Flickr and "Explore"

john5100 · 03-07-2019, 03:33 PM - **6 Likes**

It's funny that I have posted thousands of cool photos of Country, R&B, and Rock bands given that I'm a music photographer. Not getting that much notoriety. I posted this photo of a Pelican and the views have gone wild!

Olympus TG5

Last edited by john5100; 03-08-2019 at 08:44 AM.

rr1736 · 03-07-2019, 03:47 PM

Well it is a great image

R. Wethereyet · 03-07-2019, 03:51 PM

Originally posted by john5100

It's funny that I have posted thousands of cool photos of Country, R&B, and Rock bands given that I'm a music photographer. No get that much notoriety. I posted this photo of a Pelican and the views have gone wild!

Olympus TG5

Flickr's Daily Explore feature seems to be based somewhat on a daily theme. As you scroll through the selections you will find there is a pattern each day that you can identify along with a mixture of other random images. I read an article a few years a go by someone who tried to develop or explain how to increase the chances of having your images chosen for Explore. There was no magic solution. Perhaps interacting with other Flickr people may improve your chances a little. Technical perfection is by no means a guarantee and poor composition will not keep you out of the running either.

Don't over analyze it, just accept the congratulations/Favs/comments that come your way and say "Thank you :-)" Enjoy the fleeting fame that is "Explore"!

... oh, and CONGRATULATIONS John!! :-D

**baro-nite** · 03-07-2019, 04:26 PM

Explore has a thing for birds. And lego.

**UncleVanya** · 03-07-2019, 04:28 PM

One theory is that rapid interest from your viewers will increase the interestingness measurement. Favs and comments on pics with a limited number of groups seems to help drive it.

In any case. 18mm capture of a pelican with a tg5 is pretty cool.

steve_k · 03-07-2019, 04:36 PM

They like squirrels also and the stonewall in my backyard.

Paul the Sunman · 03-07-2019, 05:57 PM

Originally posted by john5100

It's funny that I have posted thousands of cool photos of Country, R&B, and Rock bands given that I'm a music photographer. No get that much notoriety. I posted this photo of a Pelican and the views have gone wild!

I'm particularly partial to pictures of pelicans.

**Larrymc** · 03-07-2019, 05:59 PM

Originally posted by john5100

It's funny that I have posted thousands of cool photos of Country, R&B, and Rock bands given that I'm a music photographer. No get that much notoriety. I posted this photo of a Pelican and the views have gone wild!

Olympus TG5

Excellent capture, John!

Its hard to understand how Explore invitation decisions are made but to me its an honor to receive one since that's the only way to get a photo into the Explore group. I've read that the photo has to be deemed "interesting". That means different things to different people, I'm not sure if there is and "interesting algorithm" or its a group or deciders who pick the photos. I suspect the choices are computer generated since there are thousands of photos posted on Flickr daily. The guy who usually sends the invitations is a German fellow named David Kracht who oddly enough doesn't have a pro account.

To check how many of your photos have been invited to the Explore group here is a link to a web site that helps you find them Scout: Find your photos in Flickr's Explore pages. try it if you are curious. Just follow the instructions to check.

**pepperberry farm** · 03-07-2019, 06:04 PM

Originally posted by john5100

It's funny that I have posted thousands of cool photos of Country, R&B, and Rock bands given that I'm a music photographer. No get that much notoriety. I posted this photo of a Pelican and the views have gone wild!

Olympus TG5

it is a great shot - be sure to include it here:

Flickr Explored - PentaxForums.com

**Cee Cee** · 03-07-2019, 06:15 PM

I've given up trying to understand, predict or care, I have some shots that have been in "explore" but IMO I have better shots that have not, and although I see many very excellent & worthy shots I also constantly see photos that I regard (IMO) as nothing more than casual snap shots. Its nice when you get there but I don't see it to be a judgement on my shots, its sort of meaningless.

photolady95 · 03-08-2019, 12:26 AM

Originally posted by steve_k

They like squirrels also and the stonewall in my backyard.

Maybe your squirrels, but have you seen my Flickr, it's full of squirrels and not one has ever been explored. LOL

Congrats John!

Pelicans are nice to shoot, and with a compact camera to boot, that's awesome!

**Rondec** · 03-08-2019, 03:34 AM

I think it's mostly about how many and how fast people like your photo on Flickr. You can do things to increase your chances of an explore -- mainly go on to Flickr and get a bunch of followers and like their images so that they'll come back and like your images.

But in the end, no, it isn't a measure of quality, just of "interestingness" as they say on flickr.

But your shot is still pretty cool, none the less.

officiousbystander · 03-08-2019, 04:31 AM

I've had around 20 photos in Explore. I think this is the secret.
Join this group:
Daily Challenge (By Month) - PentaxForums.com
Upload a photo a day on Flickr and embed the link in the daily thread. Also comment on the other photos in the group (mostly on Flickr). It's not a cynical exercise. You do it because you're genuinely engaged with others' photos. The attention will be returned. It's really a friendly group of photographers.
So not only do you improve because you're doing a photo a day. But your constant activity on Flickr boosts your Explore algorithm metrics. And then every now and then your photo will be deemed by the computer to be interesting enough to be featured. There is no human judgment involved in this process apart from development of the criteria.
The only flaw in this approach is I think the algorithm has been tweaked recently to favour the Pro subscribers. But prove me wrong.

**pepperberry farm** · 03-08-2019, 05:05 AM

Originally posted by officiousbystander

I've had around 20 photos in Explore. I think this is the secret.
Join this group:
Daily Challenge (By Month) - PentaxForums.com
Upload a photo a day on Flickr and embed the link in the daily thread. Also comment on the other photos in the group (mostly on Flickr). It's not a cynical exercise. You do it because you're genuinely engaged with others' photos. The attention will be returned. It's really a friendly group of photographers.
So not only do you improve because you're doing a photo a day. But your constant activity on Flickr boosts your Explore algorithm metrics. And then every now and then your photo will be deemed by the computer to be interesting enough to be featured. There is no human judgment involved in this process apart from development of the criteria.
The only flaw in this approach is I think the algorithm has been tweaked recently to favour the Pro subscribers. But prove me wrong.

the Single In Challenge participants seem to have high numbers of 'explore' hits, also....

the algorithm has been tweaked towards Pro members on flickr - when the re-ordering of the website occurred and the Pro membership vs the free membership rules changed, I'm pretty sure I remember flickr stating that if you buy into the Pro membership, your photos are weighted higher in the 'explore' algorithm...

**baro-nite** · 03-08-2019, 06:37 AM

Originally posted by Cee Cee

I've given up trying to understand, predict or care, I have some shots that have been in "explore" but IMO I have better shots that have not, and although I see many very excellent & worthy shots I also constantly see photos that I regard (IMO) as nothing more than casual snap shots. Its nice when you get there but I don't see it to be a judgement on my shots, its sort of meaningless.

Sums it up pretty well. I'd add that the boost in views and faves for an explored image is also mostly empty, in my experience. What I mean is that the boost is almost entirely ephemeral, and usually results in no meaningful comments, no perceptible uptick in views of my other photos, and no new followers either way (i.e., I rarely pick up a new follower, and I rarely discover a new photographer I want to follow, because of Explore). My hunch is that the vast majority of the extra traffic, faves, and even comments are automated, driven by users who simply want to get faves and followers in return. That said, my explored images are usually pretty low down in the showcase, and there may be more real activity at the top, so YMMV.

03-07-2019, 03:33 PM - 6 Likes	#1
john5100 Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 1,725	Flickr and "Explore" It's funny that I have posted thousands of cool photos of Country, R&B, and Rock bands given that I'm a music photographer. Not getting that much notoriety. I posted this photo of a Pelican and the views have gone wild! Olympus TG5 Last edited by john5100; 03-08-2019 at 08:44 AM.

03-07-2019, 03:51 PM	#3
R. Wethereyet Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 126	Flickr / Explore Originally posted by john5100 It's funny that I have posted thousands of cool photos of Country, R&B, and Rock bands given that I'm a music photographer. No get that much notoriety. I posted this photo of a Pelican and the views have gone wild! Olympus TG5 Flickr's Daily Explore feature seems to be based somewhat on a daily theme. As you scroll through the selections you will find there is a pattern each day that you can identify along with a mixture of other random images. I read an article a few years a go by someone who tried to develop or explain how to increase the chances of having your images chosen for Explore. There was no magic solution. Perhaps interacting with other Flickr people may improve your chances a little. Technical perfection is by no means a guarantee and poor composition will not keep you out of the running either. Don't over analyze it, just accept the congratulations/Favs/comments that come your way and say "Thank you :-)" Enjoy the fleeting fame that is "Explore"! ... oh, and CONGRATULATIONS John!! :-D Last edited by R. Wethereyet; 03-07-2019 at 05:32 PM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Help me leave Lightroom and explore my fascination with ON1	johnhilvert	Digital Processing, Software, and Printing	158	06-29-2018 05:18 AM
Landscape Explore the possibility	Pentax_WA	Post Your Photos!	1	10-07-2017 03:55 PM
Nature My first flickr explore, yeyy :D	LucaBumble	Post Your Photos!	17	03-24-2015 10:11 AM
Flickr Explore	RobG	Photographic Industry and Professionals	24	12-13-2013 11:28 AM
Don't say Pentax "Q" in French ... "Q" = "cul" = "A--"	Jean Poitiers	Pentax Q	52	11-10-2013 06:25 AM

03-07-2019, 03:47 PM	#2
rr1736 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Chicago Illinois Photos: Albums Posts: 203	Well it is a great image

03-07-2019, 04:26 PM	#4
baro-nite Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: North Carolina, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,294	Explore has a thing for birds. And lego.

03-07-2019, 04:28 PM	#5
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,381	One theory is that rapid interest from your viewers will increase the interestingness measurement. Favs and comments on pics with a limited number of groups seems to help drive it. In any case. 18mm capture of a pelican with a tg5 is pretty cool.

03-07-2019, 04:36 PM	#6
steve_k Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Shelton, CT Photos: Albums Posts: 708	They like squirrels also and the stonewall in my backyard.

03-07-2019, 05:57 PM	#7
Paul the Sunman Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,842	Originally posted by john5100 It's funny that I have posted thousands of cool photos of Country, R&B, and Rock bands given that I'm a music photographer. No get that much notoriety. I posted this photo of a Pelican and the views have gone wild! I'm particularly partial to pictures of pelicans.

03-07-2019, 05:59 PM	#8
Larrymc Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Mississippi, USA Posts: 5,251	Originally posted by john5100 It's funny that I have posted thousands of cool photos of Country, R&B, and Rock bands given that I'm a music photographer. No get that much notoriety. I posted this photo of a Pelican and the views have gone wild! Olympus TG5 Excellent capture, John! Its hard to understand how Explore invitation decisions are made but to me its an honor to receive one since that's the only way to get a photo into the Explore group. I've read that the photo has to be deemed "interesting". That means different things to different people, I'm not sure if there is and "interesting algorithm" or its a group or deciders who pick the photos. I suspect the choices are computer generated since there are thousands of photos posted on Flickr daily. The guy who usually sends the invitations is a German fellow named David Kracht who oddly enough doesn't have a pro account. To check how many of your photos have been invited to the Explore group here is a link to a web site that helps you find them Scout: Find your photos in Flickr's Explore pages. try it if you are curious. Just follow the instructions to check.

03-07-2019, 06:04 PM	#9
pepperberry farm amateur dirt farmer Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: probably out in a field somewhere... Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 41,625	Originally posted by john5100 It's funny that I have posted thousands of cool photos of Country, R&B, and Rock bands given that I'm a music photographer. No get that much notoriety. I posted this photo of a Pelican and the views have gone wild! Olympus TG5 it is a great shot - be sure to include it here: Flickr Explored - PentaxForums.com

03-07-2019, 06:15 PM	#10
Cee Cee Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Glenroy, Melbourne Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,441	I've given up trying to understand, predict or care, I have some shots that have been in "explore" but IMO I have better shots that have not, and although I see many very excellent & worthy shots I also constantly see photos that I regard (IMO) as nothing more than casual snap shots. Its nice when you get there but I don't see it to be a judgement on my shots, its sort of meaningless.

03-08-2019, 12:26 AM	#11
photolady95 Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cruising the forum watching his back Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,712	Originally posted by steve_k They like squirrels also and the stonewall in my backyard. Maybe your squirrels, but have you seen my Flickr, it's full of squirrels and not one has ever been explored. LOL Congrats John! Pelicans are nice to shoot, and with a compact camera to boot, that's awesome!

03-08-2019, 03:34 AM	#12
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,650	I think it's mostly about how many and how fast people like your photo on Flickr. You can do things to increase your chances of an explore -- mainly go on to Flickr and get a bunch of followers and like their images so that they'll come back and like your images. But in the end, no, it isn't a measure of quality, just of "interestingness" as they say on flickr. But your shot is still pretty cool, none the less.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

03-08-2019, 04:31 AM	#13
officiousbystander Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Sydney Photos: Gallery Posts: 912	I've had around 20 photos in Explore. I think this is the secret. Join this group: Daily Challenge (By Month) - PentaxForums.com Upload a photo a day on Flickr and embed the link in the daily thread. Also comment on the other photos in the group (mostly on Flickr). It's not a cynical exercise. You do it because you're genuinely engaged with others' photos. The attention will be returned. It's really a friendly group of photographers. So not only do you improve because you're doing a photo a day. But your constant activity on Flickr boosts your Explore algorithm metrics. And then every now and then your photo will be deemed by the computer to be interesting enough to be featured. There is no human judgment involved in this process apart from development of the criteria. The only flaw in this approach is I think the algorithm has been tweaked recently to favour the Pro subscribers. But prove me wrong.

03-08-2019, 05:05 AM	#14
pepperberry farm amateur dirt farmer Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: probably out in a field somewhere... Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 41,625	Originally posted by officiousbystander I've had around 20 photos in Explore. I think this is the secret. Join this group: Daily Challenge (By Month) - PentaxForums.com Upload a photo a day on Flickr and embed the link in the daily thread. Also comment on the other photos in the group (mostly on Flickr). It's not a cynical exercise. You do it because you're genuinely engaged with others' photos. The attention will be returned. It's really a friendly group of photographers. So not only do you improve because you're doing a photo a day. But your constant activity on Flickr boosts your Explore algorithm metrics. And then every now and then your photo will be deemed by the computer to be interesting enough to be featured. There is no human judgment involved in this process apart from development of the criteria. The only flaw in this approach is I think the algorithm has been tweaked recently to favour the Pro subscribers. But prove me wrong. the Single In Challenge participants seem to have high numbers of 'explore' hits, also.... the algorithm has been tweaked towards Pro members on flickr - when the re-ordering of the website occurred and the Pro membership vs the free membership rules changed, I'm pretty sure I remember flickr stating that if you buy into the Pro membership, your photos are weighted higher in the 'explore' algorithm...

03-08-2019, 06:37 AM	#15
baro-nite Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: North Carolina, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,294	Originally posted by Cee Cee I've given up trying to understand, predict or care, I have some shots that have been in "explore" but IMO I have better shots that have not, and although I see many very excellent & worthy shots I also constantly see photos that I regard (IMO) as nothing more than casual snap shots. Its nice when you get there but I don't see it to be a judgement on my shots, its sort of meaningless. Sums it up pretty well. I'd add that the boost in views and faves for an explored image is also mostly empty, in my experience. What I mean is that the boost is almost entirely ephemeral, and usually results in no meaningful comments, no perceptible uptick in views of my other photos, and no new followers either way (i.e., I rarely pick up a new follower, and I rarely discover a new photographer I want to follow, because of Explore). My hunch is that the vast majority of the extra traffic, faves, and even comments are automated, driven by users who simply want to get faves and followers in return. That said, my explored images are usually pretty low down in the showcase, and there may be more real activity at the top, so YMMV.