Photo popularity

zebedee101

zebedee101

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
I used to get quite disheartened that my animal shots didnt get a lot of views where as pictures of enclosures would have a much higher view rate and much more discussion. Because of this I dont tend to post animal portraits to zoochat anymore. Does anyone else notice this? Should I continue posting animal pics regardlessly or set up a seperate flickr page for these?

Zeb
 
I have noticed this myself and I too was wondering which would be best to upload on to this site any help please
 
Well, feel free to upload any zoo/animal shots you think people will be interested to see, but I think it's generally true that exhibit shots get more views than animal ones (I've noticed this in my shots, too).

Someone (sorry I can't remember who) summed it up as all Red Pandas look pretty much the same, but all Red Panda exhibits are different! Plus it's generally easier to see the animal shots in thumbnails, whereas the exhibit shots are less clear. I know personally I only tend to click on animal shots if there's a rare or significant species/individual or a really exceptionally good shot.
 
Yes I’ve notice the same thing I spend a lot of time trying to keep the enclosures out of my photos! Don’t let it stop you posting as it good to see other people photos, I would still go for a separate flickr page or photobucket.com, I have a smugmug Account ww.barrywelch.smugmug.com, which I’m more than please with.
 
I would say it's simply that animal photography enthusiasts are only a sub-set of gallery users.

For the reason Maguari cited (all red pandas look more or less the same, but their enclosures are different) I'm much, much more likely to open exhibit photos. That's not to say that I don't enjoy seeing excellent animal photography - it's just that it's more of a by-product of Zoochat galleries to me.
 
I find that a point and shoot is ample for enclosure shots and therefore dont need to slep around the DSLR and lenses. However I always think I'll miss "that" shot so end up taking it anyway. Ah well. I have a good few enclosure shots to download, I'll get around to it soon.
 
When I look at the gallery for a particular zoo, I usually only look at photos if:
- they're of an animal that isn't usually photographed,
- they're exceptional photographs,
- I want photos of a particular species or enclosure, or
- I want a general idea of what I can expect from a zoo.

For example when I was first thinking of going to Blackbrook, I looked on the website and from the cartoonish map I assumed it would be quite a small place. I was astonished when I actually went by how large it was, and since then I've posted some general overview shots of the place so that anyone else thinking of visiting can see what they're in for!
 
Maisie said:
For example when I was first thinking of going to Blackbrook, I looked on the website and from the cartoonish map I assumed it would be quite a small place. I was astonished when I actually went by how large it was, and since then I've posted some general overview shots of the place so that anyone else thinking of visiting can see what they're in for!
Click to expand...

Bit off-topic, but we were discussing this at the Chester day at one point. Blackbrook seems to suffer from a peculiar afflication whereby no-one who goes for the first time ever expects to find as much there as they do! It's still under a lot of people's radar. Hope you enjoyed your day!
 
this seems to big a big problem for blackbrook and i have never managed to figure out what cause's it or what can be done about it
 
bloodycurtus said:
this seems to big a big problem for blackbrook and i have never managed to figure out what cause's it or what can be done about it
Click to expand...

Well, looking at the map, I think you'll get a bi-polar response from visitors. People who aren't that interested in birds will cover the entire zoo in an hour, and perhaps be a bit underwhelmed into the bargain. Bird-enthusiasts, on the other hand, could probably spend all day there.

Unfortunately for an avian-focused collection like Blackbrook, most zoo visitors measure their day by how many mammals they see, and the more familiar the species, perversely, the better.
 
We spent about an hour looking at all the species you can see from the car park, let alone the ones inside!
 
Maguari said:
Bit off-topic, but we were discussing this at the Chester day at one point. Blackbrook seems to suffer from a peculiar afflication whereby no-one who goes for the first time ever expects to find as much there as they do! It's still under a lot of people's radar. Hope you enjoyed your day!
Click to expand...

Been back twice so far, so yes :D Came for the Australian magpies, stayed for ... everything else really. I do think improving the zoo website is the key to attracting more visitors and giving them a better idea of what the place has to offer. If there's a zoo map on the new website it's very hard to find. As I said, I came the first time for a particular species. Having an up-to-date species list with plenty of attractive photos (photo gallery) would help a prospective first-time visitor make up their mind to come.
 
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