Over the past few years and into the future, our Photo of the Day feature continues to be a cornerstone of Fstoppers. Featured on the front page as well as being published out over our Twitter and Instagram accounts, Photo of the Day’s goal is to give enthusiastic attention to the creative talent found throughout the Fstoppers Community. Fstoppers has the greatest readers and we love showing off the incredible work you create. If you are interested in having your photo featured as PotD, here are some guidelines to keep in mind for how they are selected.
Every day, Fstoppers writers including myself comb through the photos that have been added to our Community members’ portfolios. We are constantly being blown away by the creativity displayed across all genres of photography. The photos that our staff loves end up on the Editors' Picks list. Additionally, I personally make the selections for Photo of the Day and also feature a lot of top-notch work on our Instagram as well (follow us @officialfstoppers).
The main secret, if there is any secret, to getting your work chosen as Photo of the Day is this: write a good photo description. When we see a stand-out photo, we immediately are eager to know more about it. Take the time to write out a few sentences about the photo. Whether it’s something interesting about the setup and details of the shooting location, the story of how the image came together that day, how you chose to process it, the inspirations behind the photo, anything that brings a person closer to the image and your thought process is highly encouraged. If you are photographing a model or if there is a whole team of people that contributed to the final image, here is also a good place to credit them for their efforts. These compelling and informational photo descriptions are what we love to share with other readers when we place your image on the front page. If you include three to five descriptive sentences with your photo, your chances of being selected as Photo of the Day automatically skyrocket.
Other important things to pay attention to when you’re adding images to your portfolio are including a title and either having the EXIF data embedded in your photo or adding the shot details afterwards. You can make changes to this information by clicking the “Edit” button on the photo’s page or when you hover over an image on your portfolio overview page.
A portfolio photo with the title, image description, and EXIF information all filled out.
Finally, check out your Fstoppers profile page and see that your Twitter and Instagram accounts are added in there and the usernames are up to date. I sometimes come across void usernames or information not there when in fact you are on these social platforms. Remember that we tweet out your Twitter username and tag you on Instagram along with your photo, so having your social accounts filled out is a good idea.
How to Get Featured On Instagram
If you already follow us on Instagram, you know that I’m putting up a number of posts every day featuring a range of excellent photos from the Fstoppers Community. There really is no difference in how these are selected from how Photo of the Day operates, only that there is a little more slack for missing information. Even so, images with completed descriptions will still take priority; we regularly get Instagram comments from people who appreciate the additional details behind the image. I should also note that photos posted as a Featured Photo on Instagram and not as Photo of the Day are not necessarily out of the running for PotD. It usually more often than not has to do with the inherently limited number of photos we can choose for PotD. In some instances I wanted to declare the image as Photo of the Day but it lacked the necessary photo information filled out as outlined above.
Images that are not safe for work (NSFW) are unfortunately ineligible to be selected to as Photo of the Day or posted to Instagram. This is due to the uncensored photo being displayed on the front page for PotD, and because it would go against Instagram’s Terms of Service.
Keep in mind that you do keep all copyrights to your images. If for any reason you’d like your photo removed from Photo of the Day or Instagram, please let me know by sending a private message through my Fstoppers profile and I will get it replaced.
Now that you know what it takes to be featured as Photo of the Day, I look forward to checking out your revamped and rocking portfolios. If you would like to submit one of your photos for consideration, whether it be a new addition to your portfolio or a photo you recently updated with a good description, please send the photo link to me in a private message through my Fstoppers profile.
If you're passionate about taking your photography to the next level but aren't sure where to dive in, check out the Well-Rounded Photographer tutorial where you can learn eight different genres of photography in one place. If you purchase it now, or any of our other tutorials, you can save a 15% by using "ARTICLE" at checkout.
Thank you for what you do Ryan! :-)
Appreciate that, Bill
You're welcome, just recognizing your work and support to the community and our fellow photographers :)
I'm thankful for every single person out there contributing to making the photographic community, and you ( and the rest of the crew, and several other members here ) are simply one of them ;-)
Thanks for the info. Just updated my portfolio with some images from our foodblog.
Awesome! I'll take a look.
Im still in a little shocked that one of my images made it for the selection. Thank you!
Don't underestimate your work, Hugh. It was well-deserved!
Are dick pics okay?
Please no photos of Mr. Cheney.
If it ain't big it ain't a pic(k) :D
I love the daily flow of variety and inspiration. Thank you.
Useful information to know, always a fan of the photo of the day! I've updated my portfolio accordingly :)
Is this Photo. Worth a Look at as Photo of the Day Ryan?
Good afternoon FStoppers. I would like submit my recent photo for consideration for Photo of The Day.
https://fstoppers.com/photo/106101
Thanks for choosing my image Ryan, You absolutely made my day !
i know that feeling lol.
Hey People. What Yall Think of my Portrait Sessions.
Shot with a Mark ii
Hello Ryan. I'd like to submit my most recent wedding picture for consideration to be featured. Thank you again for reviewing this.
https://fstoppers.com/photo/143030
This site rocks, just joined up, must update my details and get posting, love what you've created, truly inspiring.
Hi, I'm new in fstoppers, I want to share my work and see what happens with it, hope you like it, this is my daughter, she likes to pose for portrait pictures and she is really good at it, she is also a ballet dancer and I'm an amateur or semi pro photographer, I really like high key to this picture, it gets a really nice mood to it and I think is pretty, what do you think?
This is a great article, clearly illustrating how to increase our noticeability on Fstoppers. Thank you for writing this Ryan. For now, I'll leave my current photos as-is, but will follow these suggestions for my future uploads. I recently bought a Nikon D5. It's quite the learning curve from my D5100. Right now, I only have an 85mm prime for it, but it's excellent for portraits. I'll be uploading more soon.
Again, thank you for this great article.
Hi Ryan,
here is the link of the new photo added to my portfolio. I would be glad if you consider it for your POTD.
https://fstoppers.com/photo/171301
Thanks
Debojyoti
Great job with this website Ryan! I have been doing photography for about four years, I had heard of you guys, but I never took the time out to create a profile until now. Better late then never right? Haha! :-)
Great article! I always wondered about this.
Thank you for the information Ryan! I look forward to possibly having a photo as one of Fstoppers photo of the day!
Thank-you Ryan !
very thnak you for that
ساخت تیزر تبلیغاتی
http://tzer.ir
How do I "add images to my portfolio", when I am already at the limit of 11?
We'd recommend removing the photos you think are the weakest or being rated the lowest and replacing them.
I Was quite lucky this morning. Good place at the good moment.
Theses are not the biggest one but they are quite tall.
For the record, it was during a video shoot and i only shooted 2 pictures ;)
Shoot in south west of France with a P4Pro.
https://fstoppers.com/photo/224391
As I am still stumbling around this website in search of answers, forgive me if the answer is already available.
But, I am confused as to how one is to interpret the rating one received on a photograph uploaded to one's portfolio.
I do realize one "2-star" vote doesn't mean squat but neither would fifty "4-star" votes without some kind of feedback as to why the rating was determined.
It seems apparent I am missing something here, therefore would appreciate any guidance as to where I might find the specific criteria with which a photograph is rated.
And while I am not offended by a "needs work" rating, it seems rather frivolous to judge a photograph without transparency.
Thank you so very much.
Hey Vicky, next to the "Community Average" star rating there is a question mark that links to what the star ratings mean. Is this what you are looking for? I've copy and pasted the text below:
"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 2 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.
1 Star - The Snapshot
1 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 2 star picture. The majority of 1 star images have had no postproduction work done to them but do often have an "Instagram style" filter added to them. The average person these days snaps 1 star images every single day with their smartphones. Most 1 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 1 star images for any reason.
2 Stars - Needs Work
All images, besides maybe 5 star images, always have room for improvement but 2 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 2 star image has put some thought into the composition, exposure, and postproduction but for some reason has missed the mark. 2 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 2 star images from time to time.
3 Stars - Solid
A 3 star image is an all around good image. The photographer has a solid understanding of the basics: composition, color, focus, subject matter, and postproduction. A 3 star image is "good" but it's not great. Most part-time professional photographers have mostly 3 star images in their portfolios. Usually a level 3 image would have been rated 4 stars if it had been shot in a better location, or with a better model showing a better expressions, or there was better postproduction. A photographer capable of taking a 3 star image is capable of taking 4 and 5 star images if they would simply pay more attention to the details.
4 Stars - Excellent
4 star images are fantastic. In most cases, 4 star images have a certain style to them that links them directly to their creator. 4 star images usually require planning and attention to extreme detail. It's almost impossible to shoot a 4 star image by getting lucky. 4 star images have almost flawless conception, composition, lighting, subject matter, and postproduction. If you have any 4 star images in your portfolio you should be very proud of yourself.
5 Stars - World Class
5 star images are flawless and unforgettable. The amount of time, energy, and talent that goes into the average 5 star image is staggering. In many cases these pictures require a team to produce including a professional retoucher. The concept, lighting, subject, location, and postproduction on these images has to be perfect. In some cases the jump from 4 to 5 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 5 star images take days, if not weeks or months to produce.
Rating an image 4 or 5 stars is considered a "like" and will appear in activity streams."
I was successful in finding the "meaning" of the star ratings but the description lacks the criteria utilized to determine the rating.
It may well be I have misunderstood the intent of the ratings but as you state in your response, "Even though art is usually a fairly subjective matter, we wanted to create a rating system that was as objective and unbiased as possible."
I can certainly understand the "subjective" component but to claim objectivity warrants quantifiable and measurable criteria.
The latter is what I am seeking.
Thank you so very much for your time, patience, and assistance.
Hi Vicki, While it won't serve as providing the objective feedback specific to your individual photos I'd suggest that you watch one or more of the "Critique The Community" episodes that Fstoppers posts to YouTube. Following is a link to one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7OTvpwooxQ
What you can gain from this is star ratings from the hosts and then their critique specific to each image shown and what their (mostly) objective measures are for the score they gave the image. What you can perhaps take away is a compendium of attributes that add to or take away from the overall quality of an image. For instance blown out highlights or over processed colors could be negative attributes while deeply saturated blacks could go either way depending upon the image and how the components within the image successfully aid in drawing your eye to the image subject would be positive.
While this is not as good as someone rating your image and providing comments detailing why they gave a particular rating I suspect that you'll start to apply what you've been exposed to, to self critique your own images.
Cheers!
-Gary
Thanks Ryan!
Great article, very enlightening.
been trying for years to get featured on IG by Fstoppers. to no avail. i deleted my account.
Can anyone tell me how/where to upload an image for Photo of the Day consideration? I've just read this piece, above, but it doesn't reveal that information. Perhaps adding a button to the homepage ("Upload your Photo of the Day image here") would be an easier way to go?
Does one need Instagram or Twitter (now X) to participate? I do have a Facebook account but not active with it. Maybe I need to come out of the Jurassic Period? Please advise. Thanks.
From what I get out of the posted article is that they want to promote you as a thank you for contributing and they know most of us want to be promoted. So I think what they are trying to avoid is you missing your opportunity to promote yourself.
I take it that not having those accounts will have no effect on whether or not you are featured. I took it as you could be chosen with literally no description and minimal effort but if you want to increase your chances exponentially, adding a description and exif data could make that happen a lot faster. If at all. I could be wrong and don't want to mislead you but I'd re-read the article and see if you get the same from it I did. And I used to interpret insurance contracts and enjoy reading Shakespeare, so there's that. Good luck to you and I am a huge fan of the Jurassic period so maybe stay true to yourself if that's what you want and if you don't care about being promoted on any of those sites, just looking for some validation then I think you are already on the right path.
Great info, I'm updating all of my previous descriptions... May get more than you ask for lol I tend to write a lot and love telling stories. I am a full time photographer and videographer and this is the first time I have been on here. I always read the articles as they popped up in my google news feed and have found tremendous value in pretty much every one I have read. Looking forward to getting roasted and improving my skill, minus the petty ones that will 1 star you no matter what, lol they can kick rocks. But other than that, I find tremendous value in rating photos alone, it's quite inspiring and forces you to look at your own work with more critical eyes.