ThirstyFish

I have accumulated hundreds of rabbit photos over the years. This one would have been deleted if it wasn't for the sky in the eye. In fact, the eye and the ears dominate the image so much that it takes a moment to notice the grass in the foreground.

This is not a photograph that I nor anyone else would want to hang on a wall. In fact, most of the photos on this site do not have wall appeal. Photos similar to the ones posted on this site can be taken by anyone with basic photographic skills and the right equipment. However, the Earthrise photos from NASA can be on anyone's wall. They were taken by astronauts with average photographic skills (e.g., the color version is not quite in focus), but from a vantage point only available to them. The two earthrise photos were also the first of their kind.

A typical photograph is only viewed for a second or two. A well composed photo can keep the observer in the frame for another few seconds. Many popular photos have unique perspectives, original subjects, subject separation and they tend to be simple.

Although there is some correlation between popularity and quality (or virtue), correlation does not imply causation. In other words, something that has quality or virtue is not automatically popular. In fact it may be quite the opposite.