My Top 10 Most Viewed Photos On Flickr (Number 1 Is Ridiculous)

Because who doesn’t love it when people view your photos?!

Welcome to another session of exploring my most popular photos on Flickr. Last time I showed you the most faved photos on my stream. That was fun. This time it’s all about the most viewed.

Why do people click on a photo on Flickr? I guess it’s because something about the thumbnail grabs their attention. Probably a little like when a headline on Medium grabs somebody’s attention.

Looking through these most viewed photos I’ve been reminded that headlines matter for images as well. That will become clear when I reach the number one most viewed photo in this list.

Enough with the introduction. Here we go and in reverse order…

#10: “Fuji X70” — 4,739 views

See above for number 10. While we’re at it, I’ll throw in numbers 9 (with 5,543 views) and 8 (5,782) as well, and then I’ll explain all.

These first three photos were taken with the Fujifilm X70. I’ve written enough on Medium about the X70. It’s a unique and beautiful camera, and even though it has a fixed wide-angle lens, it’s able to produce some excellent portrait shots.

These images were all taken in a church I was part of in 2016, a few months before we relocated hundreds of miles down south. There is, of course, a back story to each of these portraits.

But all I’m going to tell you is that the man at the top of this article is from South Korea. He was known affectionately as Pocket Rocket. His wife was a good cook. And they introduced me to real green tea. We still see each other, once a year. I wouldn’t say we’re friends, but he’s a lovely man and we share a mutual respect.

#7: “Back in Flickr Land!” — 6,502 views

This is a relatively recent shot, taken in August 2023. You can tell from the title of this image that I had rejoined Flickr. It proved to be a popular decision, as not only has the photo gained so many views in such a short space of time, but it also received 117 faves and 18 comments.

It seems that the so-called quality of the photo means less than the communicated written message that accompanies it. I find this interesting, and personally a little disappointing. I think that photos should be judged on their visual message, not the writing that accompanies it. But then, what do I know?

For the record, I didn’t last long with my return to Flickr. I can’t justify paying £6.99 a month for it. Not until I’m a Medium Millionaire, anyway.

The next two shots are of a similar nature. Me with a camera and a manual focus lens. Why are these so popular? All I can say is that people are interested in these kinds of lenses with Micro Four-Thirds cameras.

#6: “Vivitar 28mm” — 7,012 views

#5: “The way of the future” — 7,036 views

This was the first time I’d used a manual focus lens with an M43 camera. I was blown away. Here’s what I wrote on Flickr when I first posted this photo back in January 2014:

I ordered an M42 adapter for my Olympus E-PL5 and picked it up from the Post Office today.

I have a few M42 lenses, a Pentacon 50mm, 135mm, Helios 58mm and a CZ Flektogon 35mm 2.4, as shown in the photo. The Flek’s aperture blades are stuck wide open, though. Still produces sharp images when you get the focus right.

I’ve got to say, I’m REALLY pleased with how my M42 lenses work with this camera. Using the screen to focus is, I find, preferable to using my Canon 40D’s viewfinder. I’ve sold it now anyway, so that’s a non issue.

And obviously with the PL5’s sensor, the crop is 2x so my 35mm lens becomes a 70mm angle. Doesn’t stop it from being a great lens, and the minimum focussing distance is still very short — great for macros.

I really recommend M42 lenses with M43 bodies. Really. I’m very pleased.

Yes, and I still am pleased.

#4: “Near to the clouds” — 7,103 views

If I had to create a gallery of my own favourite photos, this one would feature in the top 5. I might do that. Good idea, Dave.

I’m sure I’ve written about this image before, but what’s the harm in doing so again?

I love everything about it, I think. The not-quite-right-but-works-well colouration of the clouds. The shapes that the darker clouds create. The hexagonal bokeh which shouldn’t belong in the sky but is actually created by raindrops on the window I was shooting through. It all works together to create a piece of art.

This was another instance of me using a vintage lens with a Micro Four Thirds camera, namely the Pentacon 135mm and the Olympus E-PL5.

#3: “Flat” — 7,161 views

This was taken in Barcelona, so Flickr tells me. I don’t remember.

But I can see why I took a photo of these flats. And if you’re American, of course, these apartments.

Someone commented, “I really like this to look at, but I don’t think I’d appreciate it so much if I lived in one of those apartments.”

Oh, I would. You can’t see the brown from the inside anyway, can you? But I’d love walking up to these each day and thinking, “That’s my home. I live in a brown apartment.”

Aside from the brownness of it all, the squares, the shutters, the seemingly randomly placed air-conditioning units — I like this photo a lot. I’d have clicked on it too.

#2: “R0003139” — 10,460 views

Coming in at number 2, this unimaginatively titled image is my most faved photograph on Flickr. I do love it, but I think I loved it more when I took it. I do appreciate the tones and textures a great deal, but I think I’m done with it now. I’m not sure why I feel that way, to be honest.

Anyway, here’s what I wrote about it previously, and then we’ll move on to the number one photo.

I’m not joking — whenever I take photos of flowers, even now, I still have this image burned into my mind. And no photo I take ever lives up to it. More often than not, the end result of an image is down to the photographer’s skill — but in this instance, the camera had a lot to do with it.

I remember that I shot this using the cross-process filter in the GR. I loved the colours it produced. As well as that, the detail on the petals — the texture this lens was able to recreate — stunning. I was blown away, and am so happy this made it to number one.

#1: “Curvy” — 23,396 views

And here is the proof that headlines for photos matter just as much as headlines for articles.

Seriously, this is ridiculous. “Curvy” received over twice as many views as my previous photo, and do you want to know how many faves it received? One. And how many comments? Two, but both from the same person.

So what does this tell us? It tells me, at least, that when people clicked on a thumbnail of an image entitled “Curvy”, they were expecting to see something entirely different even though they could see the thumbnail. Weird. I might be wrong. But I don’t think I am.

This is a bit of an anti-climax, really. And in my mind, reinforces the nature of the internet, or perhaps, the nature of people.

Not all people, of course. You lot are great.