What are the optimum number of photos you like to look at in a blog post? Will you look at more photos if they are addressing a common theme? (Click to enlarge.)
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I have this mental rule that I still try to stick to even though I constantly break it. This rule is that I should attempt to limit photos per post to no more than 6 photos. I made this rule because I noticed I couldn’t process more than six disparate images fully, it becomes sort of overwhelming, and I stop looking. I have a friend who sends me slide shows of photos of her trips that number up to a hundred, are unlabeled and completely overwhelm. I can’t focus on any photo because there are too many.
However I also notice that if the photos are a common theme, lampposts, birds, whatever, I can and do process many easily. It is almost like each image builds on the prior one.
Should I regret for example, not posting all my Flamingo photos together because I now wonder, since they are a common theme, would people like to see all the photos once, and would it have been a better post?
And last call for the flamingos. Do you like seeing all these photos or do you think the quantity is distracting?
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I like seeing them in groupings.
I just to make smaller groups! Thank you.
I just read that 7 is the magic number beyond which we have difficulty choosing and comprehending.
WOW! Fascinating and rings true. Thank you!
I have never seen flamingos in flight even though I’m from Florida and have seen them many times before. Loved your photos Cindy and feeding the flamingo photos to your readers in shifts was a great idea.
This what I need to hear. Thank you!
They look like beautiful paintings. Are you sure you aren’t painting too 🙂
You are so talented!
E tu Judy. Thank you.
It’s hard to say. Sometimes too many photos are overwhelming even if they are on a theme. And when you have a lot of beautiful photos it is hard to select just a very few. I loved all the flamingo photos but the one I like the best is the first of the second series. I think we can trust your wise judgement to make a post that we will enjoy reading as much as you enjoyed writing 🙂
+1
See my comments to Icastel. He has this discretion and discipline. I admire it and your feedback as usual. Thank you.
You have this talent yourself btb. I have responding wordily to your succinct +1.
Actually I trust your judgement quite a lot. Thank you!
Aww, thanks 🙂
Thank you!! I must improve on editing down the numbers which is the feedback I wanted. Appreciate you providing it!
An interesting question. It will be good to know what people think
Just like your flower!!! 🙂
I think the flamingos are absolutely beautiful, and 6 is not enough to get the big picture. The more the merrier.
Paul
Yes. Maybe the answer, is to make sure the subjects are so wonderful that the photgrapher has no choice to post!
It depends on the post. I personally like to see many pictures if together they’re telling a story. In these cases, the narrative works as the glue. It’s true that sometimes it can get overwhelming, though. So, let’s say between 5 & 8 pics, to put a number out there 🙂
Yes. 6-8.
Why do you have such discipline though? Your photos are so thought provoking and intelligent. I know you post than 1% of what you take. This is wonderful self discipline & I admire you for for it.
Thank you for the nice comments and I’m glad to hear your opinion about my posts. Discipline, hmm … maybe I’m just lazy. Or self-conscious 😉
I really like your posts. They tell me you’re happy and eager to share what you’re seeing; and that tells me you’re enjoying life. It’s great!
Thank you!
Ha! Being the rookie that I am in blogging, I never thought about the importance of photo-number per post… usually mine exceed the 6-7 quota {but never add up to anything like a hundred!!!} and I am grouping them together in a unified-theme kind of way, out of “instinct” more I now guess rather than knowledge! Your flamingos didn’t strike me as overwhelming at all and I think I would have been able to focus on all your photos even if there had been no “break” … I might even have enjoyed a couple more!!!
Sweet thank you! I just noticed that I can’ really process to many different photos, so I wondered if other people felt the same. Thank you for the response & I am a rookie too!!! 🙂
I agree 6-8 photos is good. Anything more is overwhelming.
Yes! thank you!
I generally try to keep it down to between four and six. No real reason other than that I tend to turn off after about eight. It can be different if there is an interesting theme running through the series. If I have loads of decent pics I’ll split them into two or three posts spaced out over a couple of days. 🙂
Good idea & thank you!!!
Your number is good, for me it also depends on narration rather than just photos in order to tell the story. You do great.
This is true. Travel photos without explanation are sort of useless. Artistic photos to make you think and wonder are different. Thanks for the feedback.
Amazing photos, I think this is about the right amount if it is all of roughly the same subject.
Thank you. I appreciate the reply.
I think all the photos are lovely. Too many can perhaps be overwhelming, but I think the real limitation for me is how much time I have to enjoy them. If I had unlimited time, I would like to see as many as possible, especially on a favorite subject. But in reality, I don’t have enough time for more than a few. I can understand why choosing among them is difficult!
Excellent point. Who does have time to look at lots of photos! Thanks!
All very well thought out and beautiful photos. I like the idea of 7.
How odd! LOL! Seven works for me!! Thanks Wally.
Very punny!
I really enjoyed seeing these magnificent birds in flight. Most often we see them in ‘stands’. Your blog your choice of content and photo count. 🙂
Very kind. Thank you!
love the Flamingos!!! when I first started my photo blog I did one photo and I noticed most of the blogs I visited offered more…usually 4 or more…so I began offering multiples…as for the optimum number…your guess is as good as mine… 😉 but…I’d say between 4 – 8 should work???
Yes. I agree and need to get more disciplined about this. Appreciate your response. Thanks.
Breaking rules is kinda fun…..don’t you think? 😎
Thank you for following me. 😯
Yes! And I’m pretty sure that’s why we make them! Think of New Years Resolutions. Who really sticks to them!
I pretty much don’t stick to nothing…. 😆
Good for you! Also, this way the only thing you could do is improve! But improvement is like a rule. Who does sticks to it really? 🙂
Love your blog! I got a wonderful Inaguration invite from the Obamas & a Christmas card too! Me and ten million others!
I love your blog, I need some inspirational goodies, to sooth my angry Sicilian Black American soul!!
I am glad we found one another. 😀
Me two and cheers to you!
I say post them all as long as it does not slow down the page download, Cindy. We can always scroll and pick the ones we want to focus on. For example, I spent more time on the flamingo photos in the lake since the contrast and reflection from the background caught my eye, but I also enjoyed seeing the colors of the wings in flight.
Good points. The slow download is a real killer for sure. Thanks for the comments!
Flamingoes are so beautiful, that it’s hard to make a guess at how many it would take to be distracted — I have a very short attention span, but I was comfortable with the number of them you have in this post. Someone else may think differently, so you just have to do what makes you comfortable, since you’re never going to do the “right” number for everybody. These are beautiful pictures, Cindy, of a subject matter that is equally beautiful!
Awwww, so nice! Thank you.
Loved it! Beautiful photos of flamingos. 🙂
There really are beautiful creatures. Thank you!
They are beautiful! My daughter’s name is ‘Cindy’, love the name. 🙂
WOW! There are not too many people being named Cindy anymore. I hope she likes it. I think it refers to the Goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology (Artemis). There is a mount Cynthus on Delos Island where the name arose. I went to Delos several years ago and never knew of this connection!
I hope your daughter wears her name proudly and thank you for your generous comments~
As far as I’m concerned, you may post as many photos as you can…. I have loved them all! I don’t believe I’ve ever seen Flamingos flying or with black wings!
I hadn’t either. They were gorgeous & thank you for the kind comment!
I love all your photos Cindy, they tell a story about your travels and keep the flow of the post moving along. The number that goes into a post is directly related to what the post is about.
I feel EXACTLY the same about your posts & photos! The Bungle Bungles were just too wonderful as are all your photos~
Thanks Cindy it is very hard choosing which photos to leave out as when I have such a photographic place AND a digital camera with a big memory card I take LOTS of photos…
Oh yes! I can relate. You and me both sistah!! 🙂
I love your photography (my favourite photo here is the 5th one) so for me the more photos you include, the better! If you are concerned that your posts might look too long, well there’s this other talented lady photographer l’m following as well, and what she does sometimes is to post part of her photo selection in thumbnails, like this:
http://corinalazarescu.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/ce-frumoasa-i-primavara/
Another factor to consider is time, I guess. Selecting and posting many more photos would naturally be more time-consuming.
Oh how remarkably helpful and useful! Thank you! This is a perfect compromise. Those that want more can choose to look, those that get overwhelmed with too many can choose not too. How perfectly clever. Thank you Halim!
I am also going to follow her. What a talent & cheers to you!
Oh you’re very welcome, Cindy! Cheers to you too!
I never tire of seeing such fabulous birds. It does not matter about number of photos when you want to study each in detail. Your own eye is probably the most critical in choosing the photos. Thanks again for these Cindy!
Very kind & helpful. Thank you!
These are very lovely. How, indeed, would you choose? I like seeing them all!
So nice! I feel the same about your photos. Always something interesting!
Thank you! That means an awful lot!
I have being trained as a scientist, and to me it is the same to the artists, we make the choice, and to show only some of the finest. Often, too much information is equivalent to have little information according the brain study.
KC
I agree with you. Thank you. Our brains can only process so much at one time and then become overwhelmed.