This is a post bitching about Flickr and it's long and painfully slow death. I've been a member of Flickr since 2007 and I've regularly posted pretty much everything I've ever shot to there. I was regularly featured on Flickr's Explore page and the engagement I received was very encouraging. The trouble is, these last few years someone somewhere has turned the switch off at Flickr!
Some of the images I posted previously would almost certainly have made the Explore page and I would have had at least 50,000 likes and views. Now I post what I consider something to be proud of and receive absolutely zilch! I have asked myself if it was my photography that was the problem and I came to the conclusion that if anything my images are of higher quality and content than ever before!
So a few years ago I spotted Steem as a new outlet and for reasons most readers will probably know we all migrated to Hive. I'm pleased to say the engagement is pretty good and I'm a member of a lightpainting photography community, Lightpainters United. I've made more friends here on the Hive than I thought I would. I've also grown to like the Hive front end, PeakD.com The interface and ease of use is great and long may it continue to be so!
A fairly well known lightpainter once said that in photography or lightpainting, you should stick to one genre and develop that corner or area. That is what you then become famous or reknowned for. I disagree completely; variety is the spice of life and maybe that's why my photography isn't well received on Flickr? The stuff I create varies quite a bit and I ain't gonna change!
So the following are posts I submitted to Flickr which I'm particularly proud of but which received a disappointing repsonse!
Ksenia at TankSpace
This is a shot which I thought was very artistic and the pose here by Ksenia was great. I duly posted this to Flickr only to find very few views, no likes or comments. This would have been the kind of shot that previously would have done very well on Flickr. Very disappointing to see it didn't!
This was shot with Ksenia inside a 12,000 litre water tank in a studio.
Radioactive ray gun target practice
OK, so it's not a real ray gun but I've been having some fun with this technique of panning the camera at the end of a long exposure.
While I was browsing Amazon for filters (as one does) I stumbled across a set of filter adaptors which could get from 67mm down to 23mm threads. I knew this might come in handy by using a combination of filter adaptors to make a central circle in the frame.
Another disappointing reception on Flickr for this one despite coming up with something new and unique!
Circuit Board of Obsession
I'm a big fan of kitchen based lightpainting where I close the blinds and turn off the lights on my kitchen and lightpaint various objects including circuit boards!
With this one I tried a different set up where instead of using flashguns, I used continuous RGB lights located either side of the circuit board. The central object is a 300mm diameter plasma ball where the camera has been panned to create the kinetic stripe.
The image involves using two tripods and two lenses and is shot in one photographic exposure.
I was really proud of this shot and the Flickr response was just, meh!
Live long and prosper
This is a shot which required a lot of technical skill and know-how on my part and I was absolutely pleased as punch to nail this in one exposure. The trouble is, I think, that this is so niche or unique that the average punter on Flickr don't really know what they're looking at.
The great thing for me is that the Lightpainter's United community here on Hive do appreciate it because they do understand what went in to create this image! So another win for Hive and nil points for Flickr!
Lightpainting with the Mamosians
I once attended a marketing meeting at work where the speaker stated that people are pathologically inclined to look at other people. Just pick up any newspaper and pretty much all the photos have people in them. So with that in mind I set about trying to include people in my images where I could and see if that had any effect on engagement on Flickr.
This was taken on a visit to a cave in the Derbyshire Peak District with an electronic reggae fusion band called the Mamosians. I used my lighting skills and smoke pellets to light up the cave and I got something to be proud of. But not surprised by it's lack of response on Flickr!
Subatomic Kitchen
This shot doesn't have people in it but I did expect a better response than it received.
This was shot in my kitchen in the dark with fibre optic brushes and a camera rotation device, I loved the result but again the response was disappointing.
Chee Dale Nights
Created by careful and slightly dangerous lighting by @fadetoblack from the rear of frame, this was another with a disappointing response!
Convex Nights
Another highly technical shot to accommplish and I remember thinking surely this one will make Flickr Explore? I duly posted it and got absolutely no comments and very few views. What the heck am I doing wrong?!
Everybody's dead Dave....
Another shot where I've used a new to me technique in the form of a laser pen attached to a drill and spun the light beam around the scene. I don't believe people are looking closely enough at this shot and @neilru75 kindly acting as a corpse for the purposes of art!
Neena strikes a pose
It's great when you realise during a photoshoot that you can make the white smoke appear in different colours. I remember giving the model a high five once we'd shot this!
And yet another shot with no comments and very few likes on Flickr. What the heck is wrong with this?
About me:
I usually specialise in shooting lightpainting images but occasionally dabble in urbex and artistic model photography. I'm always on the lookout for someone to collaborate with; please don't hesitate to get in touch if you'd like to create art.
Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/fastchrisuk
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fastchris/
Lightpainting is a photographic technique in which exposures are made by moving a hand-held light source while taking a long exposure photograph, either to illuminate a subject or to shine a point of light directly at the camera, or by moving the camera itself during exposure. Nothing is added or removed in post processing.
If you would like to see more lightpainting please give the Lightpainters United Community a follow and you will be introduced into the illuminating world of light painting!
If you want to see more examples of lightpainting, feel free to check out these guys:
Mafu Fuma | Oddballgraphics | FadetoBlack | DAWN | Mart Barras | Stefan Stepke | Nikolay Trebukhin | Lee Todd | Stabeu Light | Maxime Pateau | Stephen Sampson | lightandlense | Neil Rushby | L.A.C.E.
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All your pictures are extraordinary. I like your work very much! I think a lot of people just don't understand what you do and how the pictures come about. Many just look at the pictures too superficially. I think you have to live with that these days. Keep it up! 👍
I haven’t posted anything on Flickr for a whiiile… Same on Ig & Fb.
As usual, great set of photos.
I love "Radioactive ray gun target practice", great picture 👌🏻❗️
I think the "slow death of Flickr" is better than the fast death of Facebook and Instagram. 🤣 I deleted both accounts.
There are some photographers with the same or more views and favourites for years. Some of my lightpaintings are very successful, some of the "better" ones have only some hundred views. I am not sure if Flickr is dead or sleeping.