Name: GuruShots - Photography
Rating: 4.48492 (4741 reviews)

User Reviews for GuruShots - Photography

4.48 out of 5

4.7K Ratings

1 year ago, Cheese on a stranded farm

Years on the app

The misleading money prize values has been resolved, tool bundles now just say what they are, in app tools. It seems the last update didn’t block me from playing without updating which is good cause I can’t afford a new phone just to play. Sooner or later I won’t have a good enough device to update. The beta battles tab needs to be either worked on or moved until it’s sorted out. It’s been so long with no activity taking place in the feature. Like driving past road construction that has no noticeable improvement. Report button needs far more options. There’s nowhere to report porn except “adult content” but adult content is allowed on the app and not necessarily being reported to get deleted. Porn removal should have priority over adult content reports. Nothing reported for porn should be voted on until reviewed and resolved, and anyone falsely reporting to sabotage should be banned. This would help prevent both the vulgar content and the abuse of the report feature. AI imagery is banned but there’s nowhere to report it making the ban meaningless unless enforced. There’s already people posting entire AI images and getting guru picks/top votes over genuine artists. The block feature is missing. No button exists to block another user but FAQ says there is. Following instructions to block someone leaves you in a wild goose chase. Please fix these issues.

3 years ago, Psychostudent1919

A lot of in-app purchases but creative

I thought this was an app that would issue creative prompts and you would shoot and upload relevant shots. But you place your photos strategically to gain more votes and if you want to swap a low performing photo you need to purchase “swaps”. If you want to unlock challenges you need to purchase “keys”. You then must vote on photos in the challenge or purchase “fills” to opt out of voting. If you don’t want to “swap” a photo you need to purchase “boosts” and so on. Supposedly you can get feedback but haven’t found that yet. Additionally there are galleries you could submit your photos to and they can potentially be chosen for exhibit but I am not aware of the validity of these exhibitions. I do know the few I have submitted to required “keys”. When you’re new, you’re a “newbie” and need a specific number of votes to progress to “rookie” then up a 9- level scale to “guru”. Downside is all the photos I have worth posting are on my MAC and not on my phone so there is transferring that needs to be done. Although, this is more gratifying than posting on Instagram. I wish there was the option to view the metadata of each photo to see what settings the photographer used to achieve particular shots. Maybe in the update.

4 years ago, Jashalee02

“Pay to Win” ruins yet another, otherwise great experience

Started playing, and thoroughly enjoy discovering others beautiful photos, while being discovered at the same time. It feels great to get 300 vote-ups on a picture you’re proud of, and its so fun, and a great pastime, swiping through neat works by everyone else, too. However, after completing challenges at elite and all-star level, and gaining GS points (which are like an experience value), I was excited to move up to Challenger level, knowing I had all the requirements to do so. But then I noticed I needed to make 2 more successful “swaps”, which is a paid for ability in-game, that allows you to swap a photo out for another in the middle of a challenge, in order to enhance how many votes you might get. But I can’t do this, because I only have one swap, not two. Now, granted, its a small in-game purchase to get one swap, and I wasn’t unaware of the fact that this game offered in-game purchases in the first place. The problem I have with it, is the next level, I’ll have to complete five successful swaps, which I will have to pay for, yet again. Its very frustrating, to complete requirements for level advancement, but lack one thing which is just a money grab. Anyway, regardless of this, I will happily continue to play. Its a great concept and game experience, for those who love color palettes and photography. Get it – its fun... and frustrating.

6 years ago, itisry

Amazing app! BUTTT!

I absolutely love this app! But there are a few things keeping me from wanting to continue to play. The rank up system is pretty bugged and never stays up to date. For example one of the things I had to do to rank up to the next level was have x5 successful swaps. Well i had far surpassed the 5 mark and had probably around x10 successful swaps all together. But I noticed none of them where counting towards my progression. Well I didn’t think much of it until I got a notification later on that night saying I had ranked up. All though I completed all the tasks earlier that morning. Same thing is currently happening as we speak. I need to hit premier level 10 times to level up. Well I’ve hit premier probably 20 times in the last 2 days alone and none of them are registering and it still says I need them to level up. So it’s almost like the app can’t keep up. And my second complaint is the rank system all together. I feel like it’s a good idea, yet flawed at the same time. Someone could post a pic of a booger and it would rank high just because people spam it just to boost their own post. Which means over time a person with a page full of booger’s could potentially rank all the way up just because of the way the boost system is set up. Love the app, just would also love to see it tweaked a bit.

4 years ago, LordSam76

Gave It a 4 out of 5...

I gave the game a 4 out of 5 because there are so many different ways to get to the top. Granted you need a good photo. Someone like myself and my fiance who are new to photography completely,( Xmas gifts were Cameras ) we have learned from others. Like what to do and and not to do when it comes to picture taking. The competitions have forced Us to go beyond what we would take pictures of normally. From the most simple to the more complex photo. At 1st we were expecting magic to happen when we would take our shots, but soon enough we figured it out that not only must you take an initial great shot, but also ( we call it tweaking picture ) you have to tweak the picture to get that result you were trying to capture and more. I did not give it all 5 stars is because, if you boost.... you get more votes and this is just a way for the ”Guru People” to make there $$ and unfair for the competitors. But overall the game is fun, creative, addictive and, challenging 😎😳Just don't expect to get famous 😎😄 Keep up the good work. Thank You, Sam The Butcher.

6 years ago, Curban222

Entertaining, Helpful, but Disappointing

This is a fun app that is a good way to progress your photography via incentive to produce images and quality as well as seeing examples and learning from others shots. It’s a good way to pass the time as well. However - the voting process is flawed. In order to increase your exposure and get votes you essentially need to vote for hundreds of images constantly. Nobody has time for that. What ends up happening is that you are not voting for the best photos, you’re simply voting for as many decent looking photos as you can as quick as you can. Which doesn’t bode well for you’re images and doesn’t end with he best images as the winners. Secondly, the only way to advance in levels (does it even matter?) is to get guru picks. This seems to be just about impossible. I’ve entered so many contests with so many photos and have yet to get a guru pick. I’ve ended up in the top 10-20% in many contests but have not gotten a guru pick. Finally, the app has been cleverly created with an algorithm for voting that gets you a bunch of votes quickly when you post an image, but then slows down. The only way to increase voting (and stay relevant on the leaderboard) is to swap images, which you eventually need to pay for. This I get, and don’t really have a problem with. In fact I think it is smart on the developers part. Just be warned.

5 years ago, iagal2018

It has soo much potential!

I’ve been an aspiring photographer for the past 7 years now. I do enjoy this app, as it allows me to see other photographers’ unique photos! It’s fun seeing the different challenges which allows for hundreds of different people to partake in, and I love how photos are edited, the main focus point, the angle of the shots, etc. But other times this app can also fall flat. Half the time most photos don’t follow the guideline rules set for each specific challenge (outdoor photos posted in indoor only challenges, colored photos in B&W challenges, etc), and sometimes these “professional” photographers take photos straight from the internet and pass them off as their own, which is frustrating. The amount of selfies and porn star wannabes I’ve seen is ridiculous and shouldn’t be applauded. (I do understand that forms of nude photography can be artistic, but you can clearly tell the difference between by how they’re composed, lighting, etc.) This app could be great, and a fun way for photographers to compete in these challenges if they’re taken seriously (as guidelines are made for a reason, otherwise what’s the point of them...)but until then I can’t rate GuruShots 5 stars until these issues are dealt with.

2 years ago, C.Delano Photo

Fun but frustrating without in-app purchases

I am a Gurushots pioneer and have been with the company from the early stages. Back then, getting a Guru pick and getting a top 5% or 10% image was possible without the need to purchase fills, swaps and keys to unlock boosts. Now, with the number of people playing and the plethora of outstanding images, you won’t get to Guru without the help of these paid resources. Granted, I’m not so much faulting the app but rather stating that if you do not have a trove of outstanding pictures, don’t expect to make Guru or consistently place in the top 5%. I’ve determined that my images will never be good enough to win a challenge and make Guru. Someone should make an app that regular photographers can enjoy. I just received a response from the developer that the best way to get noticed and excel is by post stunning images and people will vote for the most impressive images. I am now adding to my original review and removing one star with one caveat based upon the developers response. Unless you have absolutely stunning images, I would skip this app. This feels much like survivor where you are voted off the island and you have to strategize about using swaps, boost and bumping up your visibility by voting consistently.

5 years ago, Christopher_Howard_Photo

It’s alright. A few pretty major issues though.

This app is pretty cool for photography, but there are a few (very fixable) problems. 1. They send wayyyy to many emails, just give me notifications. 2. There’s no way to search topics, hashtags, or keywords, only accounts. 3. The only way to get anywhere in a challenge is to either vote constantly to raise your exposure bonus which is incredibly time consuming and a solid 60% of entries are crap, or pay for more and more exposure boosts. 4. The app never loads ‘activity’ which means when a challenge ends you can’t see how you did if you pass on a notification. That’s all of my gripes honestly. I complain as much as anyone about in app purchases and it’s certainly a platform where you pay to win (if you have great photos) but it’s not so bad; it has problems but the are definitely fixable. I’m sure the support staff and server costs are through the roof for an imaging platform but if they can fit even one of problems into the budget I’d have a 99% higher chance of supporting them monetarily. It’s an awesome platform to gain exposure; though an option to link other platforms for cross exposure would be very nice and helpful for the true photography industry.

5 years ago, Holtsartistry

Appreciated and fun

I have been active in GuruShots for a little while now and have really enjoyed it. I have been getting heavily into photography for a bit and I’m enjoying using this app. I had taken lot of photos before using this, but this really did a solid job in helping me identify my topics and hone some skill. Those things I appreciate about this. I also definitely appreciate the ability to have an adult content filter on the photos. I have no desire to see scantily clad dressed women or nude people in general, and with this I have the ability to have that filtered out. I also appreciate the healthy amount of boosts that’s one is able to acquire if you are playing the game consistently. I also like the idea and desire to be able to have the ability to enter your artwork into exhibits around the world. I would really like to visit one at one point. All in all, this has been a pretty solid app. Crashes sometimes, especially when voting a lot in a single contest without submitting a bundle of your votes. Highly recommended to give it a shot 📸

2 years ago, brayden0597

Lots of Fun and Rewarding

I see a lot of reviews complaining about in-app purchases and pay-to-win when this is in fact not the case. Yes you can buy swaps and other features in the app, however, you don’t need to do this in order to level up. Do your research, you get free swaps, keys, and more by just playing the game. Upload relevant photos for the challenges you join, vote, and you will do well. I have yet to buy anything in the app and am about to reach Champion level. This game also gives you a lot of feedback on your photos and gives you an idea of what photos you take are better than others based on votes and likes. You don’t have to be a pro, just be consistent within the app and join a team once you’re leveled up enough. It’s great to converse with other players and play in challenges as a team. I would like to see some alternative ways to communicate, maybe direct messages or something like that. Otherwise a really good app that can be lots of fun.

6 years ago, kelstwins

Fun app

This app is great if you appreciate photography. I enjoy seeing other photos and have gotten some great ideas. Occasionally I’ll receive a short video through the app with photography tips - very helpful. Challenge: getting enough viewing for a guru pick. When I first upload for a challenge I can receive a large number of votes within the first day. After that voting slows down. An option to increase votes is to swap a photo. Unfortunately you only receive the occasional free swap but can purchase additional swaps. Also, in the recent update the view for voting has changed on the mobile app. It used to show one photo at a time, which you can still do if you select that mode. However the default is to view a large number of photos on one screen, and they are at different sizes. Who decides which photos appear larger than the others? Some of the photos are so small they are very difficult to see details. Hurried voting will be less about quality and more about increasing your exposure meter.

2 years ago, John316krm

IT’S A PHOTO GAME

In order to enjoy this experience, realize it’s not just about a good image, it’s about timing and picking photos that best fits the challenge. A great photo that doesn’t fit the challenge may get less votes than an average photo that does. It’s a game not a contest. Photos are being judged in different time zones, photographers of all levels, so learn when people with the heaviest votes are playing this game and voting. Votes are weighted based on game level (1 newbie to 9 guru). This game, like most photos clubs, favors nature photos and horizontal chops. Submit only one photo at a time in any challenge to see if it works within about 3 minutes! If votes don’t accumulate try another photo until one works. Do this for each photo submitted. Most people seem to vote more in 3 hour brackets just before people go to bed or wake up(6am-9am and 10pm - 1am). In order to do well you’ll spend some money in this game. I love photos, but I didn’t enjoy the experience until I learned the aforementioned facts. Join a team! The best photos don’t always get the votes! Remember that truth!

1 month ago, agent jareau

Decent but deleting soon

It’s a 2.5 at best It’s a good app to show your work and meet new people which is cool. But it is flaws or rigged because when you get to All-Star level in a challenge you will either start losing votes, told you should swap photos, or you can gain votes thinking you might actually win (being in top 10) to you are now back to needing cuz votes to get to be in top 100 and then just continue to get votes taken away so you never actually read top 100. They definitely want to spend your own money to “win” challenges and level up. I’ll mostly likely delete the app soon just because I’m quickly learning how lots of photos do look AI mostly landscapes and heavily edited one that just don’t look real are the ones that tend to win or guru picked. They also in team make it known that you shouldn’t use vertical photos in challenges because thru don’t do well aka they all go to the very bottom when voting so they hardly get looked at or picked. People are voting as fast as possible to boost their exposure and not actually taking the time to look at all the photos shown to them.

4 years ago, easternspock

Waste of time

The way this app is set up makes it a waste of time and potentially money if they lure you into it. Is sort of fun to enter contests, but in order to get your picture seen you have to vote or use boosts which they try to sell you to fill your “exposure meter”. If you don’t do that, the votes on your picture will level off and you won’t get voted on again until you vote positively on a certain number of pictures. This mechanic encourages mindless voting just to fill the exposure meter and therefore the best pictures aren’t what’s voted for, anything that shows up is what gets voted for because that is just what you need to do to get your picture seen. Also, it encourages not voting for the best pictures. Why pile on votes to the best pictures which are going to overshadow yours when you could vote for pictures that are less likely to reach the same level of votes as yours so that you stay higher up in the ranks? And the prizes are always just in-app purchases, which really isn’t worth anything if you ask me. TLDR; It’s just a broken system that in no way gives actual feedback or reward for your photography. Thought it’d be a nice change from Instagram but it’s even more disingenuous.

6 years ago, Ablifedesigns

Love and hate

I really do love this app! I just have a couple concerns and frustrations as well. 1) I can’t say voting is always fair. Photos that are not within the guidelines of challenge details sometimes get high voting just because they are pretty pictures and I don’t agree with that. For example the shadows challenge, water reflections and silhouettes are NOT shadows! 2) A lot of adult content is not marked as such! There have been many times when I am scrolling through photos and nudity is forced upon my eyes! I can understand nudity in photography and the beauty of it but people should have the choice if they want to see it or not. I feel like the administrators of this app should take stuff like this more seriously. And sometimes the nude photos are done in suggestive or provocative ways which is ridiculous to say the least. Other than those things, this app is an awesome community for photographers, beginners and pros. It gives great opportunity to grow and learn and keeps my days full, looking for beauty everywhere I go!

5 years ago, Hurdle ball hurdle ball

Realistic Review

As a new photographer I thought this would be a good way to put some of my photos out there and see what people think, I was wrong. I’ve noticed that the only way to actually get recognized is to be a high level and you need to be recognized to become a high level so I see it as one of those carnival games you play at fairs, you never really win and if you do it’s just luck. I’ve also noticed the amount of copy right photos is insane. I even see gurus picking copyright images, one has even been taken from a National Geographic photographer and it still won because the person stealing photos was a high level. I like the idea of the exhibits but the chances of your photo being picked even after you spent hours voting to get your image seen it’s not worth it because even if your at the top it all comes down to what the guru thinks and if your a high level or not and they don’t always pick original photos. It’s a good idea but it’s not a good way for photographers to be in a real community where’s there getting feedback on their hard work.

6 years ago, Francesca, PA

Aggravated yet addicted

The challenges set forth are interesting . They spark you to look beyond what you see, to see what you never saw and bring to focus what was right In front of you. All which I love. The app is not without flaws. The voting seems unfair although they attempt to explain how photos get exposure they fail and it seems like luck. They need a better way to monitor adult content,as I’ve run across several obscene ( not artistic nude ) photos that have not been marked. I’ve seen children in a coffee shop ( absolutely nothing adult about it) marked adult content. Off topic photo have won many votes which I don’t understand. Lastly, the app is down for maintenance for hours every few days. Votes and exposer is lost during that time and is quite aggravating . Response to emails is 2-3 days. Having said that, knowing as an amateur photographer, I’m never going to get above a certain level nor attain Guru status. The game and the challenges along with the photography tips are enjoyable and I do recommend it.

6 years ago, RedPhoenix13

Great app, can be a little glitchy

For the most part I love this app, except for one thing - it has a tendency to crash sometimes when I’m in the middle of voting, and then I lose all my votes and my exposure bonus goes back to zero. I realize that apps can crash for a variety of potential reasons, but it seems to happen around half the time, and only while voting. It’s particularly annoying when you consider that when my exposure bonus is low to begin with, scrolling through photos to vote on to fill it up again can take a while. And if the app crashes when my exposure is almost full, I don’t want to spend more time scrolling through the same number of photos to fill it back up, so I just end up using the fills I have accumulated. Can you fix this problem? Or at the very least advise users to maybe submit a few votes at a time several times to get their exposure bonus filled instead of filling it all the way up in one single round of voting?

2 years ago, StarbucksDinosaur

Cool app, could use some improvement

Overall it is a cool app. I’m not yet sure how I feel about the “paid” boosts to get your photos further ahead. Wish it was possible to earn the boosts in the app more easily w/o payment e.g via ads maybe? But I suppose the developers need to make a profit in some way. I don’t think it’s an entirely unreasonable model. The other area of improvement could be the social aspect. You can follow other people and they can follow you, but there doesn’t seem to be much of a point to doing so from what I can tell. There isn’t an Instagram like feed where their photos show up that you can scroll thru. There also isn’t a effective way to communicate with people outside of Teams, you can leave comments on photos but would be cool if you could DM people. I also see photos have tags, it would be cool if there was an option to search photos and look at people’s work outside of Challenges. The apps is definitely more a game than a photo social media app, but even so these are some features in it of social media that don’t seem complete. It’s overall a cool app and entertaining, reminds me a bit of Flickr more than Instagram which is cool, it’s oriented 100% to photography and not influencers. Keep up the good work!

6 years ago, M.photography.inc

Winners are rigged

One thing I’ve noticed about the winners of majority of this app is the pictures are horrible not even close to a true photography picture or worthy of a Win !! Maybe a handful is most winners are in the experts an master n guru levels who are the ones who set forth the new games . They chose the winners among each other further more of you go to their pictures on their profile they are not even good pictures nor creative nor anything but a disgrace to us the real photographers I think it’s a cool game but if your looking for a real game with real winners worthy of winning well this isn’t it!! To top it off your exposure depends on ur voting ability an most pictures don’t even have anything to do with the contest so if it’s a red contest you have people putting up pictures with nothing to do Roth red but getting more voted then pictures that do all because people with no life gave all day to just sit around an vote. It’s pathetic an unfortunate then a lot of contest will say no sexual explicitness allowed but then you will see a picture of that nature being a top guru Pick disgraceful... I would give app a -10 if I could.

5 years ago, bryanthofer

Pay to Win

When I started Gurushots, I saw phenomenal photographs reaching the top votes and Guru top pick lists for a variety of different challenges. Being a growing photographer, it was definitely inspiring to see what makes a great photo and motivated me to improve my skills to earn votes and reach the top. Now, I see many poorly composed and off-topic photographs reaching the top votes for many challenges, there is no way that these photos truly reflect the votes of the users, period. I assume that the more money you spend on the boosts/swaps to use in a challenge it secures your spot in the top ranks. Are these fake votes?? This is incredibly sad, because it has destroyed the credibility of the voting algorithm and confirms that money, not creativity & skill with active voting, is what matters the most to gain exposure and win top prizes on this app. Please switch to selling ad space or a one time paid app version. This is a very social game, so I'd rather pay for the app itself and have voting be fair for everyone based on skill instead of always expecting someone to outpay me for votes in a challenge.

3 years ago, justdafactz

Major Bugs Ruining GS

The constant bugs continue to ruin what once was an extremely fun and addictive game. Team play has become a complete joke at best!! Many times throughout a season random teams will be given double credit for the same win. During this current season in Gold 2 several teams had their total score doubled, while others lost half of their points!! At this level of competition where people set alarm clocks to vote/fill etc at 3am and use hard earned resources each and every match this is completely unacceptable! Where are the admins?? Where are the responses to all of the messages/tickets sent in about this? No acknowledgement or transparency whatsoever!! How about all of the challenges over the last few days that we weren't given our achievement badges, top 10s top, top 100s etc?!?! Crickets!! GS was an amazing idea, and as I stated before, its fun and very entertaining, however, like so many others, greed and lack of accountability will be its demise!

4 years ago, ==>snoops<==

It's Ok

It helps you to organize yourself with photography. You get to see other professionals "Gurus" share their work and it helps with inspo. However, if you are not a "Guru" don't expect to win any of the challanges and money prices. The competitions also are not separate, meaning that both beginners and professionals can compete. The app says that it has to be original pictures and the pictures have to pertain to the challange. When I look at the pictures there a bunch selfie with those snapchat or Instagram filters that have nothing to do with the challenge. Some are pictures that are professional, but taken by others, you can tell because they are the same pics that circulate in Instagram on fake accounts. If not, they are photos that have nothing to do with the challange. The rules for the challanges say that these type of pictures will be disqualified, but I don't see them being taken down. Is like no one is monitoring that.

6 years ago, Thrashfox

Good idea, poor execution.

Just started using this app, sounds cool, however the amount of absolute garbage uploaded by people that aren’t even close to photographers is infuriating. When it asks you to upload your best photos and you choose Snapchat filtered selfies, back out and delete the app. This app is for photographers, to post photography. I’m trying to go through and vote for images and at this point I’m just voting for images that look like they’re uploaded by an actual photographer, regardless if they’re good, if they’re at least trying. Content should be curated, there should be at least some sort of acceptable quality. Yeah I get it the devs are really only just here to get paid by the masses, but was looking forward to quality contests with quality images, and a fair shot at having your hard work seen and compete. Not much luck of that happening when I have to compete against stupid phone pictures of people’s kids or pictures of birthday cakes. I’ve reported more photos than voted for. So much fun.

4 years ago, madsaiyan

Not worth the time

I have been active for about 3 months in GuruShots i shot to expert level with in a few weeks but am now like many others awaiting a guru pick to advance any further... the voting and exposure system the game uses is very poor making this game have very little to do with how good your photos really are in order to be voted for many people “speed vote” to keep up the exposure levels It’s has a gambling type feel constantly baiting to spend money in hopes of reaching guru however when you go through the guru picks in a challenge most the images chosen belong to people that are already gurus there is speculation that they do this on purpose to keep too many people from leveling up to sell more swaps unlocks and fills it’s a shame how little this game has to do with quality of images it needs a better voting system nothing about how your photos perform are accurate to the quality I will be leaving this game and looking for REAL photography contests and other photography contest apps!

4 years ago, Awriterinspired

Perfect Except One Issue

Guru shots is a great, simple app that lets you easily submit your own photos into contests and vote on others. By voting in a contest you gain exposure, getting more views and potential votes. It can be a little time consuming, but it helps encourage people to vote on contests and not just submit photos. The one issue is the ranking system. You have to perform certain feats to gain rank. The higher your rank, the more voting power you get and the more contests you can enter. The problem is one of the things required to go up in rank is to do a successful “swap”. This is where you submit a photo to a contest, get votes, then swap it for a different photo that gets more votes. To swap a photo though, you need a swap, which you have a very limited number of. To get more you have to win contests or buy more. So essentially be a top notch photographer or pay the company money to be able to get past the rookie ranking. This adds a bit of a payment gateway. It takes days for most contests to end and even then you have to win to get anything. I have enough points and skill levels in contests to go up a couple of levels but can’t because I don’t have any more swaps. Overall, it’s a great app ad I’d highly recommend it. Just be warned that it can get difficult to raise in rankings.

5 years ago, Stratozfearz

Almost There!

I absolutely love the whole idea behind the app, and what you can do with it, and how it works. There’s just a couple things that I think need tweaking: For me the ranking system doesn’t seem to he up to date. I’m not sure if it isn’t tracking correctly, or it is just slow. I have hit high rankings on my photos, and met swap requirements, but I am still Beginner. Not sure how. But that’s not a huge deal. Another is the voting system. I feel like a lot of people don’t worry so much about the photo as they do their own. Voting to increase the exposure they get can lead to unattractive photos winning in the long run. Other than that, I love this app. I’ve already found some photographers I absolutely love, and have been inspired by the variety of photos and talent I see on here. For beginners this would be a great step in gaining confidence in your work because other people may like it a lot. There are categories for just about anything. Also I do virtual photography as well, and people don’t seem to mind that either. Overall, great experience!

6 years ago, GamerXX038

It’s great, but there’s one problem

I really do love this app for a lot of reasons- It’s super engaging, people are very active in voting, and there are lots of ways to see and submit all types of photos. But I think my biggest problem with the app is that so many of the pictures that are uploaded or that win contests are not original photos- They’re literally stolen wallpapers off the internet, and yet the people posting them are receiving credit and rewards for pictures they didn’t themselves take or even create. I’m really annoyed that the top photographer in every contest just has internet wallpapers as their submissions, and it’s making the contests less fun. If something isn’t done to crack down on this and correct it I’ll probably end up deleting the app at some point because there’s no point in entering contests and taking/entering real photos for them when stolen art/google images are going to win anyway

5 years ago, humnow88

Lisa

I loved it at first because you can advance pretty quickly but once you get to where you need guru picks, (past expert level) forget it. I’ve looked at the guru picks and some photos you just have to shake your head at And you wonder how some got picked. Also- it’s too much voting and you have to vote to get your pictures seen and voted on. If you are in a few contests then that means voting on hundreds of photos several times a day. Honestly, I don’t even look at them that much, I just vote on the firsts ones to move my meter because who has that kind of time and it’s tedious. Of course they want you to pay for auto fills and boosts but i just refuse to do it anymore and it doesn’t help you get seen by gurus. I will quit for a while out of frustration but then I will take a photo that is good, so I will play again and enter those but they never seem to get a guru pick and I can’t move to the next level. So it’s frustrating after a while.

4 years ago, ThatKit

All just lies

You want to know my absolute honest opinion? Here we go. So one thing I have noticed is how fake some of these photos look. I just looked on someones profile and she likes taking photos that are not hers and posting them as if they were. I also tend to notice, photos that basically look like the person didn’t take them... Doesn’t have an information on the camera they used. It basically plays an unfair advantage to the app and makes it to where you will never ever get into the highest level to earn prizes. Its kind of unfair actually that genuine fantastic photos someone takes.. are basically put to the bottom because people with fake photos are at the top. I’ve noticed a profile with all different types of photos from snow to the galaxies in the sky but no camera information. It has shown me that I can go to use fake photos and no one would notice. As of now, I am officially giving up on trying on this app with how its become an absolute unfair game. Thanks.

3 years ago, DadofMany82

Change One Thing

Could you please change it to where I can save challenges coming up to set up reminders? Or maybe have it where I can save challenges to a favorite list. I am constantly missing them and by the time I see them they have 4million votes already. At that point I don’t see the point of joining. Lastly, please allow me to toggle off challenges I don’t want to see. I don’t like scrolling through 50 challenges that I have already decided not to join just to find new ones. This is a daily pain and because of it I have been looking for other apps. I would like to not have to be scrolling through for an hour to find one I like. Maybe that was two things. Overall, a four star because the app is fun and easy to use. Update after the update. I now cannot upload pictures only use ones in my gallery. I deleted the app.

2 years ago, RMBHJB

Fun but I’m done

Let me start by saying that this is a great “game” to play. However I’m at the point where I have to be done. I need two more Guru Picks to advance and can’t seem to get them. I’ve invested wayyyyy too much money in this game to be stuck like this. I understand that the GP is the choice of the guru but when I have entered hundreds of challenges and can’t get the two I need I have to just stop. What really bothers me is when my pictures are at the top and they are always skipped over (again I do understand it’s guru’s choice) and when the guru picks within the first few hours when the challenge has days to go. I simply and sadly have to and find another game to spend my money on. Thanks for the entertainment so far though. I’ll use the advantages I have left and then I’ll be gone.

1 year ago, artbyhazal

Easy to Use, Super Fast, Super Fun

Love the desktop version and the mobile app! I’ve been an active user since 2017, and the product has been improved exhaustively! The app is easy to use, very fast and responsive. The only constructive feedback that I could give is about the Fill button on the challenge cards. I’d recommend disabling it if voting hasn’t started for that challenge, that way the user cannot accidentally click on it and lose their Fill. I think this is crucial especially if voting will start more than an hour. Because in this case the user won’t be able to benefit the Fill at all. I think this will improve the user experience.

7 months ago, .P.w.R.

Turbos are hurting this app

Overall it’s a fun app and a great way to compare your photos to other amateurs and professionals alike. My biggest issue is that the results of challenges are not a reflection of the quality of the images. I know it’s a game and not necessarily the best photo wins every time. But the recent introduction of the turbo has made that problem way worse. It took the app from an even playing field for all pictures inside a challenge and now your success in a challenge is based on how well you do in a 50/50 quiz on how popular other photos are. If the turbos were either done away with completely or made easier to achieve I would rate it higher, but with the way it is it just takes away any interest in challenges you don’t get the turbo in.

6 years ago, 907twindaddy

Fun but......

So I have been using GuruShots since before they made an app. I have found a lot of joy in using the app. Here are some observations that I have found. Pro’s You get to see other photographers perspectives. You get to see things that you never thought of taking pictures of and it’s quite breathtaking. It makes you want to get better and grow as a photographer. I feel like seeing other photos sparks creativity. Cons When voting to increase how many people see your photos, it shouldn’t take so many votes to increase your exposure. I feel like if you have an empty exposure meter, it takes so many votes that people are not truly looking at photos and voting because the photos are good they are simply clicking on photos and voting to increase their exposure, it’s borderline ridiculous. After going to bed and waking up, all of my exposure meters have run down. I have to spend a crazy amount of time voting to get all of my meters up and by the time I’m done, I have to start back at the first one again because it’s already back to half. You can clearly see who are professional photographers and who has the best equipment and it feels very lopsided. I take photos as a hobby, with that being said, there should be more categories geared towards the hobbyists and beginners.

6 years ago, user1234?

I like the app... but

I really like this app, but i feel the voting system is not fair and does not work properly, many times i had swapped pictures that had gotten more votes than the previous picture and i have not been awarded the swap, i had email them about this issue and the only thing I got was an automated message with no solution at all and the same thing keeps happening which is preventing me from going up in levels, also there are a lot of pictures that are either stolen from the internet or just pure photoshop... i know photoshop is a very useful tool used by many photographers around the world, but there are other photographers that still have pride on just taking awesome pictures just by the knowledge and settings on our cameras and that is not being appreciated, all this photoshopped pictures get all the votes and us the one doing real art don't get votes or the chance to advance within the app.

5 years ago, trailblaz3r

It’s too addictive

The whole voting system isn’t right. After your max exposure, no amount of voting you do helps. The filtration of photos uploaded needs to improve. I have seen blurry pics to pics off the internet added to challenges. Also, when Guru is picking, they shouldn’t be allowed to pick other gurus, instead give others a chance so they can move up as well as it can but discouraging. It’s nice to see pictures that are unique and you can learn from and gives you a different perspective and challenges your style. I have 3 challenges currently and will discontinue using the app after that. I found it to be too addicting with constantly having to vote with multiple challenges. Additionally, in the middle of voting, the app crashes so often and none of the votes save so you have to start all over. It’s very frustrating.

12 months ago, Taylorsr8

Great app for photographers. However…

I like this app but I’m a pretty competitive person. You can only get so far on the rankings without spending money. The app intentionally makes it so u don’t get as far. Your photos aren’t being exposed at the rate they were in the beginning of a competition. So at first your photos are getting votes and great exposure then the exposure stops. You have to make purchases to get far in the app. Might be deleting soon. Just frustrating that raw talent doesn’t get you far, your money does. People literally upload pictures of donuts and are ranked as a top photographer. I’m not talking rule of thirds, abstract, micro/macro kind of photo. Just a pic of a donut. Good luck. It will take years before you get ranked high on the app without spending money.

5 years ago, Daisy Sierra

Constant crashes on iPad

I love the game, learn a lot, but it crashes constantly on the iPad, which is what I use so I can see the photos, too small on phone app. Also phone app is not near as good as on iPad. If only i didn’t have to sign in constantly and if only it didn’t crash constantly, especially at critical moments. It’s beyond maddening. I can try 10 times in a row and will crash every time. Another problem is not with the app, but the game itself. The time consuming voting which forces you to choose photos that aren’t great because you don’t have 30 minutes to go through and pick worthy ones continually. So average photos win best photo many times. Maybe if their were better prizes, ACTUAL prizes, like ViewBug, it would be worth it to invest more time and money in swaps, etc. One star is for the continual crashing. It’s really really bad. Impossible to play like that. Useless app if constantly crashing.

6 years ago, Edgardo Villela

Fair?? Or pay to win??

The concept of this app is amazing, it really allows photographers to grow and provides a variety of different photo challenges. The one thing that really makes me question the app is the voting system. At a certain point your images will stop receiving votes and the only way to continue the votes is to “boost” an image. In order to “boost” an image you must unlock it by using a key, they provide you with 3 keys and you have to pay for more. It says the boost will unlock at a random time during the competition but I haven’t seen that happen yet. I’m not a fan of having to “boost” an image in order to have more exposure. I gave it one star only because they do not review the photos as close as they should. As stated in other reviews, people steal photos and post them for themselves and I reported a photo that I would categorize as child pornography. I really hope this app grows for the better.

5 months ago, YAY4TODAY

Still awful

Tried to report a photo as adult contact because someone with the maturity of a house fly thought it would be funny to write clock (minus the L) in the air with a light. Photo never listed as adult. You are never competed against those you can beat. I joined this years ago and got up to Master. I quit because of all the off topic photos and copyright infringement. I rejoined hoping it had improved. It hadn’t. Only gurus win. I am using the same photos I won with before and even better ones and I still don’t get squat. I’ve seen some amazing photos on there but they don’t win because they aren’t gurus. I’m convinced that the gurus are a bunch of people who have better than average photography skills but can’t make it in the real world doing photography. There are a lot of insanely awful photos on this app. I’m leaving for good now. I’m better than this app.

5 years ago, Keona B.

Played the game

I, like countless others, have played this game for many years. Although I recognize the gripes that others may have about it you must understand that this is a game and only a game. It is easy to forget and assume that this is a photo contest. If you get caught up in this line of thinking you will be sorely disappointed. If you can keep it in your head that this is only a game and playing it well matters more than the quality of your photos, you will do well. The magic is in the timing. Timing of your entry, timing of your swaps, timing of your boosts. Don’t get caught up in how good your pictures are and concentrate on learning the game and you will thoroughly enjoy it.

5 years ago, Adobrowolski

My view on this app

I really like using it and I participate a lot But it seem like after I got my top 20% I stopped leveling up and no matter what I did no matter what strategy no matter how I upped my game with my photos I’m stuck for a long time now and it is discouraging. I see a lot of pics on here that don’t belong. I report them. Also I am not going to be able to go on Safari and take great lion pictures in their natural habitat so why are they on here as an amateur that is discouraging also you set the bar too high but then you let us amateurs in! That part really needs to change. I’m never going to be able to get Anywhere with that kind of competition.

4 years ago, jeezus27

Unfairness of photo removal

I was reported by the users for spam on one of my photos which I own legally 100%. I took this picture from the Texas aquarium in Corpus Christi a year ago. No notification was given to investigate the photo, nor was I contacted about this issue. I have enjoyed this app but this action has changed my mind about. This is unfair to users with amazing photos that are wrongfully removed because other users deemed them “spam”. There are hundreds of copyrighted photos on this app that are uploaded. So why is my authentic photo removed, my property. I would answer and an explanation why you developers felt the need to remove my photo. I don’t want an automated response either. This is extremely frustrating and pushes me away from uploading so people can enjoy my photos. It brings joy to my heart to see people vote and like my photos but you developers ripped that away from me.

6 years ago, Gabaga623

Fun app with a few drawbacks

I love this app— its a great idea and a fun game. There are a few things I would change. First, the layout, I find it more difficult than it should be to find the list of challenges to enter. Second, I wish there was a little bit better of a ranking system for photographers. Maybe a little background info on each photographer that would then categorize them. Think about it, how is an iPhone camera supposed to compete with $20,000 worth of camera equipment? It can’t. If there were different categories to enter within each challenge, I think it would overall be more fun. I also am not too sure I like the be featured in a gallery option.. I wouldn’t want my pictures to be used somewhere I couldn’t physically see them.

6 years ago, sillyturtle

Great concept, poor execution.

I love that there’s an app out there making a fun game out of sharing pictures with fellow photographers, but more often than not most submissions for contests are either low quality screenshots from someone’s Snapchat, untasteful nudity, stolen photos (I seriously doubt you personally know Kristen Stewart, Carol), or photos that literally have nothing to do with the contest (someone seriously submitted a closeup shot of eyes for a contest labeled Mouth/Lips). It’s frustrating to see some of these get top rank. I also feel like the voting algorithms are terrible, because once I get to a certain number of votes, I don’t get any more for the rest of the contest period. At all. I get that it’s to make things more fair, but I don’t think I’m ever going to even get close to winning something. I wish the app was also focused on photographers sharing tips and critiques for photos, so we can learn to better hone our skill. Finally, I think the biggest thing for me is the fact that there’s no place to put your website or link to your Instagram on your profile! It would make for a good feature so photographers such as myself can get more exposure. This is an awesome idea for an app but it needs to be improved.

2 months ago, HLaura444

Turbo is a joke

I understand that GuruShots is a game and a business, but Turbo has ruined it. To limit play with a guessing game that involve ZERO photographic skills has undermined what integrity the game once had. Those of us who have been around forever have voiced our displeasure, but they don’t care. We’ve even told them that if they would just give the turbo for the price of a key after one fail, we could live with that. Instead most of us sit out the challenges. I play less than half the number of challenges I used to and I spend far less so I guess I should be happy. The only thing keeping me around at all is team play, but turbo severely limits that as well. I know they won’t listen and will remove this review like they have the others.

2 years ago, Kyle.ob77

issues need to be fixed.

I formally would have rated this app five stars no problem, however, for the past several months if I don’t want to use the images that they recommend, it will not let me add new images to my post. I can click on the plus button all I want and it won’t do any good, and the very seldom times that that menu does open, I will select my I will select my images and hits done and all the sudden they’re all gone and it’s back to the recommendations. The only thing that I seem to be able to do is cycle through recommendations and post one of them. I will no longer participate in this appl until it is fixed! there’s no point in these competitions if I can’t enter photos that deserve to be in the competition.

5 years ago, Sydnee1,000

Needs To Be More Fair

I just downloaded this app a couple days ago and can say that it is fun to take photos and be apart of a challenge, but I think that some of it is very unfair. You only get about 3 of each boost to start with but once you're out, you're out. The next levels require you to pay for more boosts. Unless you make it to the #1 rank in the challenge. Which all of the "Guru's" get because they're all at the top. I think that you should at least get one of each boost a day or play an ad to get one boost and restrict how many times you play an ad a day. Although this app is quite unfair, I still want to build my career off of it to become a photographer.

Description

GuruShots makes your photography more fun, exciting and rewarding. Join our photography community with over 7M photography lovers from around the world and take your photography to the next level. Discover incredible photos taken by some of the world’s most talented creatives, ranging from mobile creatives to hobbyists and photography professionals. Grab a camera and join the game! Inspire and get inspired, learn photography, develop your own style and get the exposure you deserve. Enjoy fun and challenging gameplay that will test your creativity. PLAY Choose from 300+ new themed photo challenges every month. Submit your photos and find out how good they really are. Gain votes on your photos and level up the ranks to achieve the ultimate title of Guru. Experience a new way to share photos. Capture fresh photos with your camera or dust off photos you already have and compete against others in the world’s greatest photography game. Boost your photos, fill the exposure meter or even swap a photo to gain maximum exposure and win the challenge. What’s your strategy? TRACK Track your progress in real-time throughout the game. Vote on other players’ photos, collect votes and see how you rank compared to others. Your voting power increases with every level. ACHIEVE Improve your photography and sharpen your camera skills through gameplay. Earn badges, collect achievements and get recognition for your photography. Receive instant feedback on your photos from photographers around the world who share their knowledge and help you become a better photographer. TEAM UP Join a team or create your own and take on challenges together! Participate in team vs team matches. Chat with other members and track your team score in real-time. Move up Team Leagues and win bigger prizes! SHOWCASE Submit your photos to an exhibition challenge for a chance to showcase your work in international photo exhibitions. Connect with fellow photography enthusiasts from all over the world. Over 100,000 GuruShots members have already exhibited their photos. Special magazine challenges give you the chance to get your photos featured in leading online and printed photography magazines. GuruShots is a one-of-a-kind photography community with members at any level from mobile creators to DSLR camera photographers. Download the app or enjoy it on the web for free. Let the fun begin! SOCIAL MEDIA www.gurushots.com/ www.facebook.com/gurushots www.instagram.com/gurushots www.youtube.com/user/gurushots