Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

The LFI Gallery is an online platform that enables registered members to upload and share their photos with fellow photography enthusiasts around the world. In addition, users have the chance to present their pictures to the editorial staff of LFI (Leica Fotografie International) magazine, who carry out daily evaluations and award the best works.

No, the gallery is available to all photographers, no matter what brand of camera you use. However, certain sections of the gallery are reserved for Leica photographers (for example, the Leica Mastershots).

Yes. The LFI Gallery is a free service provided by LFI Photographie GmbH.

No. As stated in our terms and conditions, all rights remain with the author of the image, who simply gives us permission to use the submitted work within the framework of the LFI Gallery. You can continue to sell, print, edit (etc.) your pictures. The only restriction is that you cannot grant exclusive use of an uploaded image to a third party while it is still displayed on the LFI Gallery site. We will not pass photos on to third parties without your written consent. You can delete your photos from our servers at any time.

Click on Sign Up and supply your details. An activation email will be sent to the address you provided. Simply click on the link contained in the email to activate your user account. If you haven’t received an email, please check your spam folder. If this is unsuccessful, please contact the site administrator: gallery(at)lfi-online.de

Have you registered successfully and received an email to activate your user account? Please click on the link in the email to activate your account. You didn’t receive the link? Please check your spam folder. If you are still unable to find it, or are experiencing any other problems with logging in, please contact the site administrator: gallery(at)lfi-online.de
IMPORTANT: In order to log in, your browser must allow cookies.

Click on the ‘Forget your password?’ button on the login page, and enter the login details and email address you used to register. You will then receive an email that lets you reset your password. If you don’t receive an email, please contact the site administrator: gallery(at)lfi-online.de

Log in and click first on ‘My Gallery’, then the user symbol in the menu bar – this will allow you to change your password.

Log in and click first on ‘My Gallery’, then the user symbol in the menu bar – this will allow you to change your name and photographer name.

All you have to do is tell us that you would like to delete your account at gallery(at)lfi-online.de. Your request will be processed as quickly as possible, and your account will be removed.

In order to upload a picture, you must be a registered user. Select ‘upload’ in the menu. Now you can either use your mouse to drag & drop up to ten pictures into the designated area, or choose your images using the ‘select your photos’ button. The pictures will then be uploaded. Image files must not be larger than 15 MB. On the next page, you will be asked to enter your picture titles, descriptions and key words. You can simultaneously sort an image into an album and also submit it for the Mastershots. In order to qualify for the Mastershots selection, you must enter some additional information in the description box (see: How do I submit an image for the Leica Mastershots?). If you don't allocate your picture to an album, it will automatically be placed in your private Inbox album.

Only pictures with a maximum file size of 15 MB will be accepted. Larger files will not successfully upload. Problems can also arise if you’re using a format other than JPG. If this is the case, simply save the image as a JPG and try uploading it again. Should you still experience problems, please contact the site administrator at gallery(at)lfi-online.de. Also remember to confirm that you accept the terms and conditions.

Please upload your picture in JPG format only. Avoid using ‘Save for Web’, in order to retain the EXIF file. Please don’t add any watermarks, frames, passe-partouts, name stamps, signatures or other writing to your photographs.

The maximum size for image files is 15 MB.

Yes, you can upload up to ten photos at a time. Please note that only photos in JPG format are permitted, with a maximum file size of 15 MB.

No, you don’t. If you simply upload the photos to your albums, it is entirely up to you whether you add a title, description or camera type – but you should note that adding these specifications will boost your visibility in the community. When applying for the Leica Mastershots, however, you must enter some additional information in the description box (see: ‘How do I submit an image for the Leica Mastershots?’) in order for you picture to be considered.

In the LFI Gallery, your pictures can be sorted into albums, labeled and tagged. To edit your images, you use the pencil icon: in your album’s picture overview, simply move the mouse over the relevant image, and you will see the pencil icon appear near the top-right corner of the picture. This allows you to change the image title, download the picture, delete it, move it into another album, or submit it for the Leica Mastershots. Remember to save your changes when you’re done. Click and hold the arrow-cross icon (displayed in the top-left corner of the image) in order to drag the picture to a different place in the album, or into another album.

Go to the overview of images in ‘My Albums’. Move the mouse over the relevant picture, and you will see a red X icon on the top edge of the image. Click on the X to remove the image from the album as well as your Inbox. Alternatively, you can delete images in the editing menu (via the pencil icon).

Select the album whose contents you would like to rearrange. Click and hold the arrow-cross icon (displayed in the top-left corner of the image) in order to drag the picture to a different place in the album, or into another album.

You can see the images you’ve uploaded in ‘My Gallery’. Other users can see your pictures on your photographer’s profile.

The Inbox is your personal section: it is an album that other users of the LFI Gallery are not able to view. The Inbox contains images you have uploaded, but not yet placed in an album.

Go to ‘My Albums’, and click on the ‘Plus’ icon in the album bar to create a new album.

To edit an album, hover the mouse over the image until a pencil icon appears in the top-right corner of the picture. Click on the pencil icon: you are now able to change the album title and description, add tags (separated by commas), or delete the album. Remember to save your changes when you’re done. Changing the sequence of your albums is currently not possible.

The first photograph in your album automatically becomes the album's cover picture. So all you have to do is move the desired picture into this position. Click and hold the arrow-cross icon (displayed in the top-left corner of the image) and simply drag the picture to the first position in your album.

Click and hold the arrow-cross icon in order to drag an image to a different place in the album, or drag it into another album. Simply hover your mouse over the relevant image until an arrow-cross icon appears in the upper-left corner of the picture. This is where you can ‘grab’ the image (click and hold down the mouse key). You can now drag the image along the album bar, and drop it into the album of your choice. Alternatively, you can use the pencil icon (see ‘How do I manage my pictures?’), which allows you to select an album via a drop-down menu.

Your photographer’s profile and your albums (with the exception of your Inbox) are visible to all visitors of the LFI Gallery. The Inbox is only visible to you and the site administration.

Log into the LFI Gallery and click on the user icon in the top bar. In this section, you can upload a profile picture and change your personal details. Make sure you save your changes when you’re done.

This section of the website is curated by the picture editors of LFI magazine, and features the best Leica pictures in the LFI.Gallery. This part of the website is dedicated to Leica photographers – meaning that the images featured here must have been taken with a Leica camera body (lenses by other manufacturers are also permitted).

Once you are registered as a member of the LFI Gallery, you are able to upload your images via the ‘Upload’ button. To submit a picture for the Leica Mastershots, you have two options: you can either do so in the course of the uploading process, or you can submit a previously uploaded image with the aid of the pencil icon (see: ‘How do I manage my pictures?’)

If you click on the menu item ‘Submit as Leica Mastershot’, you’ll see a drop-down menu, from which you can select the camera model and lens you used to record the image. In order to be considered for a Leica Mastershot, you must also provide an image title, the location where the picture was taken, as well as any editing software you have used (these details must be entered in the description box). If the EXIF file is missing or incomplete, you must also detail the missing data in the description field. Only images that are submitted with the following information will be considered: 1. location of recording; 2. date of recording; 3. camera; 4. lens; 5. aperture; 6. shutter speed; 7. ISO; 8. editing software. In the case of analogue recordings, listing the aperture and shutter speed is optional.

Once you have submitted your picture, it will be viewed and evaluated by the LFI editorial team – you will receive an email if your picture has been chosen as a Leica Mastershot. Please note that each image can only be put forward for the Mastershots one time.

Not necessarily, as the albums only contain entries that were selected by our jury. This also means that it may take some time before your image is added to an Mastershots album. You will be notified by email if you picture has been chosen.

There is no limit to how many images can be submitted to the jury. As a rule, however: less is more. If, for example, you submit ten pictures of the same scene, it is very likely that none of them will make it into the selection. If, on the other hand, you consciously hand-pick your absolute gems, you will be recognised as a serious photographer with a clear view of your own work. This will greatly increase your chances at a Mastershot!

Every week, the LFI editorial team selects a favourite image out of all pictures in the gallery. The Picture of the Week does not have to be a recent upload, and can be chosen from a photographer’s album as well as the Leica Master Shots section. Each winning picture will be added to the continuously growing Picture of the Week collection, and will also be on display on the start page of the LFI website for one week. In addition, we present the Picture of the Week on our social media platforms and in the weekly LFI newsletter.

The picture editors of Leica Fotografie International curate a daily selection of favourites out of all pictures in the LFI Gallery. In addition to a presentation of the best single images, the gallery also includes curated areas dedicated to specific genres. Whether it’s Street Photography or Still Life, Landscapes or Sensual Art: every day, the best images are added to the appropriate Selection.

No, because the images that are added to the Selection are chosen by the editorial team.

The LFI Gallery is a fantastic source of inspiration for photography fans – including the editorial staff at LFI. In every issue of LFI, several pictures from the LFI Gallery are printed in the magazine’s Lightbox section.

An image is only awarded either as a Leica Mastershot or as a Selection.

Any picture in the gallery that you have clicked on for a detailed view, can then be added to your compilation of favourites. Simply click on ‘Add to Favourites’. To remove from favourites, simply click on it again. You can view your collection of favourites in the ‘My Gallery’ section.

Would you like to study the traits of a specific Leica lens? Or compare the results achieved by two different lenses at open aperture? The Leica Filter allows you to do just that, by allowing you to categorise images in most areas of the LFI Gallery according to camera model, focal length, lens and aperture.

The new version of the LFI Gallery allows you to sort the images in each section either by newest-to-oldest uploads or vice versa, or in random order. In addition, you can choose from three viewing-size settings, and categorise the results by camera model.

Yes, the LFI Gallery has also been optimised for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, so you can enjoy full access to the site even when you’re on the go. However, in the mobile version of the gallery, you can only upload one image at a time.

This section features editors’ recommendations, interesting discoveries and current topics.

This is where you can see the most recent addition to the curated sections of the gallery: Leica Mastershots, all Selections, and Picture of the Week.

Do you have a general question about the LFI Gallery? Perhaps you can find what you’re looking for in the Frequently Asked Questions section. If not, please contact the gallery’s editorial team: gallery(at)lfi-online.de

As soon as you have placed your order, you will receive a confirmation email containing a temporary subscription code. This enables you to register on the LFI website and access all digital content.

On the website you can read articles form the printed magazine in the section "Print Stories".

The LFI archive with magazines since 1949 is available in the LFI App in the original layout. To access the app use your password and email from the website to log in. You need the newest version of the app (4.0 for iOS).

Within a few days, you will receive your invoice – which also contains your personal subscription number to replace your temporary code.