choosen a very nice frame. Inspiring for my next trip. The only thing is the cloud on top left. It distracts a bit from the beautiful mountains.

Kenyan waterfalls at sunset

https://fstoppers.com/photo/212998

Swedish beach landscape from above
https://fstoppers.com/photo/213003

Nate I'm not trying to be mean here. I'd suggest looking for a subject for the photo and using the interesting surf to support that subject. Also the light is not interesting. Maybe earlier or later in the day to get some highlights and shadows. The lower left corner of the photo doesn't add anything to the photo so I would suggest framing that out when you shot the photo.

Burning Lake – Berlin 2017

https://fstoppers.com/photo/202011

Interesting. However the light on the water where the wave is doesn't look right. The light shouldn't look the same on the wave face as it does on the water behind the wave. The wave face is vertical or near vertical while the water behind it is horizontal. The light from the same source can't look the same.

Thank you for your comment and I understand what you are saying but that's the beauty of long exposures is sometimes it can throw reality out a bit, as this is a 30 second exposure the light is a stronger element than the crashing wave as it has been there from the beginning of the exposure and obviously the wave is there for a very short time.

Byron's Cave | Portovenere, Italy.
https://fstoppers.com/photo/210301

Sunset over Christchurch Beach, UK
https://fstoppers.com/photo/213018

Really like the waterline at the base of the hill. The foreground in front of the log could be reduced some. Too much negative space there even with the details of the stones in the water for my taste.

Well... My friend Arris took time to help a friend to re-build his tiny #boat with a second hand motor coming from another island. They're going on a ride around the #lovely and tiny #koufonissia island to #fish on the fisherman boat'friend under the #evening #sky.

@Koufonissia, Cyclades — Greece

https://fstoppers.com/photo/193774

Morning daybreak on Belle Isle in Detroit.
https://fstoppers.com/photo/213028

Wow my first thought was this was from India or something like that. Just proves that interesting shots can happen anywhere when you work for them. Love the change in color from one side to the other. Nice photo.

Thank you Douglas, I appreciate the kind words. It is fun showing off Detroit given the predetermined idea some people have.

I was in Detroit last year photographing the Monster Energy Supercross at Ford Stadium. First time back there in a long time and I was pleasantly surprised by the city. Want to go back and shot the empty blocks where there is just one or two buildings standing. Interesting look that won't be there for long. I think Detroit has taken an interesting approach to revive itself. The empty blocks give the city a new canvas to start with.

Nice. I really like this photo and imagine it is even better at a large size. Have to ask what "The Central Area" is? Where is this place?

Thank you so much Douglas! The Central Area is the CBD of Singapore.:)

Great image. just two minor things I think would make it even better. Straighten the slight bow in the dock at the front and slightly brighten the highlights in the buildings on the left.

Totally Agree, thanks for lending an eye Jannick!

Perfect one!! I like your b&w processing. And the natural fading of the light from the right to the left. Which settings do you have used?

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