# Why do People Like Certain Images?



## D-B-J (Jun 30, 2015)

I've found that, on Instagram, I often get shares on images that are nowhere near my strongest. I've also found that Instagram is a great place to see what the public likes, and it allows me to tailor my work to them (because of course I want to appeal to the masses on Instagram).

Case in point--I shot this photo recently, and it's been shared four times, for a total of 2325 likes. But why? In comparison to my stronger images, I'd rate this a 6 or 7. 








Just an interesting commentary on what people like and why. 

Why do YOU like art? What helps you decide the winners from the non winners?


Jake 



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## SnappingShark (Jun 30, 2015)

Something I haven't seen much of before captures my eye.
Nice colors which appeal to ME.
Something happening within the frame.

That's what gets me to hit the like button!


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## Designer (Jun 30, 2015)

D-B-J said:


> I've found that, on Instagram, I often get shares on images that are nowhere near my strongest.
> 
> Why do YOU like art? What helps you decide the winners from the non winners?


Maybe the folks on Instagram are not well educated about photography.

If a photograph makes my heart sing, then I like it.


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## pixmedic (Jun 30, 2015)

i like the images with the naked women in them.


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## vintagesnaps (Jun 30, 2015)

I dunno, why do people like dogs playing poker? on black velvet? lol Why does something go viral then you never see or hear of it again? Plenty of fads and trends can be popular but come and go relatively fast. So, they liked your picture when it crossed their path for a few seconds - is that all that meaningful? I suppose if it's something different or unique it might be more likely to catch someone's attention.

I appreciate when friends tell me they like my pictures. I value the opinion of someone with some expertise. Somewhere along the way you've got to figure out yourself if your work is good, at some point I just knew.

When I get something accepted into a juried exhibit that confirms to me that my work is good and I'm on the right track. Instagram's Terms were a deal breaker for me anyway; they need lots of photos and site users, I don't need them. But I don't know how valuable any feedback there would be.


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## Overread (Jun 30, 2015)

Sometimes it has nothing to do with the photo at all. But it was shared by someone who has a lot of contacts/friends and thus got WAY more exposure than the rest (esp since most people are lazy; they won't go through a whole profile - they'll view the one linked photo - go like and move on). Or it got shared on that website by someone or in a blog that - again - ends up generating a lot more link-backs


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## AlanKlein (Jun 30, 2015)

A good photo creates an emotional response in the viewer.  Now how to get that is the $64,000 question.  However, I don't think you should do surveys as to what people like.  Take poictures that you like and others will like them too,  maybe just not everyone.  But that's OK.   Trying to copy someone else's emotions seems to me to be very unenjoyable long term.  You got to do what you like otherwise photography won't be satisfying.


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## D-B-J (Jun 30, 2015)

Lots of good responses [emoji3]


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## KenC (Jun 30, 2015)

Hmm, what the general public likes, let's see: bright colors, high contrast, cute girls, babies, kittens, people doing funny things, pretty flowers.  I'm sure I missed some.


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## Designer (Jun 30, 2015)

KenC said:


> I'm sure I missed some.


Cute girls in brightly-colored bikinis holding kittens doing funny stuff.


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## Overread (Jun 30, 2015)

Context also plays a part

A person who has an emotional attachment to the subject will often be more lenient in the quality of photo that they "adore" and like. Similarly if its something they hate they can have an increased adverse reaction.


Similarly put sometimes major events, famous people, rare sightings -all these things can make a photo more appreciated in ignorance of its artistic or creative aspects. 


Photography is many parts and whilst often we tend to focus on the artistic angle we can't ignore the fact that for the greater part its just one segment of what we can weigh our photography against.


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## Bebulamar (Jun 30, 2015)

I don't know but you pose an interesting question. I think if you are going to pursuit a career in photography it's worth finding out. Like my music teacher told me if I want to make a living in music I must spend at least the same amount of effort studying my audience than studying my music.


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## jsecordphoto (Jun 30, 2015)

keep in mind that probably 90% of the Instagram community doesn't know jack about photography other than their iPhones (not that that's necessarily a bad thing). Often times I put up a photo that was a triumph in processing and technique (doesn't mean the best photo ever, but had a high degree of difficulty) and it'll do really poorly- but I can put up literally my worst Milky Way photo and get a few hundred likes.

I tend to center my hashtags around the subject matter, rather than mostly tagging accounts that regularly feature people. That way the photo has a greater chance of connecting with people who come across it (other than people who already follow me).

I've also been focusing a lot lately on processing and shooting in ways that really guide the viewer to parts of the image that I want them to focus on, and it seems like my photos have been doing really well lately. I think even if some of my viewers don't understand why they are drawn to the photo, they still like it. A lot of the technical stuff we put into the images are lost on the viewer, which I don't feel is entirely a bad thing


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## rexbobcat (Jun 30, 2015)

It also depends on the platform. The general IG community has different tastes than 500px, which has different tastes than Flickr, which has different tastes than 1x, etc....

It's not a science or anything (at least I don't think it is), but certain types of images flourish more on certain platforms, and that basically reinforces the drive to create work like that.

The general rule of thumb, I've found, is that the simpler the image, both visually and conceptually, the better it will do unless you already have a following.

Bright colors, recognizable subject matter, if the photo isn't particularly strong add a little anecdotes that ties your personal experience to the photo.

It also helps if you're sexy or know enough sexy people to have a variety of sexy sexy PG-13 pics on your IG.


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## Gary A. (Jun 30, 2015)

I shoot for myself. If others like my stuff ... that is an additional bonus.


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## Fred Berg (Jun 30, 2015)

The word order in your question is a clue to this. Change it so that the it reads Why do certain people like images? and you will be nearer to understanding how things work.


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## AlanKlein (Jul 1, 2015)

You don' t have to be a chef to know when food tastes good.  Same with photography.


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## table1349 (Jul 1, 2015)

AlanKlein said:


> You don' t have to be a chef to know when food tastes good.  Same with photography.


Alan, Alan, Alan.   Know you not what you have just done?  

By exposing this basic simple truth with your statement you have challanged the very existance of some.


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## sscarmack (Jul 1, 2015)

Say you're gay and you'll get 1,000 more likes!

Better yet, say you're gay and a tranny, damn you might just become famous!



lol


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## KmH (Jul 1, 2015)

I don't think you can equate how the nameless masses react to a landscape photograph with online 'likes' on Instagram to how well that same photograph would sell.


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## petrochemist (Jul 1, 2015)

I don't think Instagram likes have much to do with the image at all. It's often a case of 'Oh, a cat - I like cats' followed by a click on 'like'.
As long as the image is recognisable there's little further concern for the technical or compositional merit. Often the click (& the image) will have been totally forgotten 10 minutes later!


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## Designer (Jul 1, 2015)

AlanKlein said:


> You don' t have to be a chef to know when food tastes good.  Same with photography.


One does not have to be a chef to recognize when a dish is well-planned, well-seasoned, well-cooked, and well-presented, but it helps to know something about fine dining in order to recognize it.


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## sscarmack (Jul 1, 2015)

I just started using IG about two months ago...

When I like a photo, I look at it for maybe 2 seconds and flick to the next.

So think about that, if you're photo doesn't have a instant satisfaction, I'm flicking it.

"Oh wow, sunset" like

"Oh wow, out of focus" flick

"Oh wow, boobs" like

"Oh wow, gross" flick

haha, anyways. Thats just me.


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## Achaicus (Jul 1, 2015)

I think there are two separate generators of likes because of the social nature of the platform.

 One is photo content, and while there are some generalities that make an often liked photo there is individual variation. So in general x and y etc qualities with variation because not every one's cup of tea is the same.

The second I think is the cause of most of the puzzling over why this photo and not that one. Social action makes individual photos visible and because of the immense number of photos visibility is everything. So a photograph "liked" by a person with lots of followers will be more visible to receive additional likes versus one not liked at all or liked by one just followed by a few. And sometimes that selection can seem random when compared with your own preferences.


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## Fred Berg (Jul 1, 2015)

AlanKlein said:


> You don' t have to be a chef to know when food tastes good.  Same with photography.



Do you want fries with that?


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## table1349 (Jul 1, 2015)

Designer said:


> AlanKlein said:
> 
> 
> > You don' t have to be a chef to know when food tastes good.  Same with photography.
> ...



*"You don't need a silver fork to eat good food." -Paul Prudhomme

"Food is not about impressing people. It's about making them feel comfortable."-Ina Garten,  'The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook'


"Food...can look beautiful, taste exquisite, smell wonderful, make people feel good, bring them together, inspire romantic feelings....At its most basic, it is fuel for a hungry machine;...."
Rosamond Richardson, English cookery author


And as Alton Brown says, "It doen't have to be fancy to be.....Good Eats."


Besides, I don't care how they do it, I know that this................





Has got to be DAMN GOOD EATS!!!!!  *


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## table1349 (Jul 1, 2015)

sscarmack said:


> Say you're gay and you'll get 1,000 more likes!
> 
> Better yet, say you're gay and a tranny, damn you might just become famous!
> 
> ...


I tried to give your post a thousand and one likes, but the the forum won't let me.


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## mmaria (Jul 1, 2015)

I'm a complete newbie there, and I act like one. (been there for a week or so ) 
If I get 10 likes on a photo I'm  .. if I follow DBJ and he doesn't follow me back I'm 

And damn how many gross  things I saw there!!!!


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## chuasam (Jul 1, 2015)

I would say that the photograph appeals to them on an emotional level.
for example: this would hardly be my most technical image but yet this is my most popular image on facebook.


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## NancyMoranG (Jul 3, 2015)

Jake, what are you doing looking for other people's attention when you have all of us !?
       

Ok, maybe I answered my question....


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## D-B-J (Jul 3, 2015)

mmaria said:


> I'm a complete newbie there, and I act like one. (been there for a week or so )
> If I get 10 likes on a photo I'm  .. if I follow DBJ and he doesn't follow me back I'm
> 
> And damn how many gross  things I saw there!!!!



What's your insta profile??


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## Ume Images (Jul 5, 2015)

Just my guess

1) topic

food, exotic places major events and trending hashtags

2) what is visible in the thumbnail

As a person who is scrolling through tons of images,  your image needs to be perfect in a square. Not all pictures  reads well in an instagram square

3) When you post

I think that some topics get better response on certain times of the day.  Sometime too many uploads will bury your images in 1000's of others being uploaded.   

It is trial an error but this has been from my own personal experience.


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## mmaria (Jul 7, 2015)

D-B-J said:


> mmaria said:
> 
> 
> > I'm a complete newbie there, and I act like one. (been there for a week or so )
> ...


hm... you have it in my signature...  marijasmanja


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## D-B-J (Jul 7, 2015)

mmaria said:


> D-B-J said:
> 
> 
> > mmaria said:
> ...



Haha sorry, I almost never am on here on my actual laptop. Mostly on my phone. Found you! (Cause you found me).


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