What Makes this Shot Special

[JAS_Photo]

Ok, no offense to Dave Barfoot and he does have some nice images but could someone explain to me what makes this particular image so special that it would garner so much praise, please? As far as I can tell only a tiny bit of it is even in focus and there are alot of messy distracting elements. Soooo...?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dave_ba...l-40785182@N00

[Gem]

I don't see it either, Raiven. It's too contrasty/saturated for my eye. And like you said, there's a lot of distracting things going on in the photo.

[Mad Aussie]

Simple ... it's a fantastic shot!!















Ok ... not really. It is simple though ... look at all the groups that photo belongs to. That's a lot of people it is being displayed to. That's why a stunning shot of yours Raiven gets only a few comments from people you know like me and something less brilliant gets lots of attention.

It's all in the marketing

[AntZ]

Me either, but I've seen worse images with more comments. I think technically it is OK, and probably achieved an aim of playing with DOF.

Comments of flickr can be fickle. Especailly in groups which require x comments per post. You can have a great image and post when there are other great images and get few comments, then post an average image when there are poorer images and get lots of comments. Also I think if the image looks interesting as a thumbnail then you get more comments.

[Mad Aussie]

And an interesting title and description helps

[casil403]

Raiven his flower pales in comparison to the great shots you take!
Seriously....his is not one of my faves for sure but like MA says, it's all in the marketing... like pretty much everything!

[Alex Wilson]

I don't think it's a good shot at all -- about the only thing going for it is the super-saturated colours which do make it pop.

Technically and artistically, it's all sub-par.

[casil403]

Did anyone happen to notice how many flower/photography groups that person belongs to?
I did and it's many...61 in total. Like Aussie said maybe that's the thing with Flickr...the more groups you join the more the photo is seen and comments are made?
Btw, I also looked at his cala lillies and I much prefer Raiven's....his are nice, but Raiven's knock that ball outta the park!

[Marko]

I'm with Antz here.

I love Flickr, but just cuz you can buy an account that has the word PRO beside your name (which is a BRILLIANT BRILLIANT marketing strategy BTW) does not make you a pro in any way shape or form.

Also - people have friends on flickr and sometimes they comment less than truthfully (not to hurt friend's feelings) or they lack the skills to critique an image properly. Without a doubt, had this photo been posted on our site, it would not have gotten the raves it did on flickr.

It's not a bad shot, in fact I think it has a few things going for it, but it's not a Great shot by any means.