How does it really work?
I'm quite new here (I've set up account earlier to book nickname with plans of starting 365 later on). I've made my 365 in private for almost 3 months before deciding to upload everything here. And now... all my photos got few, maybe 15 likes. It's understandable - not so many follow me, I don't want to upload unprocessed photos, so my strike isn't so good - and photos miss "recent" tab.
And yesterday I've uploaded photo of "nothing" - some "used-to-be" rose flower on the railing (tookapic.com/photos/543506). In my opinion - and not only mine - there are many a lot of better photos in my journal. But particularly this one got about 3 times more reactions.
Why? Do you really like it so much? So better than others? Was it just published in better moment? Shown to more people in weakly theme or so?
Ah, and I don't "need" those likes to be more happy - if I'd like to have them I'll publish my photos much earlier. I just like to observe people's reactions to my photos, because many many times they are completely different than I'd expected :) Maybe I just don't see that something in this photo what attract people. Don't I?
Marta Tomaszewska
Ha.. "stands out" - that's exactly this what I don't see ;-) It was done because I have no other ideas, it was a hard day and so on. Even my camera was not perfectly aligned.
It don't say it's bad - if it was I wouldn't published it. But I don't see much value in it. That's why I stated this question. Maybe I miss something ;-)
And you know - I wasn't question how to get more likes - I don't need my photos in "Popular" section - it's enough that my family and friends want them hanging on theirs walls ;-) Internet is too big to fight for popularity there ;-)
tigg It is very interesting I agree, and I have been rather surprised by the entries for this week's theme, bulls-eye. I know I need to start thinking outside the box, so to speak. I like your photo too ...
Michał It happens to many of tookapicers. Sometimes this streak photo unveil your skills and/or creativity to capture a good enough photo under pressure. Whatever the reason, a bad day, lack of time, etc. you do your best.
But of course exposure @Paweł mentioned and right time of posting a photo (not sure when is that exactly) help.
Karolina Oksiędzka Some of my best photos were made as a "no idea" ones. If you do photos like this you exercise your intuition and you don't overthink. That's all. As it goes for the "right time" yes it helps to get more views and that's why you have more likes :).
jazzie
Sometimes I too feel like it is pure coincidence if a picture is getting many likes or not. I'm quite sure that there is times when more people are active and viewing pics.
Over all there was a time when I got many likes for almost every pic (about 100, it was at the beginning of this year). Now I never get that many any more. I don't think that my pics became that much worse...! Or if so, please tell me!
Explanations could be that many of my 'followers' are no more active on tookapic, or that I am not active enough any more (a-like-for-a-like? Are many people acting like that?)
I'm not taking pictures for likes, but all the same it is a bit frustrating when you worked hard on a pic and are really happy with it and then it's just ignored and the next day you get many likes for a streak shot...
Marta Tomaszewska I think "likes" are always more-less random - as far as I my experiences with many internet galleries/forums/fb say. But it rather went along with my feelings for photos. Now it's not ;-)
Each society has it's rules and I'm not sure how this one is working - that's why I stated this question =)
jazzie I am in this 'society' since almost 2 years and am still not sure how it is working ;-)
Marta Tomaszewska
:D
ok, so I just stop trying to understand it :)
Paweł Kadysz @jazzie it obviously works on magic.
jazzie oookay, that explains many things ;-)
Marta Tomaszewska :D ♥ ♥ ♥
Marcin K.
For non-experienced people in photography like me:
- an interesting subject of an interesting shape
- a nice use of depth of focus
- a nice non-standard perspective
- a vintage-like element in the photo
And a lot of people saw it, because it has been published in weekly theme. The photo matches this theme.
EDIT: and now it got exposed on talks :-)
Marta Tomaszewska This is not the first photo I've "matched" with weekly theme. So it has to be something else. This "vintage-like" may make a difference, I didn't think about it ;-)
And yeah, the talks may be the way - just and hour after I make here complain that nobody likes me (it was irony!!!) I've got more likes than in last week :D :D :D
torero I hardly get as much likes as you got for your pic but some rules seem to appear even for me...
1. From my POV, time of day in which one sends the pics really matters. IMO the worst time for upload is about 4 p.m. Most guys come back home at that time and even they trace you, your pic at that time may be easily lost later among others within the followed stream. Examples: my (+152) and (+154) were uploaded about 4 p.m. and gained 5/8 likes respectively, when similar to those pics +153 was uploaded early in the morning and gained 26 likes.
2. Not sure if "bandwagon effect" does not matter as well - we all here want to be professional and self-aware photographers but we are also humans and thus we probably tend to like traced authors and featured photos.
3. Most likely, the main factor of distinguishable "likes number" for your last photo was more exposure - that's what Paweł wrote in his answer. Even relatively different popularity within your own stream matters as people probably tend to sort pics by popularity, compare +129 's rank and +128 's one.
Marta Tomaszewska
If it's only that - I'd be even happy ;-)
It would be sad if people, or rather (pretending) photographers like more such simple/no story shots than others.
Or maybe my point of view is so much bended by a story behind the photo, that it has nothing in common with people's perception of my photography...
Urszula Stachowicz I've just liked your "#107" photo. :P I don't know, maybe it's because this shallow deepth of field? ;) And bokeh? Everyone loves bokeh! ;)
Marta Tomaszewska
Ok, but then what about this one: "#013"
I think it's much better ;)
But maybe we should leave it to this "magic" about which @Paweł has written ;)
ponzu I don't know if it's "better". I think there is more to be found in it. Colors. Old vs. new. It's more interesting. But is it more "like"able? How easily can it make someone's finger reach for that heart icon? Everyone "likes" a clean composition, and this one, despite shallow DoF, has a confusing bright background. People may enjoy it more once they explore it, but they are less likely to zero in on it because it is too busy to hold their attention. Is that a paradox? The simpler the photo, the easier it commands attention. Plus you probably got fewer eyes on it for the reasons Pawel explained above.
Marta Tomaszewska Maybe you're right. Just to say in a bit different words what I have written here earlier - I found this photo less interesting for me because it has no story behind it. It was arranged by me. #013 has the story. Maybe this is the reason of this perception difference?
Tomek Zimnocho It’s not. Too much distractions and nothing that draws attention to subject. Even effect of colour is diluted by same colour in the background. 107 is clean in composition and a bit dirty, dramatic even, in the subject. Definitely draws more attention.
Alek Jedliński I agree, +#107 is much better because of strong contrast and composition. Diagonal lines that lead your eye towards the center of the image help a lot. And when someone sees a photo like this, they don't know the story or lack thereof behind it, they only appreciate what they see. And this photo tells a better story.
Marta Tomaszewska
So it reveals that my perception of my photos is really distracted by the process of taking photos ;-)
I wonder how many "good" photos that I made I have never noticed... ;-)
agnieszka bladzik that's good question. I put 5 photos for small contest in Gdynia recently. the one that got to exhibition was the one I expected least from it.
Marta Tomaszewska good to know that I'm not the only one ;-)
Marta Tomaszewska
I suspect that it's because author's feeling about certain photo is in such strong way affected by the whole story behind it that he doesn't see only the visual level, but something deeper.
My favorite photos (for example those which I hang on the walls) has always some story/feeling behind them. Maybe I've managed to do better ones, but those make me feel more - like that one: "#050" - just because I love that place, and it was beautiful moment in my life when need of taking that photo just downed on me ;-) It always will be better than some others taken just because something looked "nice".
Marta Tomaszewska
I have 3 of "my best" here. Mentioned above #050 is one of them :)
It's almost always love from the first sight ;)
Daniel Zaleski Didn't have time to read through the thread and therefore will most likely repeat ideas that were already presented. In my opinion it is really good photo for many reasons. I like the colours. Also, you see a known object (rose) but in totally different perspective (dry). The shallow depth of field adds and makes the rose to pop out of the frame. On a side note, I think that the time you upload a photo has a major role on the number of likes you get. Obviously the number of your followers is a key factor as your photos will be shown on their explore and feed pages. I personally do not try to get as much likes as only possible (why should I?) and therefore I do not try to "lure" other people by likes, comments, following - I just follow the photogs who make great photos over time (not just one = ie. inspiration for me), I like the photos I consider good and I star just the really outstanding shots. I try to make comments - not only positive, sometime constructive criticism as well (I will try to do me CC - see one of the recent threads on CC). Just my 2c
Marta Tomaszewska As I stated earlier - I don't need likes to be happy :) just wondering how others people perception works :)
vera In my opinion, we can't exactly know why a photo receives a lot of "likes". There are several parameters that come into play. We don't have enough informations as simply Tookypic's users about it. It's not only due to : Is it a "good" photo?...
1. One of these parameters, which seems to me essential, is the visibility of your photo. If few people see your picture (even if it's a good picture), you will have less "likes" than if a lot of people see it. Logic...
If your photo passes in "popular", it will be more visible.
If your photo is also in the weekly theme, it will be more visible.
Is there a better moment to publish in the day and be more visible? difficult to say... In my feeling, in Switzerland the best moments are in the morning early, just after lunch, and in the evening around eight oclock, and also on saturday morning. At midnight, a lot of people sleep, perhaps except in Japan and Australia, China...
2. What is a "good" photo??? In my eyes, in the eyes of the others, it's perhaps not exactly the same. What touch me most in a photo? The technical performance, the emotion, the creativity, the poetry, the sense, all of them together? Is it a question of taste or love "at first sight"? that's perhaps not so clear and easy to define as we think! I like photos for different reasons. I feel free to give a "like" for what I like, and not for what I think a photo "should" be.
3. I think that the relationship we create with people on Tookapic can also have an influence. And I'm not only touched by the photo, but sometimes also by the people who made this photo. I want to support somebody and even if the pic is not perfect, I want to like it to show that there is something interesting in this photo. Sometimes, I ask myself if I would like the photos the same way if I didn't knew the name of people who made the photos???
At least, I find it's very good if you don't need these "likes" to be happy!!! the most important thing is to practice regularly and have fun in it! In the same time, I know it's also a great satisfaction to be in the popular page!... There is a sort of antagonism... Be happy if you've got a lot of likes and don't give so much importance to these likes when there are not many! The comments are really a good think that can be more representative of what people think about your photos!
Sorry... I see that my post is so long... But I hope it will be useful 😊!
Have fun with Tookapic, this community is amazing!
And I just saw that you make beautiful photos!!!
Michał
Actually I was thinking about that (optional) feature recently. A view where you won't see the name of the person which took the photo. Maybe after you give a like to the pic the name would be revealed. And to make it more interesting, there would be mixed pics: from people you follow, from newcomers and from let's say recommended. Of course there are number of tookapicers with their unique style so you know immediately who took that particular photo, but that's another story :)
@Paweł, what do you think?
Satoshi T
In order to take the number of likes into question, it is necessary for many people to see your photos first. I will write from my experience.
Two years ago, I started quietly taking old clocks and gardens and cats. Far from being able to get likes, people who looked at my pics were rare. Especially old clocks were not popular :). But I wrote comments to other person's photos little by little, I started to disclose myself little by little.
There were several milestones. I took train model of Swiss when weekly theme was ' hobby', I received attention mainly from Swiss people. After that, I decided to know weekly theme and actively participate in it. Participation in Weekly theme is very good because other member's approach to the same object is very helpful and you get more opportunities for other members to see your photos.
When someone asked me something, I tried to answer politely as possible. And, I often looked at other people's pics and tried to comment if someone took a picture related to my pic.
Marta Tomaszewska
I don't have an aim to be popular hehe, so I don't plan to make something special for more likes ;)
It's just the matter of different attitiude. Maybe I should choose sometimes different photos (which I condider as worse)? In the end I publish photos to give some nice feeling to others... ;)
jazzie Something I've been thinking about as a 'hero' feature is that I'd like to be able to 'promote' other users. Maybe once a month or every two months. I would like to be able to tell the community "look what I found, this user's pics are real gems but he does for whatever reasons not get any attention!" - it happens to me relatively often that I like a pic or a user likes pics by me, I visit the site of the user and see he/she has a streak which is quite long, there are many great pics, but they get just 7 likes each and the user has 3 followers. And then I ask myself "Why did I never see this user before? Why does he not get attention? I think other people should know this user!"
tania
Another thing (maybe it has been already told) is the subject. Some are more "people" and others aren't...
Sunrises and sunsets are perfect ;)
Pontoons, lakes, sees also ;)
Maybe some photographers are also more "people" than others 😂
Sorry I'm kidding ;)
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Paweł Kadysz First of all - it's a good photo. It stands out in your gallery. Second - it's a perfect entry for a weekly theme. And we promote photos added to weekly themes on tookapic.com/feed - that's why your photo got more exposure and more likes. Once it got certain amount - it popped up in the Popular section and that helped it even more... ;)