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There’s a good article about the Flickr aesthetic(s) by Virginia Heffernan in last weekend’s Times. In it, Heffernan talks about the sort of community rules that determine a “good” Flickr photograph, which turn out to be a hodgepodge of technical quibbles (e.g., sharp focus), subject matter (animals, erotic photos, landscapes), and over-the-top post-processing. I’m sort of surprised she didn’t mention The Online Photographer’s 2006 satire of the Flickr community, which Shannon Jensen brought to my attention. The satire picks up on many of the technical quibbles of the Flickr community, but Heffernan goes a step further, picking a few photographers who demonstrate what the tyranny of the majority can agree on as “great photography.” Will this aesthetic become incorporated into the canonical photographic tradition? Who knows. But Heffernan’s favorite for Flickr representative, Rebekka Guoleifsdottir, was contacted to work on an advertising campaign with Toyota because of her Flickr portfolio. Since art photography, fashion, and advertising all share the same workspace these days, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Flickresque leeched onto the white walls of the gallery. Maybe it already has–I see less professional echoes of Kelli Connell, Ryan McGinley, and others in Guoleifsdottir’s works. But I’m left with the feeling that there’s no real cohesion to the portfolios most photographers post on Flickr; they seem more interested in single interesting shots than in developing an artistic signature. Maybe that’s more honest than forcing yourself to work within a style, but it helps to have an iconic brand if you’re going to be remembered.