Just a question of general interest - How do you decide what images to post here at RR?  I've been here almost a year now and I am just flat blown away by the skills and talents of the artists who share their work.
What has me curious though is how they choose what to post.  We see everything from snapshot pet and baby pictures to highly manipulated artistic images.  As I look through the "what's new" gallery I find myself wondering why the artist chose a particular image to post?  
I'm asking because I was "culling the herd", so to speak over the weekend, e.g. getting rid of some old shots that were blurring or poorly composed or which just made me ask "what was I thinking".  In the process I realized that I had close to 3500 images in my files, and yet had posted just a little more than 100.  So I asked myself "why those 100".  
I think at first I posted almost anything that was in focus, had a reasonable subject and acceptible composition and lighting.  Over the year I became much more restrictive about what I thought was "good enough".  Granted "good enough" is highly subjective, but I find now that my posts come from a selection of 2-3 images out of 75-100 I shoot on an occasion.  
So, how do YOU decide what you post?   
 

For me, as evidenced by the mediocrity of my work, it is entirely whim.  Well, depending on the hour of the day, whim and Scotch.  For example having just returned from a routine run in the woods with my dog I've just posted a pastel toned capture of some drab snow covered leaves which seem to fit nicely with my quiet Monday house.

HA!  That is a good question, but I couldnt answer it, as I am in troubles every single day... or almost. It happens that I, while I finnish a 2D, deside to post it next day and I stick to it, or il get in troubles again, desiding what then to post. Sometimes I look in the folder FULL of stuff I WANTED to post, but later had my doubts, that I would post after all, and I ask myself, what mood am I in today, and I try to follow my mood. THEN... sometimes I dont have a shot that fits my mood and I deside one, that I had great doubt would be a succes.  OK, I say, lets get it over with. And the mirackle happens, that everybody loves it. DUH!  Well that makes me doubt even more... just of all the shots I love. Does that make sence.... I doubt    For your troubles reading this nonsens il give you this snapshot :)

It's difficult to say what makes me either to choose a shot or to deice of manipulating it and in that case when I have to stop and say 'yes, I like you'. Usually if I don't feel a sasation I don't post it. The sensation is something like a tiny shake in my right frontal lobe and a feeling of satisfaction as if I had a release of a bit of endorfine. Don't think I'm a bit crazy, but I believe that artistic pleasure has something sensual in it. Of course, since I'm a little artist, my pleasure is small ;-D.... In the meanwhile this one gabe me a bit of joy... Sandra

I am much with my friend Sandra on this topic.  However, often I post from personal emotion, a tie to the image whether if is derived from a personal part of me or from attachment to an image with which I am very taken and must share from an artistic viewpoint, to share with absolutely no idea how the image may be received by others.  Other posts are images I honestly believe are simply worth sharing and well done (within my limits of "well done") whether of  artistic nature or other such as illustration, nature scene or something of interest.   

I certainly want to post more images with which I do have artistic attachment but such has not happened..  I have several images planned in my mind like a painting to be done.  In front of me is blank gesso or unexposed image because the painting is not done yet for any medium but my mind.  When fortunate, on a moment of time I will create or will see what is already arranged for me and bring it to my artistic view and then post the image.  The artistic images...for those I am shy.  As for the illustrative ones, with those I am not shy and  post here with ease.  I believe some of my best images have received the least comments..."best" being in my point of view.

Post as you feel.  You can always decide to delete the image.  Personal gallery has the delete option and you are not obligated to maintain an image you decide later is not pleasing to you.  I will sometimes post images which mean something to me and hope others will see the same. An example is one of my later posts in the "atmosphere" genre.  Responses to this image surprised me and were very pleasing to my heart.

www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php

God Bless with a fine holiday season and new year.       TomDart.

Pure gut instinct..

I've posted images that I thought were "so so" and gotten great reviews..
I've posted images that I thought were "killer" and gotten few comments.

I try not to think to much about it anymore. I've been a member here for almost 9 years, and have images in my gallery from January of 2002. I prune it every so often..

use the force, follow your heart..don't think about it..

Some interesting perspectives so far.  And great insights.  I probably fall into the instinctive or "go with you gut" category tempered by the one image per day rule; although I don't seem to have time for even one a day recently.  If I can get two or three a week I'm happy.  I've been morphing into the digital mindset of shooting tons of images - kinda hard for a film guy - which means I seem to have a long waiting list of shots to go through and post. 

 Good question.  

For me, usually It is "something handy" ... that is, the best from yesterday's walk/hike.  

Often it is to tell a story. ... or a counterpoint to another's upload.  There are some examples among the 40 uploads in my Renderosity gallery.  

OTOH, I have over 10,000 JPEG images on my HDD. Plus perhaps another 2,000 to 3,000 unscanned film images.  

--Martin

Interesting question and so far good to read to see what makes other fellow artist choose a picture for the day to share.

I normaly pick a picture what  shows what is my recent interest. Nature or cookie shot, maybe a wonderful sunset just the other day what keep lingering in my mind or a new hiking boots just bought. I would say if you could "read" my  Rendo gallery, pretty much you would know what is going on with me in real life, in a surface of course.

seeyus  Tunde

I'm with Helle, almost word for word!
Esspecially the sudden, Ok lets just post this, and amazingly it gets rave comments...

Just do it, it's not the Tate (thank goodness!)

What a great question. Personally, it is whats going on a around me at the moment. A protest, Street Festival or my random walks or drives around San Francisco. When I first joined rendo about a year ago. I then just post them. When I first joined Rendo, I was really concerned about "do people really want to see this" Now, I just dont think about anymore. I follow my muse and my heart.

 

very interesting question... it has to be something I'm proud of at that moment of posting, simple as that :) my gallery acts like a visual diary of sorts so I'd rather keep it streamlined to begin with than have to keep coming back and culling the ones which I perhaps shouldn't really have posted in the first place..

I was thinking about this a little more last night.  I went back and looked at my gallery so far and what I think I see is the development of a "hey, look at this" mindset.  I got into photography to share what I saw with others; for instance during my time in the Navy I could bring back images of my travels to share with family and friends.  From there I just began shooting things that caught my eye - that I found interesting, scenic, or maybe just colorful or unusually lit. 
In the days of film we were always constrainted by the amount we could carry and then we had to wait to see the results until the film was processed.
In today's digital world those constraints have been abolished.  I think the ability to take an almost unlimited number of shots, see the results immediately and the ability to process and publish my images immediately were the factors that got me back into photography. 
I think now, my answer to my own question would have to involve whether or not the image is the best choice for the "hey, look at this" goal - will it cause a reaction in the viewer, express an emotion or even just show a wonderful scene. 

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My posts normally reflect what I cannot convey to others in any other medium.  Face it, most of us who have the passion go out alone on shoots allot.  Bringing back images are my way of sharing the things that excite me, or or just plain make me relive the day and enjoy it one more time.

A normal shoot will yield 300-400 shots. Then it's dwindled to about 20, then 1 or 2 of them will get posted. I find I am quite picky about what is kept and what is flushed...(my recycle bin has toilet bowl flushing sound when I empty it.)  I find that the ones that best capture my mood for that particular day get posted.  It may not be the best image in the bunch, but if I can look at it and enjoy the sensation of seeing it again for the first time....that's what I'm after.

I've been on this site too long to worry about comments.  Although they are nice to have and I do appreciate them, it is not the ultimate goal for me. The passion for photography is what I care about.....Post what you have a passion for and it will show in your images.  This site is about your passion for expression and sharing what's in you.  How you perceive that comes through on your images.  Post your passion....

Aloha~

I like this question, great idea to ask it.

I upload a photo only if it pleases me to look at in every way, provokes an emotional response or sticks in my memory and makes me want to view it again and again, usually because it's a beautiful representation of nature, a landscape in a wild place or a wild animal in it's natural habitat.

Kind regards. Shaun.

Well, I can't really think about it too much or I go crazy. I usually follow Bruce's suggestion and just go with gut instinct. I like it.... maybe someone else will like it!  I look at my gallery and see too many different styles. This tells me I haven't found my niche. Most famous photographers have a "look" to their work, so you recognize it immediately.  I figure I will just keep posting "whatever" until I find my niche...... or not! :P

Just to let you know -- I have posted photos that I thought were my best and they barely received any commentary here on Renderosity. Then, I go back and post some of the, what I feel are, second tier photos, and they get picked for "This Week In The Gallery"! Go figure!!!

Beauty and esthetic are truly in the Eye Of The Beholder!

Just snap and post!!!

Excellent discussion so far. I thought this would be the general trend - mostly we post because we feel like it; stellar shots and some that just move us in some way. 

I always have a bunch of images in a file that are ready to post.  My criteria for putting an image IN that file to begin with is the most important decision.  What I post today, or if I post at all, is merely a function of how much time I have and what I feel like putting up. 

I try to mix up the subject matter a little bit.  If I've posted three shots in a row from my Chicago trip, I'll put up a flower or something just so people don't start throwing things!  LOL! 

Sometimes I'll look at my gallery and think, "gosh, this is all the same color, and I need some red on the page."  Up goes a red flower!  (I happen to know I'm not the only one who does this ... Andrea does it for sure, and I've heard other people mention it as a decision-making tool.)

I wish my selection process was more profound, but really ... I just put up what pleases me! 

As far as what makes it into the "ready to post" file to begin with, it's just what I like.  Sometimes I'll postwork an image and work on it for an hour, and then not use it.  It didn't grab me, it's boring, I can't figure out what I want to say ... whatever.  When an image gets to the point where I can't think of anything else that would improve it, and I like the result, off it goes to the "to be posted" file.  Once it's in there I rarely change my mind.  I think in three years I've moved 20 shots OUT of that file.

I don't delete old images ... my gallery is a record of my progress.

This was a great idea!  It's fun to see how other people approach posting.

Hmmmmm, I think my decisions are based on two, no make that three factors. First posts out of the camera are moments that brought that feeling of awe or joy for me to experience, like my recent encounter with the deer.  I was so thrilled to see her, amazed she didn't just bolt at my first click, and joy when I realized she was just as curious about me as I was about her. Those "oh wow" ones are always pictures I want to share.

Second factor is usually a shot wherein I strived very hard to make what I actually saw match what came out of the camera. The sense of acomplishment I feel makes it worth my posting, comments or no.

Third factor is an event or happening or place that I attended that I feel warants being shared just because it is interesting.  I can't count the number of other peoples photos that I've found fascinating because I've never had the chance to experience the place or event. Although through their posting I've at least gotten a chance to see it. So I guess with these shots I am paying it forward.

I guess I've never really thought about the why/what/when before but thanks to your excellent question I've puzzled it out.   : ) 

Thoughts on the subject of how do I choose out of 1000s of images what to post on Rendo. YES, I do use a gut feel developed in part, via feedback from others.

I'd love to post new and fresh images every day from something great that happened yesterday but I can't, unless new birds fly to my deck every day:)

Sometimes I am unhappy that I have too broad a spectrum of interests in my gallery but that's just me. I tend to like what I know. Airplanes and birds fall out often in my mix of favorite subjects. So I pursue lots of these opportunities for new subjects and images.

I love color and light and glass. So I pursue images that scratch this itch.

I look daily at what my favorite artists upload. This gives me ideas for new photo-shoots and keeps me enthused.

So, when I fill my files with subjects that are exciting to me, I have a start point where I should be able to avoid a lot of deadwood in the first place.

I avoid images of mine that are blurry, poorly exposed, images with no subject, and that no matter how I crop, manipulate, postwork...just don't have some eye-catching feature that says, "Hey look at me."

I do post those things I hope others will like. So, I can't say that comments don't influence me. They definitly do influence me.

Mix all this together and I think that is where my gut feel comes from.

I mix this constantly fed gut feel with new images all the time. Rarely do I have difficulty selecting what to post. But there are days where I need a day off...it really refreshes me. And once a year, I'll takes one to two weeks off. Then I can return newly charged up...

Lastly, I think I ask myself, what would my father say about this photo. He was an amiable man who actively took pictures from 1923 until his passing at age 99 in 2007. I learned a lot about his thinking and selection processes. His eighty four years of experience must have rubbed off a bit on me just by watching and talking with him for a lot of years.

Sorry this is so long. Get me going on photography and you can't shut me up:)    Bill

Great question. Well I guess for me I photograph things that I like the look of or just plain enjoy. Then if I like the look of the finished print I post it. I'm the first to admit that I am extremely non-scientific about it all!  I have no formula for posting that I use. I just go with my gut instinct about whether it sparks my imagination or not. I find my first impressions of a photo are 99% correct for me, so if I'm not feeling it, I ditch the shot and forget about it. Photos are like songs for me, I either like it or I don't and there is no advantage in over analyzing it!

To me, an interesting photo has a life of its own which can’t be faked with Photo ‘chop’. If I really can't decide on whether a shot has that 'spark', I'll leave it and even come back the next morning. I will always know then whether it is a keeper or not.

Hi,

I'm so sorry if I post this in the wrong category. I'm new here, my name is April. My interests in Photography made me join this site

Welcome to Renderosity April, glad you came to join our collective passion for taking that perfect shot.

: ) 

Thanks lovely poetess...