Hi guys, I'm both a professional photographer (openapphoto.com) and a digital marketing expert (bobmackowski.com) so I wanted to chime in on your request. Here are my answers to your questions: -There are a number of ways that photos can stand out: the subject, the colors, the composition, and more. That's why people post photos to social media. The photos help them stand out from everybody else's posts. In the case of the mildlyinteresting subreddit, it's the quirky nature of the photo subjects and sometimes the stories behind them that make them stand out. -Access to a camera for all is a net positive. It can help you document anything in your life that needs to be documented, whether it's your child's first steps or that raging party that you don't remember from last night. It's even helpful for things that don't need to be documented, like the photo that you took at the grocery store and sent to your spouse to make sure that you got the right frozen pizza. I'm a professional photographer with professional equipment and yet I still take cell phone photos just like anybody else. It's handy to have this camera in your pocket at all times. -The mildlyinteresting subreddit feels like a microcosm of why lots of people use Reddit. It's interesting, it's quirky, and yet it's ordinary at the same time. Professional photography need not apply here. These are routine, everyday photos taken during everyday life that just happen to be mildly interesting. Formal bio: Bob Mackowski is a professional photographer and videographer as well as a small business visual marketing speaker. Based in Greenville, NC and serving Eastern North Carolina, he's been a photographer for 15 years and a speaker for 12 years. Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Have a great day! Bob
Today, in the time of social media, people look at a lot of pictures on a daily basis. What gets attention is when a picture looks genuine and has some surprise. Overly edited pictures may not always grab people, but an unedited, just-a-picture, that shows something different or narrates a little story can really get attention. The subreddit r/mildlyinteresting is well-liked because it consists of small, everyday items that are slightly surprising or unexpected. They don't appear remarkable, but somehow they manage to catch people's attention. That is because people are always curious every time they see something ordinary but interesting. Now that we all have a camera in our phones, anyone can share their story. That is healthy for society because it allows more voices to be heard. But then, with so much being posted, the good, genuine moments are lost in the noise. But when genuine moments from genuine life are posted, social media matters.
In my experience managing influencer campaigns at Lusha, I've found that r/mildlyinteresting's massive following stems from our inherent desire to discover the extraordinary in ordinary things. When I scroll through the subreddit, I'm constantly amazed by how a simple photo of, say, a perfectly symmetrical fruit or an oddly shaped cloud can spark such engaging discussions and shared experiences. These posts work because they tap into our collective curiosity and desire to share those 'wait, look at this!' moments that make everyday life more interesting.
A photo will stand out when it makes us feel something, tells a story, or when it presents a unique point of view. The composition, lighting, and accurate timing are the key factors of having a strong image. And the other instinctive response a photo will often provoke is a sense of the authentic or the unexpected - something that will encourage people to engage with the picture and take time to reflect on it. The ability for us to have a camera in our pocket today is mostly a net positive for society. It makes photography available to the masses and the masses are beginning to document/communicate/share experiences, cultures, lives. It allows creative access and the scope of our world, however, that then raises questions of privacy and information overload. The ability to balance these dynamics is important. The article reveals to us the extraordinary in the mundane. These images often capture the unusual, the odd, the out of place items that you stop and smile at. The photos, more often than not, are complemented with an intriguing backstory, leading to a context, which turns a photograph into an interesting story. This mixture of novelty and narrative dimensions invites first-time viewers to participate.
Forwarded this to our marketing department. The following is from Dan Moyer, a Marketing Strategist on our team. "The big secret in business is that everyone wants to be in marketing. Because if you look closely enough, everything is marketing! It's not just designing logos or creating ads. It's how something feels when you experience it. It's memory architecture. "Photography works the same way, but because we're so saturated with content, sometimes the photos that stand out aren't always the prettiest or most polished. They're the ones that have tension to them. They're intimate. They make us want to stop scrolling. Offbeat, but honest, is probably the best way of putting it. "Having a camera in your pocket all the time has democratized storytelling. It's given a voice to people who never had one. So yes, I'd say it has been a net positive. However, it also means we have to work harder to mean something. A good photo directs emotion. That 'mildly interesting' subreddit is addicting I think because it's about the uncanny in the everyday. And when 25 million people subscribe to that, it tells you that we crave moments that feel real. Even more so when they're weird!" Please let me know if you have any other questions for Dan or our Marketing Team.