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Message from our founder Ralf Stelander, and from the management
Published the 24th of June 2026 by Head Editor Yvette Depaepe
1X has always celebrated creativity, personal vision, and meaningful artistic exploration.
Our strength lies in our photographers, who push themselves to create unique images through their choice of subject matter, composition, light, storytelling or emotion.
by Laura Mexia
Recently, however, a growing trend has emerged that deserves reflection. More photographers are submitting multiple versions of essentially the same image: a colour version alongside a black-and-white version, or a series of nearly identical photographs where only a very minor detail differs.
Experimentation is a vital part of artistic development. The issue arises when multiple versions of the same creative work are presented as separate submissions within a curated community whose purpose is to showcase distinct artistic achievements.
A color image and its black-and-white conversion may offer different emotional interpretations, but they originate from the same moment, the same composition, and the same creative decision. Likewise, a sequence of images captured seconds apart, differing only by a slight change in expression, posture, or crop, rarely represents a new artistic concept. Instead of expanding the diversity of the collection, such submissions can unintentionally reduce it.
The value of a curated platform lies in encouraging photographers to make creative choices. Selecting the strongest interpretation of an image is itself part of the artistic process. Presenting several variations dilutes the impact of the work.
This principle is reflected in the spirit of the 1x FAQ and submission guidelines, which emphasize originality, uniqueness, and meaningful distinction between published works.
The intention is not to discourage experimentation but to encourage photographers to share their most compelling final vision rather than multiple versions of the same idea.
A strong portfolio is not built on variations; it is built on distinct creative statements. Each image should justify its place through its own visual identity and artistic purpose. When photographers focus on presenting their strongest interpretation rather than every possible interpretation, the entire community benefits.
As photographers, we all face the challenge of deciding which version best represents our vision. That decision can be difficult, but it is also an essential part of the creative journey. By embracing that responsibility, we help preserve the standards, diversity, and artistic integrity that have long defined the spirit of the 1x community.
Read here the entire FAQ
 | Write |
 | Hemanta Swain PRO Improve the image curation system by making it adaptive and skill-aware. The platform should first assess a user’s skill level, preferred genres, and demonstrated interests based on past interactions and curation history. Using this profile, it should dynamically select and present images that are appropriately matched in difficulty, style, and genre relevance.
Introduce a performance-based feedback loop where the system tracks curation outcomes—such as accuracy, consistency, aesthetic alignment, and genre correctness—and converts them into a “curation proficiency score” per genre. Based on this score, the system should continuously adjust the selection of images shown: guiding beginners with simpler, more structured sets, and progressively challenging advanced users with more nuanced and ambiguous compositions.
Over time, this creates a personalized learning and evaluation path where users are not randomly shown images, but are instead guided through a structured progression of curation tasks tailored to their strengths, weaknesses, and evolving expertise. |
| | Hemanta Swain PRO Perfect! Also I have some recommendation.
Improve the curation system by personalizing image selection based on each user’s skill level, genre preference, and past interaction history. Track performance across genres to build a curation proficiency score, and use it to adapt difficulty and style of images shown. Beginners receive guided, simpler sets, while advanced users get more complex and nuanced selections. Over time, the system should continuously refine image delivery to match user growth and strengths. |
 | William Trainor I stopped submitting to 1x several years ago. Part of the reason was that as I examined the selected images every day, I had found a remarkable number of similar photos selected as though "Unique" was not a regular part of selection. That made me wonder how the selection process was done. I suspected that the committee allowed individuals to "Select" based on their image preference. So Bird day, Spiral staircase day, portrait day, Street day, Landscape day etc. Since I found 1x, I have examined most of the "Selected" images daily in order to see what the world of photography was doing, hoping to improve my image selection and projects. I commented a lot of times about that issue and even did some analysis of the image choices with hundreds of the selected images. I am glad that this issue is being raised and hope that the process of selection raises the level of importance to images with unique intent. |
 | Yvette Depaepe CREW We hope to see your work here again, William and of course, the selection process will be correct and more efficient. |
 | Vladimir Funtak PRO I agree 100%. |
| Yvette Depaepe CREW Glad with your positive reaction, Vladimir. Cheers, yvette |