Bees gone wild (but totally suitable for work)...

[Peeb]

OK- below is a fairly pedestrian image of bees I took last October and posted on Flickr over the weekend. It somehow caught 'explore' and got almost 40,000 views instantly, with 500 'favs'. It was absolutely insane.

Ain't life strange- it's not a terrible image, but I would not count it in my top 10 (or 20 or even 50). Not sure how the 'explore' algorithm works, but it was nice to be noticed, I suppose. I know a lot of 'real' photographers that feel that most 'explore' photos are unimaginative and banal- but this is my third trip on the explore wave in my 10 weeks on flickr so perhaps I'm not too artistic.

Y'all are fairly familiar with my work- am I right that this is just a pretty ordinary shot?
Bees by Peeb, on Flickr

 

[dxqcanada]

That's the interweb community for ya.

 

[Peeb]

That's the interweb community for ya.

I've looked at the 'explore' pics analytically (for the first time), and here is what I think I see: certain classes of photos have a greatly enhanced chance of success. Specifically, Explore seems to love (in no particular order):

• Long exposures
• Extreme focal lengths (super long or super wide)
• Close ups of animals in nature
• Macro shots (really loves these)
• Interesting patterns
• Bright colors
• Beautiful landscapes

If you combine two or more of the above you are really rolling (for example, a beautiful landscape taken as a long exposure; macro of an interesting pattern, etc). I sense a real bias towards the macro shots, which surprised me since I haven't really been all that 'into' macros, but that's what I'm seeing. I suppose the remaining criteria I'm seeing do seem to fit into the niches that I also enjoy, so while it might not be high art- I understand and appreciate it!

 

[Gary A.]

You're Famous!

 

[BrentC]

Didn't know what Explore was but found a good FAQ on how Explore works. It seems photo quality has nothing to do with it. They do ban watermarked and bordered photos automatically though.
New to Explore? Here are the FAQs. | in explore | Flickr

 

[SquarePeg]

I agree it's a nice shot but nothing special (sorry!). I find the Explore photos to be hit or miss. Maybe one out of every 20 will be what I consider exceptional. But hey, it's a nice way to pick up some followers and get a lot of views of your other stuff. Consider yourself followed.

 

[Dean_Gretsch]

Well, I like it! The colors are very nice, but the title of the thread is AWESOME!!

 

[ZombiesniperJr]

Didn't know what Explore was but found a good FAQ on how Explore works. It seems photo quality has nothing to do with it. They do ban watermarked and bordered photos automatically though.
New to Explore? Here are the FAQs. | in explore | Flickr

They do? why have they not banned me i have watermarked photos and i have them in explore

 

[snowbear]

That's the interweb community for ya.

I've looked at the 'explore' pics analytically (for the first time), and here is what I think I see: certain classes of photos have a greatly enhanced chance of success. Specifically, Explore seems to love (in no particular order):

• Long exposures
• Extreme focal lengths (super long or super wide)
• Close ups of animals in nature
• Macro shots (really loves these)
• Interesting patterns
• Bright colors
• Beautiful landscapes

If you combine two or more of the above you are really rolling (for example, a beautiful landscape taken as a long exposure; macro of an interesting pattern, etc). I sense a real bias towards the macro shots, which surprised me since I haven't really been all that 'into' macros, but that's what I'm seeing. I suppose the remaining criteria I'm seeing do seem to fit into the niches that I also enjoy, so while it might not be high art- I understand and appreciate it!

Don't forget "nekkid wimmens'