Photocrowd Avis 9

Just for balance given the average or negative reviews below. I am in no way associated with them, just a paying member.

I have been a member for a while but fluctuate in how much I use it.

I find it useful for testing new photos; pleased when they do well, rethink when they don’t. It’s more useful than fb or ig since you are not relying on an algorithm to get exposure. Plus you can upload - and viewers can view - at full resolution.

There are some constraints. The photos that do well at community contest are those that work at phone screen size. Those that do well in judged contests conversely are those that look good at full resolution. And community contests will always have some elements of randomness due to the relatively small number of votes cast (typically 20-40 per pic).

But subject to those constraints, all useful.

I can't recommend this website. It is mostly "pay to play" in which you pay more to get spots in contests and leaderboards. It is very stagnant website in which the same people keep posting the same old photos to stay on top (I saw a photo win a recent competition and it was loaded almost 7 years ago). I find Photocrowd quite unfair and disrespectful to photographers.

Having been an early member of Viewbug, I am disappointed to see Photocrowd following a similar trajectory where quantity and subscription fees are prioritized over artistic excellence. While features like APOY remain a high point, the site is suffering from an identity crisis, failing to decide if it is a platform for high-quality photography or a social community, dishing out "awards" that feel like participation trophies for average work. My own testing confirmed the inconsistency of the crowd-voting system, where the exact same image can swing from a Top 10 finish to the bottom 50% in repeat contests, suggesting that ranking is more of a lottery than a measure of skill. Ultimately, the platform feels stagnant, chasing mass-market growth at the expense of what attracted me to it in the first place, losing the curated prestige that originally made it promising for professional and aspiring to be photographers.

I originally wrote a good review for Photocrowd but have since deleted it. The principle idea may be good, but having been on it for a while i have found many faults and feel that it has got far too big for itself. Not impressed with the voting system generally, its quite complicated despite them trying to explain it, and when you tot up points you have received for images you have submitted it never seems to tally to what they reckon you have. I'm feeling now that its just something of a money making exercise. Although you can use it for free i think this is initially just to draw you in until you start to enjoy it and pay for different levels. Very crafty and spoils the enjoyment, you'll soon see your leaderboard slide for no apparent reason no matter how much you put into it or how decent your photos are. Extremely disappointed with this platform as time has gone on & am leaving.

I love Photocrowd, as an amateur photographer i think some of my pictures and compositions are very good but I wanted feedback, This site gives me that and more. I don't expect to win as there are lots of professional photgraphers on there and some really good ones. I do love that I have been in the top 50% and then 25% and finally 10% and have many judge merits and commendations which is great and very flattering. The topics have also given me food for thought and I now take shots in a different way. I don't take it all too seriously and am stunned by which ones do well sometimes and which ones don't. Of course I am going to vote for a better picture, and admire the skill.

Disappointed in the Community Rating system which rewards minimum participation (why would you vote for pics which may beat your own).
Many users trawl their library to find pics which are marginally On Brief and then others vote for them!
It seems that the epitome of a good portrait is still a black and white shot of an arab man with lots of wrinkles, a missing tooth and a patterned headscarf. Very 70s.
The best chance of a just result is the Judged Only contests which only rely on expert judges.
Some shots submitted are great. But many are not.

Good practice on different levels. Nice to compete.

Poor service, users accused of theft after winning, clear photoshopped images accepted, its a scam! And other users steal your photos from the site! No watermarks to protect artists/ photographers

This photography contest site is very good and has good customer service. I have thoroughly enjoyed being a member for the past 2 years and believe that my photography skills have improved as a result. The only reason for not giving 5 stars is the search function on the site needs improvement and their is still no way to swap out a photo from a contest without deleting it completely from the platform. I still recommend this site for anyone interesting in photography.