Understanding Your Photo Score - A Complete Guide
Learn how LENSIC evaluates your photographs across different genres and sub-genres. Understand the 5-category scoring system, how scores vary by style, and how to use feedback for improvement.
Making Sense of Your Photo Evaluation
You've uploaded your photo to LENSIC and received a score. Now what? This guide helps you interpret your results effectively, understand what drives your scores, and use this information to improve your photography.
The LENSIC Scoring System
LENSIC evaluates photographs on a 100-point scale, divided into five categories worth 20 points each. What makes our system unique is that the evaluation categories change based on your photo's style—not just the genre you select.
Two-Step Classification
When you submit a photo, LENSIC performs a two-step evaluation:
For example, if you select "Landscape," your photo might be classified as:
- Epic Landscape: Grand vistas, dramatic light, three-layer depth
- Intimate Landscape: Minimalist, contemplative, pattern-focused
Each sub-genre is evaluated on different criteria—because what makes an epic landscape successful is fundamentally different from what makes an intimate landscape work.
Evaluation Categories by Genre
Landscape Photography
Epic Landscapes (scale, drama, grandeur):- Composition (20 pts): Visual flow from foreground to infinity
- Light (20 pts): Quality and drama of natural light
- Atmosphere (20 pts): Weather, clouds, environmental conditions
- Technical (20 pts): Sharpness, exposure, filter work
- Vision (20 pts): Artistic intent and gallery-worthiness
- Composition (20 pts): Intentional minimalism and negative space
- Light (20 pts): Subtle illumination revealing hidden details
- Atmosphere (20 pts): Contemplative, meditative quality
- Technical (20 pts): Tonal control and processing finesse
- Vision (20 pts): Transforming mundane into profound
Portrait Photography
Studio Portraits (controlled environment):- Lighting (20 pts): Mastery of artificial light
- Skin (20 pts): Skin rendering and tone quality
- Expression (20 pts): Emotional connection through eyes
- Posing (20 pts): Body positioning and form
- Technical (20 pts): Focus, exposure, and finishing
- Context (20 pts): Does the environment reveal who the subject is?
- Harmony (20 pts): Subject-environment integration
- Lighting (20 pts): Use of available light
- Presence (20 pts): Authentic connection to space
- Technical (20 pts): Exposure balance and focus
- Vision (20 pts): Clear artistic concept
- Atmosphere (20 pts): Emotional atmosphere
- Intention (20 pts): Deliberate unconventional choices
- Composition (20 pts): Spatial arrangement serving the vision
- Technical (20 pts): Consistency with artistic intent
Street Photography
Decisive Moment (perfect timing):- Moment (20 pts): Shutter released at the perfect instant
- Expression (20 pts): Human gesture and emotion
- Narrative (20 pts): Story within a single frame
- Composition (20 pts): Framing that amplifies the moment
- Technical (20 pts): Execution serving the moment
- Atmosphere (20 pts): Emotional mood and poetry
- Layers (20 pts): Visual depth and frame-within-frame
- Color (20 pts): Color harmony and palette
- Composition (20 pts): Geometric flow
- Technical (20 pts): Choices serving the atmosphere
- Energy (20 pts): Urban tension and intensity
- Presence (20 pts): Photographer-subject confrontation
- Rawness (20 pts): Intentional grit as style
- Composition (20 pts): Deliberate chaos
- Technical (20 pts): Consistent aesthetic approach
Understanding Your Score
Your total score provides a general benchmark, but category scores reveal the real story. Two photographers with identical total scores may have very different profiles—one might be well-rounded while the other excels in some areas but needs work in others.
Looking at your category breakdown helps you understand:
- Which aspects of your photography are strongest
- Where focused improvement would yield the biggest gains
- How your skills compare across different evaluation dimensions
Genre and Sub-genre Selection
Selecting the right genre is crucial. A moody, grain-heavy street photograph won't be penalized for the same qualities that would diminish a clean portrait—but only if it's classified correctly.When your photo is evaluated:
- LENSIC first determines which sub-genre style your image represents
- Then applies criteria specific to that style
- "Good technique" means different things in different contexts
A deliberately blurry, high-contrast Raw street photo is evaluated against Raw street photography standards—where blur and grain can be strengths—not against Decisive Moment standards where they'd be flaws.
Using Scores for Improvement
Track Patterns, Not Individual Scores
Single scores can vary based on subject difficulty and creative intent. What matters is patterns:
- Which category consistently scores lowest?
- Are certain styles scoring higher than others?
- Is there an upward trend over time?
Focus on Lowest Categories First
If your composition scores consistently lag behind other areas, that's where you'll see the biggest gains from focused practice.
Don't Chase Perfect Scores
A "perfect" 100 isn't the goal. Many intentionally unconventional images score lower on traditional metrics while succeeding artistically. Use scores as feedback, not as the definition of success.
Common Questions
Why Did My Best Photo Score Lower Than Expected?
Several possibilities:
- Sub-genre mismatch: Your artistic intent may differ from how the image was classified
- Intentional rule-breaking: Creative risks might lower scores in certain categories
- Processing choices: Heavy editing affects different categories differently
Why Are My Categories Different From My Friend's?
LENSIC uses style-specific categories. If you shot a dramatic epic landscape and your friend shot a minimalist intimate landscape—even in the same location—you'll be evaluated on different criteria.
Can I Request a Different Sub-genre Classification?
Currently, classification is automatic based on visual analysis. If you feel your image was misclassified, consider whether it might actually fit between styles. Sometimes the most interesting images don't fit neatly into categories.
Beyond the Numbers
Remember that scores are tools, not verdicts. They provide objective benchmarks for improvement but don't capture everything that makes a photograph meaningful.
The most important photos in history don't necessarily score highest on any metrics. Use scores to build skills, but never let them limit your creative vision.
Final Thoughts
Your photo score is a starting point for conversation, not the final word on your image's worth. Use it to:
- Identify specific areas for improvement
- Track progress over time
- Understand what's working in your photography
The goal isn't perfect scores—it's becoming the photographer you want to be.
Ready to see how your photos measure up? Upload to LENSIC and receive detailed, style-specific feedback.
Written by LENSIC Team