Just making a point

If they happen, they happen. I don't look at the queue, or list or whatever it is. I certainly don't get grumpy when I don't get one (been 11 months). I can't quite understand the people who gloat about the number of FPIs they have got in a Group post. eg "My 10,000th FPI". Yes, a lot of the images are good but many in my opinion are very poor due to their photography and/or editing. It is what it is. 

ANDY00

Congrats, beautiful image.

I don't care what anyone else says, I definitely get a warm fuzzy feeling if I get an FPI AND I enjoy the brief fame it generates.

ClickMore 📷 said

If they happen, they happen. I don't look at the queue, or list or whatever it is. I certainly don't get grumpy when I don't get one (been 11 months). I can't quite understand the people who gloat about the number of FPIs they have got in a Group post. eg "My 10,000th FPI". Yes, a lot of the images are good but many in my opinion are very poor due to their photography and/or editing. It is what it is. 

I haven't got enough to gloat about, but I totally get why people do. Like I said, the point is to have as many people see your work as possible, so using the tools available to draw attention to it is natural—and smart, in my opinion. That’s probably why they have 10,000 FPIs! :-P 

B17fan said

ANDY00

Congrats, beautiful image.

I don't care what anyone else says, I definitely get a warm fuzzy feeling if I get an FPI AND I enjoy the brief fame it generates.

Thankyou Pete, very kind of you :-)

I have several FPIs and I don‘t know anyone from the FPI  elves. At this stage, I have more images dripped from the FPI queue than the ones that made it. I am here since only a year so I am super positive that the FPI system does not work on anyones favour. Yes, some people might enjoy priority based on popularity, but that popularity is also a sign of something.

I am with Andy on this one. FPIs brought me more followers, more models interested in shooting with me, more photographers commenting on my images which is a great thing for me, but most importantly, it thought me how to present/polish my work and make it representable. 

I enjoy my and other people‘s FPIs.

Clearly, this is a touchy subject for a few people. This post wasn’t meant to stir malice or anger, but simply to highlight the undeniable merits of the FPI system. Yet, some seem to turn it into a troll bridge quicker than a dying TF casting, which could be part of the problem. I wonder how many images are actually suggested or liked by some of these negative individuals. Probably not many, unless it's their own work hosted by others. Everyone wants to know that their work is appreciated, and it doesn't always have to be about money, models lining up, or anything more than the simple fact that others think you've created something good.

If you're here looking to be paid as a photographer, you might be in the wrong place, to be honest. But if you're here to create and share your work, this place is pretty ideal. I like everyone’s work without bias.

Theta Aeterna said

I have several FPIs and I don‘t know anyone from the FPI  elves. At this stage, I have more images dripped from the FPI queue than the ones that made it. I am here since only a year so I am super positive that the FPI system does not work on anyones favour. Yes, some people might enjoy priority based on popularity, but that popularity is also a sign of something.

I am with Andy on this one. FPIs brought me more followers, more models interested in shooting with me, more photographers commenting on my images which is a great thing for me, but most importantly, it thought me how to present/polish my work and make it representable. 

I enjoy my and other people‘s FPIs.

Always a positive voice, Tim :-) and you know i appreciate your work :-) 

My latest FPI (a few days ago) garnered well over 100 loves, a bunch of comments, follows and WTWW adds. I know that if I wanted to I could winkle out a few shoots from that activity. But on the whole, I think FPIs mean more to models than they do photographers, especially those models who don't already have any. If you want a friend for life, shoot a model's first FPIs.

Lenswonder said

FPI at best is like a club , if you know someone on the FPI selectors team you can game it which some very likely are. I think the point about gaining more likes has been said before so it's not new, also as you have noticed people are quite dismissive unless something makes it to an FPI, a great image can have 4-9 loves and no attention and as soon as it's FPI wala!

It's similar to Art galleries pushing artists but on a smaller scale and the public following what they see but you won't find any out there photos because it's not all about art.

Edited by Lenswonder

Not true, even if a selector puts a image in the que everyone else has to vote it through so yes images can be added but there is no guarantee they will make the front page

The chances of us obtaining an FPI are zero and we’re good with that, we shoot stills for us or we did, and now we’ve ventured heavily into video we’ve not shot a still in well over a year. That doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy looking at the FPI page, nor does that mean we won’t ever engage in a standard shoot again. I have an itch I need to scratch, but get bent out of shape over an FPI. Bahhh life’s too short. Shoot and enjoy.

Everly Rose there's a guarantee the person who may be collaborating with a selector or two repeatedly has chances to get an FPI but the honest photographers do not because their photos do not enter at similar rates or at all.

Don't be throwing stones at me but I think FPI's are a great thing to (in my case) aspire to but a long way to go but a good starting point on a journey

The system isn’t rigged or fixed. People suggest images they find worthy—anyone can. These images then sit in a queue and may or may not get selected for the landing page. Do some models get featured more than others? Of course! But some models also work more than others. Is that rigged? No. More work and more images equal more FPI opportunities. The same goes for photographers. Do they get featured more because they’re friends with an elf? Nope. These images often get hundreds of likes the day they're posted and multiple FPI suggestions. It's bitter to think they're cheating rather than appreciating that they've created something truly good and worthy of recognition,That whole philosophy reeks of narcissism, tbh—'If it's not mine, they must be cheating mindset or if i didnt get it then its not worth anything - me me me me .

ANDY00 said

Theta Aeterna said

I have several FPIs and I don‘t know anyone from the FPI  elves. At this stage, I have more images dripped from the FPI queue than the ones that made it. I am here since only a year so I am super positive that the FPI system does not work on anyones favour. Yes, some people might enjoy priority based on popularity, but that popularity is also a sign of something.

I am with Andy on this one. FPIs brought me more followers, more models interested in shooting with me, more photographers commenting on my images which is a great thing for me, but most importantly, it thought me how to present/polish my work and make it representable. 

I enjoy my and other people‘s FPIs.

Always a positive voice, Tim :-) and you know i appreciate your work :-) 

Me too Andy! PP changed my life forever and elevated my photography game. I remember for the first time seeing Thomas Holm, Thelema, Oven Lloyd, Tim Pile etc. images on the FPI image window. My perspective and perception changed afterwards about where I am at and what actually needs to happen to be better. Of course, there are thousands of amazing images not viable for an FPI but perfect and expressive by their own right. But when we are honest, most FPIs have at least one quality to stand out and learning how to stand out must be a great asset for any artist!

Let's kind of cut through to the chase. When an image appears on the Front page, it has been selected as a representation of what goes on in the world of PP, it's not an award but identified for a number of reasons for selection. What one must appreciate is that there was nothing wrong with the image before selection, and it doesn't become any 'better' once it has been, it's exactly the same image. So when an image takes say 5 yrs to be selected that doesn't mean it was crap for 4 yrs and 364 days and suddenly became 'better' overnight.

The whole concept of how people view the FPI enigma is fascinating (I genuinely find this so), and even more so how the created perception some imagine is converted into a kind of willy waving currency is bizarre. They do generate attention, they do attract remarks and likes once appearing but it's still the same image it was before 'the moment' of being selected and appearing. It's patently obvious the selection is not based on photographic merit, it's more a multitude of differing factors that quite often follows trends, model popularity, appeal (probably major factor) and sometimes even skill.

There's no doubt, FPIs provide focus of attention and a very useful tool to develop what can be extracted from the site at the same time promoting it, and I reckon that was the original purpose, the rest of the imagined value/status etc merely an accident that happened as a result.