How should the rating be read?
The number in a profile is an editorial score across ten verifiable criteria, not an average of user stars. It's best read together with the profile text: that's where you can see which conditions a photographer looks stronger in and where the editors leave a caveat. If a score seems debatable, you can argue it on a specific criterion rather than with the whole black box at once.
What does the rating not show?
A lot of what gets decided on the shoot itself. The open work won't tell you whether a photographer turned up forty minutes late or arrived early, how they hold up when a client is tired and changes the plan on the fly, how evenly the whole client gallery is shot — only the best frames make it into the feed — or how they respond to a request to reshoot or tweak something. So a high score means strong verifiable signals, but it's no guarantee that one particular shoot will go perfectly.
Does the editor's personal taste affect a score?
An editor may have a subjective opinion of one photographer or another, but the methodology is applied to everyone the same way. The style score is the one genuinely human judgment in the whole method, and it has to stand up to comparison: if someone is given a five for style, that decision is held against other work that scored five.
Why don't you count reviews and Google stars?
Reviews on Google, TripAdvisor, and similar sites are usually polarized — either five stars or one — and are often written on emotion right after a shoot. In the end they measure customer service and the client's mood, not the quality of the photography itself, which is why they don't enter the rating calculation.
Can a place in the rating be bought?
No. Neither an ad banner, nor a paid profile, nor a promise of leads moves a position — a place in the rating isn't for sale. The catalog is funded independently; otherwise the rating itself would quickly lose its meaning.
Do you take a commission on bookings?
No. We don't take a share of shoots booked after the catalog. The client pays the photographer directly, and we play no part in that deal.
What do the editors do, and what don't they?
The editors describe Pattaya photographers from open material — portfolios, websites, social profiles — and help the reader work out faster who looks stronger in the specific conditions of resort shooting. What they don't do: they don't book shoots, don't negotiate in the client's place, don't guarantee any given photographer's result, and don't sell places in the rating.
Who stands behind the catalog, and why are the editors anonymous?
The editorial team is made up of working photographers, attentive viewers, former art assistants, and people from the tourism world. We don't publish names on purpose: the catalog doesn't build its authority on biographies — for us the method of visibility matters more than personal credentials. The reader can check how the editors arrive at each score for themselves, from the same open sources the editor used.
What is the catalog for?
Above all, to teach people to look: the articles break down how to read light, route, and a portfolio, and they speak to both sides — the client making a choice and the photographer who's still growing. And a rating on verifiable signals gradually nudges the local market toward more transparency and order.
Do the editors respond to requests?
The editors read every message, but a reply depends on what the message is about and whether the information can be checked. A request with a specific link, a fact, or a new public series is usually more useful than a general plea to raise a score.
Why isn't a photographer I know in the catalog?
The catalog only finds people who leave an open trail — a website, social media, profiles in other catalogs, a visible body of work. A photographer who works only through closed channels — private messengers, closed groups, hand-to-hand referrals via hotels and agencies — leaves almost no such traces, and may not turn up here. This isn't a judgment on their work; it's a limit of the method. If you know a photographer like that, you can point us to them through the form on the contacts page.
Why are there no photographers from Phuket or Samui here?
This is a Pattaya catalog, so a photographer is listed only with a real tie to the city — if they shoot here or name Pattaya among the places they work. People who work only in other regions of Thailand and aren't present in Pattaya, we don't publish. It's not a low score, just outside the catalog's scope.
How can a photographer request a profile review?
Write through the form on the contacts page and say what exactly has changed: a new series of work, command of controlled lighting, a wider range of genres or geography, new languages of communication. The editors will go back over the open signals. The request doesn't buy a position — it only gives a reason to look again; sometimes the score changes after that, sometimes it stays the same.
How do I fix a factual error in a profile?
If a profile lists the wrong tenure, work area, or languages of communication, write through the contact form — we'll correct it after checking against open sources.
How do I remove my profile from the catalog?
A photographer can ask to have a profile removed — we'll do it without questions, and the rating is wiped in the process. Just write through the form on the contacts page.