The quickest way to become a guru on GuruShots

The quickest way to become a Guru on GuruShots is to prevent your account from meeting the requirements needed to move from the newbie status. Staying at the newbie level allows you access to limited participation competitions which give you a much higher chance of getting a win required to become a Guru.

What is GuruShots?

GuruShots is a photography competition website. For some, it is a fun way to pass the time and share their hobby. For others, it’s a way of building a reputation and showing off their work. And for a few, it is an obsession. There is also a team section which adds a social element where you can discuss everything from photography techniques to what you had for breakfast. However you play it, the desire to gain the rank of Guru is very alluring.

Why become a guru?

Guru isn’t the site’s top rank anymore, but it is still the main goal for anyone not there yet. Guru is the 9th rank and getting it isn’t easy. As with any rank, it comes with distinction and who doesn’t want recognition for their talent? There is extra power that comes with being a guru like being able to set competitions and potentially act as a kingmaker to other guru chasers.

How to become a guru

On paper becoming a guru doesn’t seem so hard, just complete the criteria with your well-taken images and you’ll be there in no time! But things are never that easy. Play for long enough and you’ll gain enough participation points (GS points), once you figure out the technique you’ll easily gain enough All-Star level competition results, but after that, it gets a bit tricky. To gain the sought-after Guru title you also need 5 guru picks and one outright competition win.

A guru pick is where the guru who has set the challenge picks images they like and awards a merit to them. The amount of photos a guru picks is dependent on the challenge. The win can be either from finishing first in a competition or being chosen as the guru’s top guru pick. To gain these you need to fight off some extremely talented photographers and some awful ones too.

So what’s the quickest way to become a guru?

If you are reading this it is likely you already know most of the above and have been stuck chasing that elusive win. You may have seen people spend a fortune on swaps and boosts and buy their way to guru, or even seen some of the underhanded techniques used by mischievous gurus abusing their kingmaker power. Unfortunately at your rank, it is already too late for you to use this technique.

The method requires you to be a newbie and is actually very simple. It doesn’t break any rules or involve learning peak vote times or when to swap. In fact, it requires the opposite. Do not swap! If you’ve been playing for a while you will know the power of a swap and why they cost so much money. But if you do not swap, and so don’t have a successful swap, you don’t move on from the newbie rank. But you want to be a guru, not a newbie I hear you say, well bear with me.

If you stay a newbie you have access to the “Experts status and below” challenges, which replaced the newbie only challenges. These not only reduce the number of people you are competing against, but it also knocks out some of the most talented opposition. There will always be new extremely talented people so it will still take patience and good photography, but by staying a newbie you increase your chances vastly. Once you have gained 5 guru picks and have one win under your belt all you have to do is make several swaps and you’ll fly straight to guru.

Tried and tested? Share your results in the comments below.