I joined Flickr back in 2008 but didn’t really start posting pictures regularly until 2011, since then I’ve been quite active on the site posting over 1800 photos and having over 500,000 views to date.

I like Flickr for several reasons;

• Most photographers want their work to be seen and I’m no different. Although I don’t chase ‘likes’ and ‘views’ by posting my photos into loads of groups as some people do, it’s still nice to receive positive feedback on a photo. This is my most-viewed shot on Flickr.

  

• I’m always grateful for feedback and comments – it’s good to know what people like and don’t like.
• Having posted so many pictures I think I am qualified enough to give honest feedback to others too – it’s a key way that people learn.
• Like any area of art, photography has its fashions and being on Flickr is one way to keep up to date with what’s popular.

  

• Joining some of the groups that require regular shooting gives me that incentive to go out and shoot when I might not feel like it.
• Being challenged to take pictures across a range of topics and styles helps with creativity and developing new skills.

  

• Like playing sports, you only improve with practice – taking a couple of snaps per month is not going to help you get better. Taking pictures every day, or at least several pictures every week will.

If you’re not already a member I’d recommend you sign up – it’s free for the basic level of membership.

Next time I’m going to talk about some of the great community Groups you can find and tell you which ones I love, and why.