Sigma 1st EVER image on Flickr 'Explore'

Andy, don't put any stock into Explore. Your photo there is great. Spectacular. I wish i had taken it. But you have TONS of great shots...some even better than this one. Enjoy the extra views and compliments, but it certainly doesn't mean that any shot on Explore is better than any other shot not featured there. It is merely an algorithm that factors in how many people viewed your photo, faved it, commented on it, where the views came from, etc.

I'm not trying to bring you down. I just know that I have had some pretty lousy photos get picked up by Explore. Yours is NOT one of them. Be chuffed that you're a great photographer....not that one of your images in getting extra views.
 
I was shocked when you said that this was your first because you really do take the kind of photos that I would think people fave often. It turns out you have had quite a few featured on Explore......perhaps no one ever told you before.

Here's all of your shots that have made it along with their highest position (out of 500 that make it every day) Scout: andywest1
 
Great one Andy! I had one photo that made Explore, but I also have no idea how it make it there. Didn't even know it made it there, until someone messaged me about it. Flickr certainly didn't inform me of that.
 
It's a great shot, Andy, and certainly deserves all the recognition it can get.

I have had exactly one photo Explored since I have been on Flickr. It happened on April 2011, when my Flickr account was all of two months old.
 
Here's a description of "Explore" from someone in the know........ "it's a mathematical formula that chooses the photos based on things such as views, comments, favorites, groups, and where those views, comments, faves, are coming from. Was the photo seen in Everyone's? or from a group pool? or from a contact? or from someone who's never commented before?? etc.>>

So, essentially, the panel of judges is the entire Flickr community. The algorithm "takes the pulse" of the community to see where the buzz is for any given day's uploads. And as activity happens, photos move in and out of explore to reflect it."

So the fact that Antonio's beautiful photos does not reflect on the quality of his photos. Just that he has a life outside of flickr. When I used to spend more time on flickr and was posting my images in groups and spending a few hours on a slow day at work leaving comments for people, many would leave them back. I ended up getting a lot of photos on Explore. Often times they tend to be some better ones, but not necessarily. Because it's really more of a popularity contest than a judged event.
 
Great shot Andy, but as others have explained, don't put too much stock in the bot. I don't understand it, but it seems to feed on itself and the more you're "chosen", the more likely you are to get chosen again. Some of what they choose go really viral, some don't. Like you, the first time I thought I'd had a shot chosen, I only found out because suddenly I was over-run by comments. Turns out I'd had four or five chosen previously that I hadn't been aware of. On my recent trip, when I was posting a lot and seemed to have a somewhat consistent band of followers, I had five of them selected in about two weeks. A couple of them were even pretty good ones! Which is another thing - when I go back and look at what they've chosen (which is up to 15 or 16 since they first picked one last April), there are a few I like. Even a couple that I'd rank among my best. But a LOT of them just make me wonder WHAT the hell those robots are thinking?!?!?!

Its also kind of funny to watch the behavior of people who comment and "favorite" your shots once you've had a few on there. Evidently, there's something about commenting a lot, particularly on other "explored" shots, that increases your chances of having something selected yourself. And in the past several months, I seem to have picked up a couple of followers who I have zero idea who they are, but who post the same meaningless comment ("great shot"!) seemingly randomly on my shots, usually on stuff that I think is the farthest possible thing from a "great shot".

In short, the whole thing is rather bizarre and meaningless. But the first time you get a shot getting hundreds of "favorites" and up around a hundred or more comments, it is a small kick in the ego until you realize how random it is!

You do great work. There MAY be a small correlation between that and getting recognized on Explore, but I don't think there's much of one... Just be happy with your work - its all that matters!

-Ray
 
That's a great shot, love the frosty color, congrats.

On the other hand, I have seen tons of great pictures here that are better than majority of those in Explore (there are some great ones there too). I tend to think that Explore is more about how connected rather than how good a photographer is. :)
 
I've never been "explored" (oh dear the connotations!). Don't really mind. I think the more people who have you as a friend, the greater likelihood... also the more of those friends who have been explored etc. There are some brilliant shots on there that never get explored. Nonetheless, its a good thing, gets you more exposure etc. Congrats, Andy... its an excellent shot, as are your others :)
 
It's a great shot, Andy, and certainly deserves all the recognition it can get.

I have had exactly one photo Explored since I have been on Flickr. It happened on April 2011, when my Flickr account was all of two months old.

Pretty much my experience. I get over 1000 views a day but the robot doesn't care, lol.

Nice work, Andy!
 
Pretty much my experience. I get over 1000 views a day but the robot doesn't care, lol.

Nice work, Andy!

The number of views per day doesn't matter; it's based on activity. An image that gets, say 100 views within a day of being uploaded with no comments or favourites won't get on explore, but an image that gets 20 views, 5 comments, 10 favourites might. The really dedicated explorers will leave lots of comments in the hope of reciprocal activity on their own photostreams. When you get images featured in explore they receive a lot of cut-and-pasted, generic comments such as the "Congrats on explore" that I mentioned earlier.
 
Congrats on explore =)

It took the algorithm nearly 3 years to pick one of my photos up on explore, but since then I've had a few more and even had 4 go up within the same week (all photos of my dog, lol). It's always nice to get the exposure. Like others have said, the selection process can be random though, so don't put too much stock into wondering why one photo and not another. But that's a great photo, and it deserves the explore! :D
 
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