When you say you don't care, do you really mean it?

Huw said

I care.

Not very much, but it’s a pleasant surprise. Usually get a few hundred extra views and a hundred extra loves. It’s nice. Not exactly life-changing, but nice.

They aren’t always my best photos. That’s ok.

I take some care cropping the thumbnail to make it strong, that’s all.

[snip]

My thoughts also. They aren't worthless as they do, after all, represent some sort of peer recognition.

s/awarded/selected/g

Do I have an FPI? No

Would I like an FPI? Yes

To me, while my view is to create what I enjoy, the recognition that others like what is created is a bonus and makes me feel warm inside.

I appreciate every like and comment I get. An FPI really is just like a "super like" which would be nice.

However, that being said, I would never shoot purely to try and obtain one.

Orson Carter

I agree 👍🏽

Never had one. Don’t want one and I have switched off the FPI viewing on my PP site.

 I prefer to see the great images on the recently uploaded images on the front page.

Thing is, in the great scheme of things, an FPI only really works if you are being paid, as its good advertising. But, as a hobbyist (despite pressure from my kids I don't need the stress of going pro, and I don't have a studio (nearby suitable places are a bit thin on the ground), FPI's are really not much more than a temporary ego boost. There are some photographers on here who's style clearly aligns with the elves, and so they get many FPI's. Then there are those whose photography is just as good but who's style doesn't fit, so they get bypassed. I'll leave out the petty politics, which I'm sure has an effect too. In any case, I don't need to fawn for others' approval, I've reached the age where I couldn't give a toss what others think. I still get asked to shoot, mostly TF, so I guess that's all the approval I need. :)

AshleyAshton said

I don't mind if i do, dont mind if i don't...

What is displayed on my portfolio is stuff which i like and i feel help promotes me as a model. 

I have seen FPI which are in my opinion poor, FPI of mine which i woud'nt have selected and non FPI which i would have. 

That being said, i am not an "Elf" and have no intentions of applying. 

I also have no right to say what is great and what isnt.

I can only provide what i like and i have a nice online portfolio space to take advantage of.

The FPI gets you on the front page. 

Which is only good to gain promotion from users of the site who do not follow you.

It is also a common opinion of "status" on here, which also has its rewards. Those who believe in it, will likely work with you because of it...

It is also... a nice little avenue into a larger marketing field. Models/photoghers with a larger following.

It is sad, that photographers and models will feel a "pressure" to gain the status, only to find that outside of the network, they are not so popular. 

It is not a lottery, when the "equal" system can be governed by a selected amount of members, who are all voting for each others images. 

It is also not "randomised" when a selected person is appointing the "elves" through the same process. 

The only way to change this, would mean to constantly change the "elves" and to change the person selecting the "elves" .

But the actual logistics of it would be tough for admin and maybe wouldnt market the front page in the way they find favourable. 

With all that being said, 

Its highly likely you joined the site for another purpose and want to create some amazing stuff . 

FPI is never going to make you a better photographer or model...

but its a nice shiny badge isnt it ? 

From my experience as an ex elf "elves voting for each others images"  I think that's a bit of PP misnomer, it was not something I observed, I never had any contact with any of the other people on the selection committee.  I'm also pretty sure that Russ and the team do look out for that sort of behaviour. 

Your right that the site does appoint elves but again from my experience I just put together a folder of images I thought were fpi potential candidates in order to demonstrate that I understood the type of images that they wanted for the front page.  Anybody can do that and they put a call out for people not long ago.  

It’s very nice to get one, but I really don’t shoot images thinking about weather this will get one or not! I have images that got an FPI I don’t think were my best work and images I feel are some of my strongest that didn’t get an FPI! Ultimately it’s about what I think that matters most to me about my own images. That said when I get a notification saying one of my images got one I’m always pleased but I do agree for some on this site it is an unhealthy obsession. On a shoot a few years ago one of the attending photographers got very worked up about the fact he felt he deserved more FPI’s than he was getting! And I told him at the time that he should focus more on shooting what he enjoys but people will ultimately do what they want.

Any one who cares enough about the subject of FPIs, and what people think of their opinion of FPIs  to say that they don't care about receiving them is creating a paradox.

Or put more simply the people who live their lives not thinking about FPIs at all won't contribute to another thread about FPIs. 

Whether you've taken to bluesky, use instagram or post on PP you're probably hoping that people will make nice noises about what you do, otherwise why post anything more than a minimum sample of your work? 
What people like is always what is good (want loves? post tits and bums) but an award from the critics like an FPI is worth having. And once it's worth having "Why haven't I got more" rings out. 

The people who manipulate FPI's to attract tfp models help me pick which models not to book. The FPI system has helped me on that front. It's a useful tool but you don't need FPI's for that, all uploads & references can give you that , FPI is just an added layer showing the system used as a trade in photography.

Edited by Wondrous

CalmNudes

Well actually it gets alot deeper than that. It's hard wired into our genetics.

But il save that conversation for another day, because I don't have wine and were not face to face .. that sort of conversation goes on all night 😅🤣

AJS07 said

Have you seen how many images are uploaded to Purple shed loads in an hour, So the admins would be hard pushed to view ever image to give out FPI's.

I don't if the numbers are still right but the ID number on the pictures is a simple counter. So if you look at two pictures a decent time apart subtract one ID from the other and divide by the number of days the number is a little over 2,000 per day. 24 (1 per hour) becomes an FPI, so its bit better than 1 in 100, but that general ball park.  

Admin (as in staff) don't choose the FPIs, members who volunteer get picked (basically they need to share the taste of the existing people).  They don't try to look at every upload either, like anyone else they can follow people and get told when those people post, they look at the various widgets. If you have many followers you are more likely to get seen by the  elves because you get more suggestions, more loves, your picture shows up for longer on "popular now", and turns up on "popular yesterday", and the more followers you have the more chance one is an elf. 

Orson Carter said 

 

 I do not care about any perceived status that goes with them. To me, the notion that an FPI gives one some sort of status is a load of spherical objects.    

I was going to draw a comparison with money (those who have a lot down play it), when your "tagged in" page lists over 600 that might be quite an easy thing to say to people who think there is status in getting them and crave a couple.  

That's such an interesting question.

I think that for me I used to really care about getting FPIs but as my confidence in myself and my abilities has grown, I've less and less needed the validation from my peers that the FPI system offers so no, now I genuinely don't care, I only care about my own photographic growth.

Actually someone earlier on this thread said something quite pertinent, they said something along the lines of "if the people who say they don't care, if they genuinely don't care then why do they display an FPI badge on their portfolio" and that made me really stop and think why I had my FPI badge on my page and it made me realise that it would be hypocritical of me to say I don't care about FPIs and then display my badge so I've removed it.

I don't need it to validate me as a photographer and as a model.

I do understand that other people may be proud of their achievements by getting peer recognition (yes yes I know its just a marketing tool and all that jazz) and rightly so in many cases and would I feel differently if I got regular FPIs? I don't know, it's our right as humans to be contradictory 😏, possibly. But I think not.

The only driving force for me is living upto my own expectations and standards of me and everything else is just noise that distracts me from my goal.

I constantly do not live upto my own expectations but that's a beef between me, myself and I 😏

Edited by Margo Jost

CalmNudes said

Orson Carter said 

 

 I do not care about any perceived status that goes with them. To me, the notion that an FPI gives one some sort of status is a load of spherical objects.    

I was going to draw a comparison with money (those who have a lot down play it), when your "tagged in" page lists over 600 that might be quite an easy thing to say to people who think there is status in getting them and crave a couple.  

It doesn't help that there's still obvious confusion about what the FPIs are for and what they mean. It's popped up yet again in this thread.