How To Get on Flickr Explore

Many users of flickr wonder how to get their pictures onto Flickr's Explore page. First you need to understand explore an how it works.

What is Explore?

Explore is a showcase of the best photos on flickr. Flickr use Explore to promote the 500 best or most interesting photos uploaded to flickr each day. They aim to select the 500 most interesting pictures each day as a way of show casing the best flickr has to offer.

The way flickr defines interestingness is via a computer algorithm that selects the picture. Exactly what it looks for in pictures nobody really knows however below are some great things you can to to get your pictures on Explore.

How to Get On Flickr Explore

1. Join the community

Flick is a community based site. Explore almost certainly ranks pictures by a large by by factors such as how many comments a picture gets, how quickly a picture gets comments, which users (new v established) comment on your picture, how many users have made a picture a favorite.

If you want people to comment or favorite your pictures then the only way to encourage this is to do the same to other people. If you provide lots of genuine copnstructive comments to others chances are they will take some time to do the same to your pictures.

2. Tag Your Pictures Well

Tags are another great way to help people find your pictures. Try to include many tags with each picture. In addition try to convey the mood of your pictures in some tags. For example don't just tag a snap of your dog "Dog" and "Mutley". Try to sum up his expression by using tags such as "longing" or "joy".

3. Learn from others

By spending some time looking on Explore you will soon see some patterns emerging of the types of pictures that flickr determines to be interesting. Moody landscapes, arty shots of attractive ladies and flora and fauna seem to crop up time and time again. Snaps of your families recent holiday in Spain may not be interesting to anyone apart from your family so are unlikely to make it onto explore!

4. The importance of Groups

It has been noted that groups that ask for mandatory commenting or awards on pictures may be ranked lower by the Explore algorithm. That said do not ignore putting your pictures in groups at altogether. Adding your pictures to groups is a great way to show others your work. Try to stick to special interest groups that relate to your equipment or style of pictures. In these groups the communities are generally very friendly and usually happy to comment on others work.

5. Make Friends and Contacts

If you see pictures or a photostream you like then add the owner to your contacts. If the photographer like your pics then he or she may well add you to their contacts. This will make them much more likely to comment on your picture in the future as they will see your recent upload when they log into flickr.

6. Improve Your Photography

While it may be a good buzz to get some of your pictures onto flickr's Explore page it is not the be all and end all. If you are interested in photography and you use flickr as a tool to help you learn from others and enjoy participating ion discussions then you will most likely make it to explore one day. The most important thing though is to enjoy your photography and learn to take better pictures!