Photographers: How to Have Your Photographs Featured in Flickr Explore

I have had multiple photos featured in Flickr Explore. Many Flickr users have asked me how they can have their photos featured, too. This article discusses ways for increasing the likelihood that your photo will be chosen for Flickr Explore.

Take Outstanding Photos:

This is one of the most important considerations for having your photos featured in Explore.

Read and Understand What Flickr Explore is All About:

Take a look at this page and also browse through Explore to see some of the photos that are typically featured.

Quoting from the Flickr web site,

"There are lots of elements that make something 'interesting' (or not) on Flickr. Where the clickthroughs are coming from; who comments on it and when; who marks it as a favorite; its tags and many more things which are constantly changing."

As far as I know, Flickr keeps the Explore algorithm a secret, but the above paragraph does give us some important clues to deciphering it. I combine this information with my own personal experience to make some educated guesses about how featured photographs for Explore are chosen. The list of instructions below takes all of these aspects into consideration.

Tag Your Photos

Tags help other users find your photos. Adding tags to your photos is an important part of having your photos featured in Flickr Explore. When tagging your photos, use as many appropriate tags as you can think of; this increases the likelihood that people will find your photos. Do not use inappropriate tags.

Consider Possible Sources of Clickthroughs:

The Explore algorithm takes into consideration where clickthroughs are coming from. There are multiple possible places where viewers could come from. Some of them include:

• Your contact list on Flickr
• Your family list on Flickr
• Your Flickr groups if your photo has been added to any groups
• Your blog, if you have one and you either use Flickr to host your photos for it, or you link to your Flickr photos from the blog
• Tag searches on Flickr
• Google search results

There are other possible sources too, but these are some of the major ones. I can only guess at how Flickr might prioritize these, but I do think that we can logically guess at a priority list.

Let me give you an example. Let's say you upload a photo of your last beach vacation. You could expect that people you have marked as family will typically think that this photo is interesting; they could be expected to mark it as a favorite and comment on it whether it is an amazing photo or not. The algorithm is likely to assume that the photo is interesting to your family members because of the family relationship, and not necessarily because the photo itself is interesting or outstanding. So if the traffic to any particular photo in your Flickr photostream is primarily coming from the people you have marked as family, the algorithm is not likely to evaluate the photo as worthy of being featured in Explore.

Consider Who Comments on a Photo, and When:

At the opposite extreme, if large numbers of strangers are viewing and commenting on a particular photo, it is likely to be evaluated as more interesting. It is even better if frequent Flickr users- especially photographers who have had photos featured in Explore- are commenting. Your own comments on your photos are not likely to increase your odds of being featured in Explore, and neither are your family's.

I have noticed that the photos included in explore were uploaded that day. So, each photo only has a short time to make an impression on others before either being featured in Explore, or completely excluded. It seems to me that photos uploaded early in the morning have an advantage over those that get uploaded later in the day. If you want your photos to be featured in Explore, get them uploaded as early in the day as you can to increase the likelihood they will be featured.

Consider Who Marks a Photo as a Favorite:

It is clear that the Flickr Explore algorithm does take favorites into consideration. It appears to me that favorites are one of the most important factors in determining which photos will be featured in Flickr Explore; they are apparently even more important than either comments or views. I have had photos featured in Explore that had very few comments, but had been added to favorites by multiple users. So, from that experience, I have concluded that favorites are one of the most important factors in having a photo featured in Explore.

Make Sure Your Photo Looks Interesting as Tiny Thumbnails:

Take a look at how photos typically appear in various places on Flickr. For example, when you are "surfing" through photos in Flickr groups, they appear as small thumbnails. Pay attention to which photos you are drawn to clicking on. What do they all have in common? Personally, I tend to click on photos that feature beautiful colors, dynamic contrast, and eye-catching composition. These attributes increase in importance when photos are not viewed at their full size.

Choose Groups Wisely:

The Flickr algorithm apparently takes into consideration how many groups your photo has been added to, and it has been observed that adding your photo to too many groups actually has a detrimental affect when it comes to "interestingness". So, if you do add your photo to groups, make sure you choose relevant groups, and don't overdo it. For further information about this, please read this discussion and this one.

More Related Resources:

This topic has been discussed by other photographers on the internet. You can click here to see one of the more thoughtful and well-written articles I found about Flickr's Interestingness.

Another helpful article is here.

Bighugelabs has a helpful resource on their web site called "Flickr DNA", which allows you to see individual Flickr users' Explore photos (among other things.) You can click here to see my photos that have been featured on Flickr Explore.

I wish you the very best luck with getting your photos featured in Flickr Explore! Have fun! :)