Photo Kaizen operates on a flexible pay-per-critique model, allowing you to choose the option that best fits your needs:

1. Single image critique: $20 - Perfect for getting focused feedback on a specific photo.
2. Five image package: $75 ($15 per image) - Save 25% compared to individual submissions. Ideal for testing several images of different styles or subjects within the same genre, helping you understand your strengths across various approaches.
3. Folio or project critique: $145 (10-20 images, as low as $7.25 per image) - Our best value, designed for a cohesive body of work. This critique focuses less on individual images and more on identifying improvements across the entire set, as well as how the images work together in the provided context.

All options include our detailed expert critique, tailored to your skill level and goals. During the image submission process, you have the opportunity to ask additional questions and provide context for your images. This allows our experts to provide more relevant and targeted feedback, ensuring you get the most value from your critique.

At Photo Kaizen, we offer critiques across a wide spectrum of photography genres, including but not limited to:

1. Landscape: Classic, Aerial, Drone, Seascape, Cityscape, Storms, Astrophotography, Infrared, Light painting, Intentional Camera Movement (ICM)
2. Portrait: Environmental, Studio, Headshot, Group, Family, Newborn, School, Boudoir, Glamour, Lifestyle, Candid, Self-portraits
3. Animal Portrait: Pets, Domestic Animals, Agricultural Animals, Zoo Animals
4. Nature: Wildlife, Birds, Macro, Underwater, Botanical
5. Documentary: Photojournalism, War/Conflict, Social Issues, Sports, Performance, Theatre, Circus, Music
6. Travel: Cultural Events, Adventure, Street, Urban Exploration (Urbex)
7. Wedding: Engagement, Ceremonies, Trash the Dress
8. Commercial: Product, Food, Fashion, Advertising, Editorial, Automotive, Stock
9. Fine Art: Abstract, Conceptual, Minimalist, Experimental, Photography-Based Digital Art, Creative Composites
10. Architecture: Interior, Exterior, Real Estate, Fixtures, Industrial

We're constantly evaluating our offerings based on demand and expert availability. In the future, we may expand to include technical photography genres such as medical, scientific, and other specialist fields.

At Photo Kaizen, we've designed our submission process to be flexible while ensuring thorough attention to each critique. Here's how it works:

1. Active Submissions: You can have one submission of each type (individual, 5-pack, and folio) active at any given time.
2. Multiple Genres: You're welcome to have active submissions across different genres simultaneously.
3. Renewal: Once a submission has been assessed and the critique delivered, you're free to submit another in that category.
4. Simultaneous Submissions: For example, you could have an individual landscape photo, a 5-pack of portraits, and a folio of wildlife images all under review at the same time.

This approach allows you to receive diverse feedback across various aspects of your work while ensuring our experts can dedicate appropriate time and attention to each submission.

If you have a specific need that doesn't fit within these guidelines, please don't hesitate to contact us, and we'll do our best to accommodate your request.

At Photo Kaizen, we offer multiple ways to submit your work for critique, catering to various needs and goals:

1. Single Image: Perfect for focused feedback on a specific photograph.
2. Series of Images: Our five-image package allows you to submit a small series, ideal for comparing different styles or subjects within the same genre.
3. Portfolio or Project (10-20 images): This option provides a comprehensive review of a cohesive body of work. Submitting a folio is particularly beneficial for:
   • Exhibition Preparation: Get valuable insights on image selection, sequencing, and overall impact before presenting your work to the public.
   • Website Curation: Receive guidance on how to best present your portfolio online, ensuring a strong and cohesive representation of your work.
   • Professional Recognition: Ideal for those preparing submissions for titles or recognition from professional industry bodies or camera club organizations.
   • Competition Entries: Refine your selection for photography competitions that require multiple image submissions.
   • Style Development: Understand patterns in your work, identify your strengths, and get advice on developing a consistent style across your images.
   • Project Refinement: For those working on long-term photographic projects, get insights on the direction and coherence of your work.

The folio critique focuses not just on individual images, but on how they work together, overall impact, and patterns for improvement across your body of work.

Whether you're looking for feedback on a specific image, exploring various styles, or seeking a comprehensive review of your work, we have an option to suit your photographic goals and stage in your creative journey.

At Photo Kaizen, we currently provide our critiques in a detailed written format. Our expert reviewers offer comprehensive feedback that includes:

• Technical analysis of the image
• Compositional insights
• Artistic interpretation and impact
• Specific suggestions for improvement
• Acknowledgment of the image's strengths

We believe this written format allows for thorough, well-considered feedback that you can revisit and reflect upon as you continue to develop your skills.

While our current focus is on written critiques, we're always exploring ways to enhance our service and provide feedback in formats that are most beneficial to our users. We're actively considering the possibility of introducing video critiques in the future, which would allow for more dynamic and visual explanations.

Our commitment is to evolve our services based on user needs and expert availability, always aiming to provide the most valuable and actionable feedback possible.

Absolutely! Our critiques cover the entire photographic process, from in-camera decisions to post-processing choices.

When you submit your finished photograph, our experts will provide feedback on both the approach to the subject and compositional choices made during capture, as well as the post-processing decisions and their impact on the final result.

We understand that processing techniques can vary greatly depending on the image and its intended purpose. Our critique focuses on how well the processing supports the overall intention of the photograph, rather than adhering to rigid rules or guidelines.

This holistic approach ensures that you receive feedback that's tailored to your specific image and photographic goals.

Our service caters to photographers of all skill levels, from those seeking feedback on their first photoshoot to experts competing for the highest honors in photography.

Our feedback is tailored to suggest the next steps for improving each photograph while also recognizing what you're doing effectively. For beginners, this might mean feedback on composition that could improve their photography immeasurably. For experts, it could be insights that affect an image in subtle ways but could make the difference between winning a career-defining accolade and just missing out by the finest of margins.

Regardless of your experience level, our goal is to provide valuable, actionable critique that helps elevate your photography to the next level.

PhotoKaizen is available to photographers worldwide. Currently, our service is provided in English, but we're excited about the possibility of offering critiques in additional languages in the future. Our goal is to make expert photography feedback accessible to as many photographers as possible, regardless of their location.

At Photo Kaizen, we strive to provide timely feedback without compromising on quality. Here's what you can expect:

• Standard turnaround: We aim to deliver critiques within 3 business days of submission.
• Potential variations: Our experts are active industry professionals, which occasionally may lead to slight delays. In such cases, we may have another qualified expert step in, which could add 1-2 days to the process.
• Notification process: Once your critique is completed, you'll receive both an email and a notification through our website, ensuring you don't miss your feedback.

We're committed to balancing prompt service with thorough, thoughtful critiques. If you have any time-sensitive requests, please let us know when submitting, and we'll do our best to accommodate your needs.

We certainly do recognize high-quality submissions. Here's how it works:

1. Image Scoring and Awards: Each critique includes a score to help you gauge where your image stands. Based on these scores, you may receive a Commendation, Highly Commended, Silver Award, Gold Award, or Diamond Award. While these awards might sound like other photography competitions, with Photo Kaizen the only person you are competing with is yourself. These recognitions are meant to mark your personal growth and achievements.
2. Titles and Trophies: For those who consistently submit high-quality images, we offer the opportunity to earn titles with Photo Kaizen and even receive trophies. 
3. Future Achievements: We're keeping records of all your scores. This means that if we introduce new achievements in the future, your past submissions will count towards them.

You can see more about these levels in the dashboard when logged in.

We stand behind the quality of our critiques with a satisfaction guarantee. If you're unhappy with the feedback you receive, here's how we address it:

1. Contact us to explain your concerns.
2. We'll review your case and may offer a new critique if we determine that the initial feedback didn't meet our high standards.
3. If a new critique isn't appropriate, we offer a full refund.

While we provide this guarantee, we kindly ask you to keep in mind that receiving opinions that may conflict with your own is an integral part of the critique process and can be a valuable pathway to growth as a photographer.

Currently our focus is on delivering high-quality critiques and perfecting our systems. We recommend using our critique services regularly to build on the feedback you receive, allowing you to submit work that reflects your ongoing growth and receive guidance on progressing even further.

Looking ahead, we plan to introduce mentoring sessions with some of our experts. This will provide additional opportunities for in-depth discussion and personalized guidance.

We're committed to evolving our services to best support your photographic journey, so stay tuned for updates on these future offerings.

Our critiques are provided through detailed written responses. However, we're always looking to expand our services to meet our community's needs. In the future, we're considering offering live mentoring sessions with real-time critique, as well as community-based critique sessions where photographers can interact and learn from each other. These potential additions are still in the planning stages. When we're ready to launch any new features, we'll make sure our existing community members are the first to know. Stay tuned for updates!

At present, our primary focus is on ensuring the highest quality and efficiency of our critique service. However, we have active plans to expand our educational offerings. In the near future, we aim to publish:

1. Online photography courses focused on developing genre-specific skills
2. A specialized course designed to improve judging and image interpretation skills, drawing on the expertise of our critique team

These upcoming resources will complement our critique service, providing you with additional tools to enhance your photographic skills and deepen your understanding of image evaluation. Stay tuned for announcements about these exciting additions to our platform.

Photo Kaizen stands out from other services in several ways:

Compared to other online critique services:

• We offer feedback from carefully vetted experts chosen for their educational ability.
• Our pricing is accessible, bridging the gap between free forums and valuable mentoring services.
• We provide recognition through certificates, badges, and awards, which most critique services don't offer.
• It can be difficult to know who to approach for critique. We make this easier by connecting your work with genre experts.

Compared to photography awards:

• Our feedback is more thorough and timely than typical competition feedback.
• We offer award-like accolades without the pressure of competing against others - you're only competing with yourself.
• Our service can be an excellent way to prepare for major photography awards.

Compared to online photography forums:

• We ensure consistent, high-quality feedback from paid experts, unlike forums where quality can vary and top contributors may leave over time.
• Our experts are vetted to provide accurate and constructive criticism, avoiding potentially harmful or incorrect advice.

Overall, Photo Kaizen aims to make expert critique accessible, timely, and focused on your personal growth as a photographer.

Our team of genre experts is carefully curated by Matt Palmer, drawing on his extensive network in the photography industry. The selection process is rigorous, focusing on individuals who possess:

1. Exceptional talent in their specific genre of photography
2. Extensive experience in judging and critiquing photography
3. A proven track record of providing empathetic, constructive, and educational feedback

Matt's unique position in the industry - including his roles in award committees, photography industry bodies, and his connections with chairs of jurors for global competitions - allows him to identify and recruit experts who meet these high standards.

While we maintain the anonymity of our experts to ensure unbiased critiques, you can be confident that your work will be reviewed by professionals who are not only masters in their field but also skilled in nurturing photographic talent through thoughtful, constructive feedback.

Our goal is to assemble a team that can provide insightful, industry-level critiques across all the genres we cover, helping photographers at every level to grow and improve their craft. The experts we choose are those who can not only identify areas for improvement but also communicate these insights in a way that inspires and educates.

Your work will be assigned to a genre expert specializing in the category you've selected. While you cannot specify a particular expert to critique your work, this approach ensures specialized feedback for each submission. We're confident in the quality of our critiques, but we also offer a satisfaction guarantee if you have any concerns about the feedback you receive.

We take the privacy and security of your submitted images seriously. Your photographs will not be shared outside of our secure platform and our vetted experts unless you provide explicit permission to do so. For more detailed information about our privacy practices and security measures, please refer to our Terms and Conditions.

I'm passionate about enabling photographers to produce their best work, enjoy their craft, and create positive impacts in their communities.

I have worked in the creative industries for over 25 years, with over 15 of those in the photographic industries.

During that time I've judged over 30 major photographic competitions and won;

Australian Professional Photographer of the Year

Australian Professional Landscape Photographer of the Year

Australian Professional Sports Photographer of the Year

Australian Travel Photographer of the Year

Australian Documentary Photographer of the Year

As well as winning over 200 other national and international awards. You can see more about that at mattpalmer.co

I have also published two books, exhibited multiple times, presented at major conferences, and perhaps unexpectedly completed a training and assessment qualification and taught photography in tertiary education.

I attribute most of my success to receiving fantastic advice throughout my career from peers and industry experts which I look to make available to others through Photo Kaizen.