Figured I’d give a simplified guideline of how to understand and/or identify a low quality post. This topic assumes most users use several different mediums to consume social media content (such as a modern mid-to-high end PC/laptop, and/or smartphone - or have access to those things).
The way most staff define a low quality post is as an umbrella term to describe a post that is either ‘low effort’, or literally, barely comprehensible to the human eye.
Now, obviously everyone has their own way of determining what a "low quality/low effort’ post is, and because of this, what is determined as low quality will be subject to bias, based on the user. For example, a user will typically make less concessions about their own work (or somebody they like) than they would another user’s work - that’s human nature.
This is where staff comes in. Staff, more or less, have a more unified approach of what low quality content is and, therefore, if a post is deemed “low quality”, it’s based on our criteria of seeing 100’s of pics on a regular basis. This by no means makes us experts on the subject, but it does lend credence to our process and authority.
That being said, I’ll provide a mockup example.
This is a cropped screenshot of a 4K Youtube video where the resolution was set to 144p. It has a width resolution of 2965 and a height of 1584 pixels. For most people, there’s obvious quality degradation going on enough to say the image looks soft, blurry, and out of focus. For most phone cameras that are capable of at least 1080p resolution, this won’t be an issue. However, in some cases, a moving subject (a subject in motion), or a subject that is far away so you either take a shot from where you are, or take the shot, crop and/or zoom in, are likely to produce the same results. Not to mention low lighting/night time photos, which, if there isn’t enough artificial/natural lighting around, are a nightmare for smartphone cameras with their small lenses/sensors.
Yes, you can still make out what the image is of, but it doesn’t change the fact it is what most people would consider to be low quality and most users don’t want to squint or spend more time than they have to, attempting to understand what they’re looking at. Not to mention, a higher quality image is not only more aesthetically pleasing, but easier on the eyes.
That being said, staff understands some users may not have the means or resources to produce 4K/8K content on an consistent basis. Some of us have budget phones, live in places where that access to that equipment isn’t viable, and so forth. However, we as staff are still, at the very least, asking for the bare minimum in terms of quality. Ideally, 480p or higher is a good set point. If, at the time of this post, 4K is the gold standard, then 480p is a more than reasonable benchmark for users.
If you don’t know what any of this means, that’s OK, too. I’ll keep it simple. My general rule of thumb is, if you have to question it, it’s best NOT to post it. Or, reach out to mods and we’ll be happy to help!
Now, onto “low effort” posts. Low effort is exactly what it sounds like. It would be easier to provide examples/context than it would be to explain it.
- Pictures/videos of subjects shot from your car. Why? Because these kind of photos have been historically marred by dirty windshields (even the cleanest ones aren’t great), moving subjects, and/or subjects that are too far away to capture with any reasonable resolution on a smartphone camera. I’ll be honest, when the mods see it, 9.9/10 we reject it, outright. There would have to be extraordinary circumstances for us to ever approve it.
- 10-20 pictures of the same (static) image. Goes without saying, really. If you have to meet a certain pic minimum by posting an image with the only difference being a frame-by-frame variation, it’s not worth posting and it’s just cumbersome for both the mods and our community to see. Please avoid it, it helps us a lot. Instead, post your best 5-10 photos of the the bunch and leave it at that. A good rule of thumb is, a 1/3 ratio. If you have 30 images, for example, narrow it down to the 10 best photos in your collection (you can pretend you are submitting it for a contest that has this requirement, if it helps). Narrow it down even further, if you like.
- Shooting EVERYTHING you see. This is probably our biggest one yet. You don’t have to shoot every single person you see and post it. This is something I especially recommend to new users as they are often guilty of doing this.
I get the psychology behind it. Most people want to belong or feel apart of something. They want to feel like they’re contributing. Shooting candids in modern times has a low barrier of entry. You have a phone camera or a device capable of capturing photos? You qualify. However, this site is inundated by these type of posts, and they often are subjected to the garbage filter.
So, how do we overcome it? Although it’s not as simple as stating “don’t post unworthy subjects”, it does bare reminding - especially for our new users - to be your own worst critic. Build up your resume, first. If you are a fairly new user, do not post anything just yet. Instead, go to the top post(s) and observe. Contribute by leaving comments and seeing what people like/don’t like. You’ll naturally build up a filter and be able to accurately cater to this community. Then, after a couple of weeks/months of providing valuable feedback and receiving it of your own, you’ll have a reasonable gauge in which to approach your own work.
The brutal honesty is that your first year of two of shooting candids, will be absolutely garbage. That’s just the reality of it. You’re gonna be atrocious. You’re content will likely be rejected many times over by us before you come into your own… and that’s OK. Accept the fact that, whatever you thought you were before you signed up here, you are actually not. You are far from it. I don’t mean to be harsh, but this applies to me, too. For context, I’ve shot candids for almost 8 years before I signed up here, and most of my supposed “good” content didn’t even make it past the garbage filter until a few months in. Be open to feedback. Be open to reaching out to more veteran shooters for advice. Read the tips/tricks/guides provided by the community. Be receptive to criticism. And lastly, check your ego at the door. I promise you, you do this, your potential to get better will increase, exponentially. Somewhere in there, there’s a great shooter in you waiting to unlock their potential.
I didn’t cover everything, but hopefully this provides enough insight into what we typically look out for. To keep it short, it’s nothing personal. Look at your work through the lens of someone else and ask yourself how receptive most people will be to it. If you’re posting for a niche audience, or for yourself, you won’t fair well. If you find yourself having to add many adjectives to compensate for something, you won’t fair well. If you find yourself making concessions such as, “I know it’s my first time and the pictures are blurry, but…”, or “This girl was super far away so I had to…” or "I saw this hot girl and I had to rush over, so… - just don’t post it… seriously. You’ll have another opportunity… I guarantee it.