One of the very cool things about photography is that so many people do it. My mom takes pictures, my grandpa took pictures, my kids take pictures - it really is accessible to everyone. The question that comes to me so often, in light of this, is what makes one person's pictures stand apart from another or even what makes one shot of someone's stand apart from a similar shot by the same photographer.
I have no answer on this. I'm not even close to coming to any sort of conclusion but it is interesting to think about why people are drawn to some things and not to others.
For example, the shot above was my most favourited picture on flickr for months, still is actually. People keep favouriting it over and over. When I shot it, I had no idea people would react to it in the way that they did.
Then I posted this shot.
Overnight this one became my second most favourited picture - just two "favourites" behind the other shot that has been accumulating for months and outranked it by one in the "interesting" category.
I wonder what draws people to shots such as these. I take these types of pictures because I love finding beauty in places often overlooked. I like to take the things that we see everyday, sometimes multiple times, and display them in a new light. I like the simplicity and beauty in the mundane things around us and because our society is so cluttered I like to strip things down to the bare minimum and find clarity through the lens of my camera.
But that's just me.
Interesting thoughts, Poetic.
Interesting thoughts, Poetic. Thanks for sharing them with us. I agree, that a human connection in photos does draw a lot of viewers. Sadly enough, I also agree with what you said about "marketing". There are definitely ways on flickr to get a lot of views and people will abuse that to get the most action on their shot.
Personally, I'd rather my shot get noticed for it's quality rather than because it's plastered all over the place. I think it's all about balance.
Though not always the case, i
Though not always the case, it seems that humanity is the most
fulfilling subject to viewers. Historically, some of the most famous
shots are of people. For example, Dorothea Lange's Migrant Mother. On Flickr, it seems to me that people shots
typically garner more attention. Is this curiosity, or voyeurism, or
just the meeting of eyes? I don’t know. But it is the human connection.
A
photo can be made popular by a personal connection as well, like a
familiar place, or even as a reminder to a distant memory. Abstract
shots don’t usually make it in the “top 10″ list, as they are usually
more cold, with less emotion, and without the soulful reach of a person
as a subject.
Beauty, though, whatever that is to the particular
viewer, whether a person or place or object, can sometimes just capture
the imagination long enough to make a photograph popular and
interesting, maybe even a Flickr favorite.
What makes a Flickr favorite?
Well, unfortunately sometimes, I
think it has less to do with the quality of the photograph, and more to
do with tags, and the number of groups that a particular photo belongs
to. That is called, marketing.
Cause it's a cool shot, Darr
Cause it's a cool shot, Darren! One of those things that everyone just walks by but you actually took the time to snap. I'm about to up it one more favourite!
The second image also makes a
The second image also makes a good candidate for a desktop picture - icons won't get lost on the solid green background - so folks may be faving it for that purpose...
aha! So I figured out the su
aha! So I figured out the sudden surge in favourites. My second shot in the post got on flickr's "most interesting" list for November 3, 2005. I guess a lot of people use the Explore option on flickr.
You can see it for yourself here
I'm totally puzzled by thes
I'm totally puzzled by these things too. Why is this my most favourited? I've got no idea.
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