How I Select Images To Post - Part 3

Here's another take on how I select images to post... One of the reasons that I'm selective in what I post is that I don't want to bore people. I like to select an image to post based on what I've already posted, keeping up a level of variety, and keeping things fresh and new.

For example if I have 5 images of a similar thing from a given day, and they are all equally 'good' I will at least post one image and at most try to post another one or even two, but not right after the first one. And the second and third images have to be different enough to be worth posting.

If they are all good and all a little different, the reason to still limit posting is that as the photographer I value the time people spend looking at my images. If there are tons of similar images, posted next to eachother, I know I would get bored and move on quicker than if I saw a wide variety, every next image different, etc.

So, variety, only good images, and post-worthy images.

I started to write this with the intention of saying posted/shared images should be ones you'd want to print... To me that distinction is a good one to shoot for when deciding what to share/post because if it is an image I'd want to look at repeatedly, spend the time and money on printing it, it is one I'd guess others would want to see too.

I started posting 10's of shots of things when I joined flickr nearly 4 years ago, and learned over time by seeing what people commented on, that volume of sharing is not a thing to go for. Instead the few things I strive for are - quality, variety, and finally frequency of posting. By being critical of what I select to post I don't just rip through a day's shots and post the best all at once and move on, but rather I build a stock of good images that are there for me to go through again, and maybe post days, months and sometimes years later.

A couple other things that influence what I select to post are - timely images, and topical images. So, if I go somewhere and see something I like to sharing something from that outing right away - fresh is good. And I also like to be able to go through older images and find one that suits my mood or an event/occasion. For example, I could probably have found another Cherry Blossom Festival shot from 2 years ago if I wanted to post one this year when it was going on.... I think I did just that last year.

Happy Earth Day 2009 (shot last night):


-Jon

How I Select Images To Post - Part 3