Meet Ayesha Kazim – a globetrotting freelance photographer working between New York City, Cape Town, and London. Her multicultural background as a Nigerian-South African living abroad fuels her passion for capturing compelling portraits that resonate with diverse audiences and communities.

She shared with us, “Within my creative practice, I utilize analog and digital mediums to capture the intimate, transient moments of everyday life. My inspiration and art-making practice is rooted in introspection and outward curiosity for the world, often materializing itself in the photographing of subjects that exude resilience, power, and a humbled sense of confidence.”

When asked how she got interested in and started with photography Ayesha said, “As a child, watching my father navigate the film industry and utilize his craft to uplift traditional stories from the African continent opened my eyes to the opportunities the Arts could provide in disseminating one’s vision.”

After receiving her first camera at 10 years old, she started using photography to understand the world around her. “As someone who was not much of a writer and very much an introvert growing up, photography brought me out of my shell and provided an artistic mechanism that I could use to interpret, preserve, and share the history of my diverse heritage.”

“Photography continues to serve this purpose today, while having evolved into a medium through which I aim to create bold, dynamic portraits that seek to illustrate a greater vision beyond the sitter. Through image-making, my goal remains to portray people of color in positions of strength and power, while evoking a sense of vulnerability and authenticity.” 

Ayesha shared that her photography style is characterized by “clean, refined portraits that exude a fresh, lively energy through the use of colorful, yet coordinated settings and styling.”

She continued, “Having grown up in over ten countries during my formative years, my work draws inspiration from a wide range of cultures which helps me connect with my subjects and capture authentic, engaging moments. I focus on highlighting the candid, intimate moments of everyday life that arise from organic connections and emotions.”

“Whether it’s documenting fashion stories, highlighting emerging innovators, or showcasing individuals making strides in the creative industry, I strive to convey a range of emotions, expressions, and moods through my work that draws the viewer in and establishes common ground. With a strong focus on narrative sensibility, my images aim to tell a story about the subject and their life experiences within a single frame.”

Ayesha shared that she often chooses shoot locations based off of the idea or message she is trying to convey, the subject of the photo, and the story she is telling. “When shooting outdoors, I tend to look for an environment that has a lot of natural features and interesting architectural shapes. Some of my favourite places to shoot have been overgrown gardens, abandoned churches, and forest landscapes in between seasons.  I also find adding a backdrop outdoors allows me to create polished portraits that still have a sense of personality and authenticity by placing the subject in a real environment the viewer can connect to.”

“When shooting indoors in studio, the story is cultivated less through the external surroundings and moreso through tools such as lighting, makeup, or styling. I usually start by creating a mood board that illustrates the main vision or aesthetic I am trying to produce through the project. “

Ayesha’s photography gear includes the Canon 5D Mark IV, Mamiya RB67, Canon AE-1, and Profoto B10X.

We asked Ayesha to choose one of her favorite photos to share. Upon sharing the above photo she said,  “The chosen work, “Mirage,” is a digital photograph I created in 2019. The title, “Mirage,” alludes to the portrayal of a female figure trapped in a transient, dreamlike state. This image resonates deeply with me as it mirrors the universal inner struggle we all grapple with when attempting to break free from disillusionment. It symbolizes the clouded mental space one may encounter when faced with the choice between a safe, stable path and a more liberated, creative one.”

She shared that the creation of this piece was brought about by spontaneous experimentation. “ It was a result of my exploration into the art of capturing the very essence of my subject’s soul through a conceptual portrait. Whenever I face a creative block, I revisit this photo because it reminds me of a time when I navigated the artistic process without the constraints of external judgment. I hope that by sharing this work, it can serve as an inspiration for others to push the boundaries of photography and continue to challenge themselves to step outside their comfort zones as artists.”

When asked about editing she said, “During the shooting process, I knew I wanted to combine a mixture of ambient and studio lighting. I had my model move around and closer her eyes to loosen up during the initial stages of shooting. This turned out to be one of my favourite shots, as the subject appears very at ease, almost as if she is caught within a meditative state. Throughout the editing process, I played around with a range of colour combinations until I came to a balance that I felt evoked this sense of ethereality.”

Ayesha’s passion for art spans beyond traditional photography. “My artistic practice also extends into the digital realm. I have leveraged my creative skillset as both a digital artist and curator, cultivating AI and collage-based techniques to reimagine my portraiture work in new worlds. This aspect of my work extends into the emerging space of web3, where I am actively involved in producing exhibitions and educating fellow artists about the myriad opportunities this new landscape has to offer.” 

In addition to photography, Ayesha is passionate about leading an active lifestyle that involves running and rock climbing.

If you would like to get in touch with Ayesha and learn more about her creative practice, please feel free to email her at info@ayeshakazim.com. You can also follow her journey on Instagram @ayeshavkazim and connect with her on LinkedIn.

Not a Flickr member yet? Sign up today to join our community of photographers and find your inspiration.

“Marin d’eau douce”- 0x4e84

“Basking”- Kat

“Walk against the time ..”- nik26l

“Tuckin in!!”-Amanda Collins Eade

“shoreham at sunrise”- Emma Varley

“Hermine”- christine Barré

“Untitled”- Jason Smith

“Silbermöwe”- Ella Kalteis

It’s almost party time!

Tomorrow, Feb. 10th, Flickr turns 20! It is a milestone birthday that we’re so proud of and we’re grateful to the entire Flickr community for helping make this big day happen. We’re celebrating this accomplishment with photowalks, promos, a contest and more! Make sure to stay tuned to the Flickr blog to get more information on events and join us for the festivities!

Not a Flickr member yet? Sign up today to join our community of photographers and find your inspiration.

To celebrate this huge milestone, we’re taking a trip down memory lane to explore all of the technological and structural moments that have shaped Flickr into what it is now. We hope you enjoy seeing the ways that your passionate engagement has been essential to making the Flickr you know and love today.

Feb 10, 2004: Flickr is launched
Founded by Stewart Butterfield and Caterina Fake, Flickr was released to the public at the O’Reilly Emerging Tech conference in San Diego as a tool for sharing photos. Originally engineered as part of a multiplayer online game, one aspect of the project took on a life of its own, and Flickr was born. During an era when digital cameras were fairly common, phone cameras were just a grainy novelty, and the blogosphere ruled the internet, Flickr was an instant hit.

August 2004: Flickr truly takes off
In our first few months, we introduced several groundbreaking features that would revolutionize the way users interact with and share photos. Tags, photostreams, comments, faves, and groups—features that have all become commonplace in today’s social media landscape—helped propel Flickr to unprecedented heights as bloggers and early social media adopters rushed to find a place to store, share, and get inspired by photography.

March 2005: Yahoo buys Flickr
Slightly more than a year after launch, Flickr was a worldwide phenomenon. This caught the attention of then-internet-giant Yahoo, who acquired the company and helped provide much-needed scaling and infrastructure to our rapidly growing community. Just over two years later, Flickr passed the impressive two billion photos mark with this upload:

June 2007: Flickr goes multilingual and adds geotagging
Flickr has always been a worldwide community, and in 2007, we added seven new languages to help our community experience and explore photography: French, German, Korean, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Traditional Chinese. The same year, we also added geotags, allowing members to add their photos to a map and, for uploads that already contained location information, automatically letting members look at their pictures in a map view.

January 2008: The Commons launches with the Library of Congress
The Commons on Flickr launched in 2008 with the United States Library of Congress as its first partner. The program was designed to help cultural institutions worldwide share photography collections where copyright was unclear. Since then, the Flickr Commons has grown into a unique collection of historical photography that just recently celebrated its 16th birthday!

September 2009: Flickr releases its first iPhone app
The launch of Flickr’s first iPhone app was a watershed moment, bringing together the worlds of digital photography and mobile technology to create a dynamic platform that celebrated the spontaneity and creativity inherent in taking photos. Mobile became a fixture of the Flickr experience from this day forward, welcoming a whole new generation of photographers to the platform.

2013: Flickr’s new look puts photos first in redesigned groups, photostream, activity feed and Android app.
At every step we’ve made improvements based on user feedback, and in 2013 we unveiled a new user-friendly layout, empowering users to upload full-resolution photos. Simultaneously, our reimagined Android app swiftly rose from a lagging position to proudly match its iPhone counterpart.

2015: Flickr introduces cutting-edge organizing tools amid a major redesign
Were the early 2010s a blur for anyone else? Over the years, Flickr continued to forge ahead, steadily weathering the rise of new and competing social media platforms, and in May 2015, we debuted a much more modern layout and two powerful tools designed for bulk actions: Camera Roll—a new mobile-friendly organizational and editing system—and Desktop Auto-Uploadr, a tool for batch uploading photos from a PC, making photo backup and organizing a breeze.

April 2018: SmugMug acquires Flickr
Despite constant developments and the unwavering passion of our people, in early 2018 Flickr was faced with a daunting proposition: the threat of closure. Unwilling to let billions of photos vanish from the internet, photography sales platform SmugMug swooped in to save the day. A stark shift from massive corporate ownership, SmugMug’s people-first, photography-focused, and family-run approach to business proved a huge boon for Flickr, as you’ll see in the years ahead.

March 2019: Flickr says a last farewell to Yahoo
The single most requested feature by our community since the announcement that Flickr was joining SmugMug was the elimination of a Yahoo account requirement to join. In March 2019, we made that wish a reality, and for the first time in over a decade, Flickr members could register using any email address. As a result, the community prospered with a welcome influx of new photographers.

December 2019: Flickr introduces Prints and new Pro features
2019 was a VERY busy year for Flickr. We launched Flickr Prints, giving members the opportunity to order truly spectacular prints of their photos from the best photo labs around the world. We also tripled the maximum image resolution size for Pros, reaching up to 6K, and brought Pro stats to mobile devices everywhere, allowing photographers to track their likes, faves, and comments from anywhere.

July 2020: Flickr enhances Explore, content curation, and more
We heard from the community that Explore—our auto-curated feed of the best photos on Flickr each day—was feeling a bit…unbalanced. Multiple photos from single users in a day, repeat users between days, clearly the algorithm needed a tweak. And tweak we did! We completely rebuilt the infrastructure of Explore to make it more equitable and varied, and as a follow up we redesigned the Flickr feed to give members more control over their content with new sorting, filtering, and view options.

August 2021: Flickr puts users in control of their notifications
After months of testing, feedback,and revisions, Flickr launched a brand new Notifications Center, giving users full control over the way they receive updates about the Flickr community. The new Notifications Center offered members flexibility and customization over what activity and conversations they’re notified of, and introduced a way for members to enjoy photos from Explore directly on their phone’s home screen – the Flickr mobile widget.

December 2022: Flickr launches a nonprofit dedicated to preserving our community’s photographic legacy
We think photos should be around forever. So in 2022 we launched the Flickr Foundation, a non-profit organization founded to safeguard Flickr and our extensive collection of photos. With the goal of securing photos for 100 years, the foundation is the latest example of SmugMug’s dedication to the long-term success of Flickr, and the preservation of our shared photographic history.

November 2023: Flickr expands stats for Flickr Pros
If you’re anything like us, you’re hungry to know how your photos are faring out there in the Flickr wilds, and that’s why last year we debuted a massive improvement to our Pro Stats feature. We expanded stats visibility out to 36 weeks, giving Pro users a detailed look at their views, comments, faves, and more.

December 2023: Flickr gets certified for the long-haul
Last year we proudly achieved two certifications—Certified Evergreen and Climate Neutral—demonstrating our solid foundation and preparedness for the future. As the world’s largest photo community, it’s our responsibility to find more sustainable ways to do business. While addressing our long-term climate impact, we are equally dedicated to safeguarding the open and wild spaces that inspire photographers worldwide. To amplify our efforts, we also joined the Mobilizing for Monuments Coalition, underscoring our passion for environmental conservation.

These are truly just the cream of the crop in terms of structural developments we’ve undergone in the last 20 years, but it’s so gratifying to see how at every step, we’ve been able to hear from you, our wonderful community, and keep improving your experience on Flickr. Thank you, from the bottom of our photography-loving hearts, for helping make this place the greatest.

Curious about where we’re headed next? Check out what’s ahead in 2024, and keep your eyes on the Flickr blog for more highlights from our 20 years of building community!

“C’est mon cœur..”- Le temps à soi

“Gloaming”- lillirod

“Untitled”- Henry

“Untitled”- Prinzism Px

“Capturing Curiosity”- Alan Martinez

“Blaumeise”- Karin Rogmann

“Oranges pieces”- Sue Lockhart

“Smoky Superstition Morning”- Isaac Borrego

Birthday festivities are ahead!

February 10th marks Flickr’s 20th birthday, and we’re starting out the celebration with a photo contest. Check out Flickr’s 20th Birthday Photo Contest group to learn more! And take a look at the full list of birthday activities, including discounts, photowalks, themed galleries, and more in our Birthday Festivities Guide.

See you next week!

Not a Flickr member yet? Sign up today to join our community of photographers and find your inspiration.

Hip hip hooray, it’s almost our birthday! On February 10th, we are celebrating Flickr’s 20th birthday! To kick things off we’re announcing a special Flickr Birthday Photo contest and we’re inviting you all to the party. This contest will be sure to bring about your colorful side. If there is one thing that is iconic to Flickr it is our logo colors, blue and that beautiful hot pink. For this photo contest, we want to see how you incorporate those colors into your own photography.

The rules are simple. 

Join us over in the  Flickr’s 20th Birthday Photo Contest Group. Check out our FAQs and then upload one single photo that you think best features the Flickr colors, blue and hot pink. 

There are no date or tagging requirements for this contest. Just one single photo, capturing that iconic blue and pink vibe. The photo contest starts today, Thursday February 1st and ends at 9pm PST on Thursday, February 29th.

Winners will receive a fabulous party prize!

Our judges will choose 10 winners for this contest. That means you have a great chance to score one of our prize packages!

If your photo is chosen, you’ll win:

• A 16”x20” print of one of your photos on Flickr
• A free year of Flickr Pro for you 
• AND a free year of Flickr Pro for a friend

Sound like a party yet? Head on over to our Flickr Birthday Party Contest Group to get started. 

To see what other birthday festivities are heading your way, check out this official Birthday Festivities Guide and mark your calendars!

Not a Flickr member yet? Sign up today to join our community of photographers and find your inspiration.

Meet Julia, a therapist with 18 years of experience, whose true passion is analogue photography. Born in New York and raised between San Francisco and New York, she considers herself a hybrid of both places. For the past 15 years, Julia has called Chicago her home. When asked how she got interested in and started with photography Julia said, “I started my photography journey my senior year in college with an Intro to Photography class; I took it out of curiosity. I loved it so much that I took it as an independent study again in my last semester. This led to a year-long photography internship at The Staten Island Advance after graduation.” 

“My mentor was this awesome photographer, Michael McWeeney, who introduced me to film photography experimentation including pinhole photography. Over the years, I lost my love for the art form, and I returned to it around 2012 after I had a big personal loss. I was seeking beauty in the world again, and I came across the (former) Lomography store in Chicago.”

Julia considers herself an Experimental Analogue Nerd! She’s drawn to experimental films, unique cameras, and documenting what speaks to her and brings her joy. Julia shoots primarily with a Polaroid SX 70, Polaroid Land Camera 230, Holga, Lomography LC-Wide, Lomo Lubitel and simple use cameras. She shared, “My fave film to shoot these days is Lomography’s Lomochrome Purple film, but I am also a huge fan of expired slide film, experimental films (i.ee Psychedelic Blues film) and b&w instant film.”

When asked what inspires her to shoot at a specific location, Julia said “I am inspired by subtle beauty (I love me an alley!) and joy. Light also speaks to me. I love how light illuminates a subject in a million different ways. And it’s up to me to document it in a way that will tell the story I want to tell. Interestingly, I can never create when I am in a setting where there is not some form of kindness. This sounds incredibly cheesy, but if I don’t feel something positive in the atmosphere, my photos never come out well.”

“I am also super passionate about creating art of my community, especially Black women just being. So much of the art I’ve consumed has been from the male perspective. I love showcasing Black women being our authentic selves in ways I don’t see super often. I love shooting portraits, double exposures, Polaroid’s and expired film as well.”

We asked Julia to choose one of her favorite photos to share. Upon sharing the above photo she said, “I LOVE this photo. It is totally imperfect and yet I sincerely love it. In the series finale of the show Insecure, there was a photo in the background of a scene showcasing a woman with cornrows. I was so drawn to it, so it inspired me to create this photo. Daily, I would see this random tree in the parking lot of a local Walgreen’s on my way to the bus stop. Each time I saw it, I thought it would be perfect in a photo with Lomochrome Purple film.” 

She shared that this photo was shot at that tree when her cousins were in town visiting her. “The reason I love this photo so much is that it is one of the few photos I’d planned ahead of time and it came out better than I could have hoped. I don’t even mind that it is not totally crisp with the focusing. This was shot in the second half of the roll and when I rewound the roll, the film snapped in half. That has never happened to me before. I took a blanket, sat under it on the floor in my bathroom and transferred the one half of a roll to another film canister. So, I love this shot even more because I had to work especially hard to get it.”

When asked about editing she said, “ I don’t edit my photos much. The Darkroom Lab does such a great job with development, so I don’t have to do too much tweaking. This particular photo was developed locally because of the special circumstances. I wanted to make sure I could explain in person what I needed to a live person, and the guy who developed it was so nice that I even brought him a thank you slice of cake!”

Julia’s love for film photography has been unwavering from day one, but lately she’s been looking for inspiration and snapping photos less frequently. She shared with us, “Without putting too much pressure on myself, my goal for 2024 is to find out what my new passions are. I know how to take care of people; I haven’t mastered how to take care of myself.”

Julia has been a member of the Flickr community since 2013. “I don’t have much as far as social media goes. While I totally appreciate popular social media photo sites, they aren’t conducive to my personality. With Flickr, I can hone in on artists who inspire me. They feel tangible to me. With some of the artists on Flickr, I feel like I’ve met them in person because of the way we connect on the site. And there are some who I have met in person because of us connecting on the site. I’ve done a photo walk with a Flickr artist from France and one from Georgia. I’ve done a photowalk in San Francisco with multiple Flickr artists. How cool is that? I think this is something that is unique to Flickr.”

Julia concluded the interview saying, ““I am grateful to each and every person who has taken the time out to check out my art, like and comment. It’s lovely when people show interest in something that is created as a labor of love.”

We encourage you to check out more of Julia’s work on her Flickr and Lomography page! If you are interested in investing in any of her art, visit her shop on Fine Art America.

Not a Flickr member yet? Sign up today to join our community of photographers and find your inspiration.

Elke came from a dog loving family where her dog Noodles, made the perfect muse for developing her photography skills as she worked at capturing Noodle’s endearing character and beauty. During her photography journey though, Elke found herself in the position of becoming a caregiver to both her beloved mother-in-law and husband, who was recovering from a health scare himself. During that time, Elke decided she needed a creative outlet to help balance the stress and demands of being a caregiver with some space for creativity and respite. Her first attempt at finding that space through photography was by starting a one-picture-a-day project in 2010. Elke found that photography provided her, not only with moments of peace but also allowed her to create something like a visual diary of those difficult times.  

Of those early days Elke said, “My dogs found themselves in front of my camera very often. I had to take them for walks, which was my only spare-time. More and more people asked me if I could photograph their dogs too. Finally, I decided to try to do more of what I love and registered a business as a photographer.”

So with that, in May 2011, Elke made it official and became a professional photographer. Elke has worked tirelessly over the years at improving her photography skills, as well as developing successful marketing and business skills. And while the process can be slow it’s been very rewarding.

“After a few years I was able to leave behind my job as a technical translator and work full time as a professional photographer specializing in pet portraiture. I guess this is my silver lining story,” Elke considered. And that silver lining is full of images that bring not just the pet owners joy, but anyone who is lucky enough to scroll through her portfolio. 

What Elke loves most about photography is the opportunity it provides to be creative. While that creativity shows itself in many different styles and forms, she’s found that having a specialization professionally has been the best approach for her. 

Elke explained further, “I think it’s very important to be the expert for one genre and one particular style or topic. Ideally, you want to be the first that comes to a potential client’s mind when thinking about that particular subject. I started out as an outdoor photographer. I loved being outdoors, in nature, with dogs. I decided to get some very basic studio equipment. In those days I found studio photography with dogs boring, therefore, I tried to come up with something I found interesting, which was dogs pulling funny faces while chewing, licking or catching treats.” This approach resulted in more interesting, quirky and unique shots which led to her photos gaining more attention. 

That attention eventually led to Elke focusing on studio photography, specifically commercial and editorial pet photography. Even with her professional focus on this style of photography Elke continues experimenting with other techniques and approaches. She said, ” In my opinion, it’s vital to keep on working on your skills and not be stagnant in what you do.”

As for gear, Elke is a Fujifilm X photographer and shoots with Fujifilm X cameras. Her go-to camera is the X-T4, which she finds to be reliable and fast. “If you want your equipment to be as versatile as possible, make sure you have a wide-angle zoom and a telephoto zoom, both offering a large aperture of at least f/2.8. That’s what I have in my bag when I’m outdoors with dogs I don’t know, as I want to be as flexible as possible,” Elke explained. 

“Personally, I prefer prime lenses, as they are often more lightweight and offer very high quality at a lower price. My two favorites are the Fujinon XF16mm f/1.4 and the Fujinon XF90mm f/2. My lens of choice in the studio is the Fuji 16-55mm, as I can shoot quirky close-up shots at 16mm and more elegant portraits at 55mm. I also use a strobe capable of high-speed synchronization in the studio; as that’s very handy when working with animals and a bit of action in the studio”

Photography gear isn’t the only equipment she has on hand during her photo shoots. Her clients also enjoy a variety of treats, toys and noisemakers, all which help Elke achieve a variety of expressions, head tilts and that signature quirkiness that make her clients’ personalities shine. 

Scrolling through her Photostream on Flickr, it is difficult to choose a favorite. Here are a few of Elke’s favorites with a little background on each photo. 

“All three images are not particularly in the style I’m known for. It’s difficult for me to find a favorite image among my portraits in the studio, as there are so many images in total and it’s always more about the expressions of the dogs than about techniques or ideas. And I just absolutely adore my models. They are so very different and still so alike. I love grumpy looks as much as I love the happy face. I know that the dogs were happy and enjoyed the treats in my studio. The interaction with the dogs while taking the images is the most rewarding result,” Elke explained.

“52 weeks of Wieselblitz – Black and White”

“This is an image of my dog Noodles. I’m known for my more cheerful and colorful studio shots, but I absolutely adore black and white images and shoot in black and white often when I pursue photography as a hobby. 

When you are a photographer by profession, you feel the need to present to the world those images you think might stand for your style and which you think might sell. This excludes, in my case, dark, moody, grainy, black and white shots like this. This image breaks a lot of rules. I used a wide-angle lens for a more elegant portrait, I added grain in camera and underexposed. I like the image, because it is different and moody. Alright, it also shows my lovely Noodles, which makes me biased. With images like these I don’t expect many people to like it and certainly not to be able to sell it for advertisement. Nevertheless, I decided to send it in via the submission page of a British black and white photographer magazine. They have a section called “The last frame“. To my huge surprise and joy they chose it for the cover of the magazine.”

“Harbour reflections”

Another favorite is the shot of Elke’s dog Scout. “This is a very old image which shows my elegant Scout. As I said, I love outdoor photography and reflections are also my favorites. There are very few images which withstand time and I still like this one.”

“Hedgetroll”

“This is also a few years old. I shot it as part of a 52 weeks project where you challenge yourself every week with a different photographic topic. Here I challenged myself to only use a prime lens with 50mm (or 35mm on a 1.5 crop camera in this case),” explained Elke. “I tried to find compositions which are a bit different. The image also shows that my dog is a very keen and patient model. I can make her sit in front of a bush and ask her to back up and she will back up into the bush, like Homer Simpson, if you like. The legs and paws were still visible, but I composed the image to try to make it look like only her head is sticking out.”

Along with photography, Elke has a passion for languages. Before becoming a photographer,  she worked as a translator, focusing on translations for English and Spanish into German. While she no longer works as a translator, she is currently brushing up on her Spanish again. Elke explained, “Learning a language can be a tediously slow process. You have to have lots of motivation to persevere. That’s something I learned by tackling the one-picture-a-day project. If you do something every day, you will inevitably succeed.”

As for her time as part of the Flickr community, Elke said, “ I joined Flickr in January 2011, which was the start of another year of the one-picture-a-day project. The Flickr community is very encouraging and the different groups are inspiring. The features Flickr offers are much better than on other sites. You have many possibilities to sort your images in folders and galleries, which I also use for my clients and licensing archive.” 

To enjoy more of Elke’s photography, make sure to check out her official website www.elkevogelsang.com and also, give her a follow on Flickr and Instagram!

Not a Flickr member yet? Sign up today to join our community of photographers and find your inspiration.

“Surprise!”- incidencematrix

“Winter of 2021”- Nisah Cheatham

“European robin”- Alexis LOURS

“January 22 Abstract/Familiar Objects”- Larraine Leslie

“Kissed by the Reeds”- Jonathan Casey

“Melting…”- Prdka La Bleu

“Hazardous”- V A N D E E

“Wait For The Ice Cream ”- Jerzyphoto

Have a great weekend!

Not a Flickr member yet? Sign up today to join our community of photographers and find your inspiration.

photo by Jose Angel Sanchez Reyes

February 10th marks Flickr’s 20th birthday, and we’re celebrating all year long! Check out the full list of activities below, including discounts, photowalks, themed galleries, photo contests, and more, and keep your eyes out for fun birthday design tweaks all around the site.

Birthday deals and perks.
We’re kicking off the 20th birthday festivities with a bang! Look for an exclusive Pro membership discount coming to your inbox, and Pros, get ready for a brand new perk coming soon.

Photo contest – Capturing the Flickr colors.
Launching February 1, 2024, we’re holding a photo contest that invites community members to submit pictures that best represent the Flickr colors—pink and blue—in a creative and engaging way for a chance to earn exciting prizes. Stay tuned for more details!

Photowalks fun.
As part of our celebrations, we’re going back to an old Flickr favorite: Photowalks! During the month of February we’re putting together a San Francisco Bay Area photowalk on February 24 as an opportunity to connect with your fellow photography enthusiasts and Flickr members. You can find all the details here.

Want to join or host a photowalk of your own? First, join the Flickr Worldwide Photowalks group on Flickr and look for your city or region. If there isn’t already an event set up for it, start your own and let us know about it! We’ll make sure to spread the word.

Explore takeover.
On February 10, the day Flickr turns 20, we’re taking over Explore with the Flickr colors! Be sure to stop by to browse the best photos from the Flickr community highlighting our iconic blue and pink. And don’t forget to fave, share, and drop comments on your favorites.

Fun content galore.
Throughout the entire year, the Flickr blog and our social media channels will be packed with interesting and captivating content like member stories, fun facts, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and a series of timelines and visual galleries highlighting Flickr’s milestones throughout the last 20 years.

We couldn’t have asked for a better, more inspiring, more creative community. Thanks for making these last 20 years amazing, and here’s to many more.

People and Portrait Category

Snow Beauty – MLK Embrace Monument, Boston Common, Boston, MA by Sean Sweeney

Meet photographer Sean Sweeney

Sean began his journey in photography as a teenager, processing film in his basement. Sean says “Photography is my passion, and my goal is to make a portrait that becomes the subject’s favorite photo of themselves! I enjoy meeting people and taking photos which I then share with them, as a gift.” 

A little about this photograph

Captured in early January of 2023, this winning photo was taken at the Martin Luther King “Embrace” Monument on Boston Common in Boston, Massachusetts. To check out more of Sean’s work, you can visit his Flickr site and  www.facesofboston.com.

Landscape Category

Back to The Future by Kris Peterson – Foggy Lens Photography

Meet photographer Kris Peterson  

Kris Peterson of Foggy Lens Photography is a landscape photographer residing in Richmond BC Canada. His winning photo was taken after an arduous climb up to the Seton Lake overlook, located in southwestern British Columbia. From his vantage point up on the overlook, Kris waited patiently for a car to approach which ultimately resulted in this striking, long exposure image. Check out his Youtube vlog for a more detailed walkthrough of Kris’ process in capturing this photo. Also, give him a follow on his Flickr site and Instagram to enjoy more of his work.

Wildlife and Nature Category

Tropical Tendril Treasure by Sally Rose Dolak

Meet photographer Sally Rose Dolak

Sally spends much of her time focused on her photography but she also enjoys gardening and caring for her chickens. She is an expat from Seattle, Washington, currently spending sunshine filled days in Costa Rica. Her surroundings provide endless opportunities for inspiration, see what other subjects she is capturing on her Flickr site. 

A little about this photograph

In finding the subject for her winning photo Sally said, “I’m always looking for tendril spirals on my walks around our property and garden. This one stood out to me because of the perfect display of the golden ratio. Tropical flowers and foliage created an excellent bokeh background to set off the spiral. This photo was taken with my favorite vintage lens Nikkor 105mm f/4 AIS Micro.” 

Street and Documentary Category

Pigeons at Bolhao by Rui Palha

Meet photographer Rui Palha

Rui was born in Portugal and currently resides in Lisbon. Starting at the early age of 14, Rui began taking photos as a hobby which eventually turned into a passion that he devotes much of his time to, with a focus on street photography. 

Rui explained what photography means to him, “Photography is a very important part of my space. It is to discover, it is to capture,  giving flow to what the heart feels and sees in a certain moment, it is being in the street, experiencing, understanding, learning and essentially, practicing the freedom of being, of living, of thinking…” To find more of his work visit his Flickr site, his official website or give him a follow on Instagram.

A little about this photograph

This photo was taken in Bolhao Market, in Porto, Portugal. Rui explained the image was captured in, “….a very old and soulful market in Porto that was always full of pigeons. I was lucky because that young woman began going upstairs and I made around 5 or 6 shots while she was going up. I chose this one because of the balance between her position and the placement of the pigeons.”

Fine Art Category

…wingsofvienna… by *ines_maria

Meet photographer Ines Maria

Photographer Ines Maria lives and works in Vienna, Austria and finds photographic inspiration constantly from her surroundings. About finding that inspiration, Ines said, “ The architecture, whether it be historical or modern, never ceases to fascinate me. This photo captures an extraordinary building at Vienna Central Station, and my intention was to give it wings, allowing it to “take off” in a delightful and mysterious ambiance.”

AI Artistry Category

THE FOUR SEASONS by Gabriele Rodriquez

Meet photographer Gabriele Rodriquez

Italian photographer Gabriele Rodriquez has been taking photographs since 1977, beginning first with analogue photography, then branching out to digital. While originally focused on traditional methods, Gabriele soon found an appreciation for experimenting with new techniques and expressive styles. This experimentation eventually led to Gabriele creating art with AI programs like Dall-E and MidJourney which has led him to create his winning Your Best Shot image, The Four Seasons. 

Gabriele believes that AI is a powerful tool that other forms of art can be created and developed from. While AI can sometimes be a controversial topic amongst photographers and other creatives, Gabriele believes that the artist’s own human involvement is still a fundamental part of the AI creative process. He explained, “The involvement of the author in the creative process is essential, in this phase AI can never be used as a surrogate for human creativity. If anything it becomes a further tool available to the author, usable and accessible by everyone where the difference between a result and another is given by authorship, or rather the ability to organize images according to a very specific plan that cannot ignore the contents. To extrapolate meaningful images from the cold algorithms, all the intellectual and cultural capacity of the artist is necessary. The machine remains waiting for orders.”

A little about this image

Gabriele’s image, The Four Seasons is part of a project entitled Arcimboldo Women. This project focuses on the concept of creating portraits of women in the style of the famous Italian painter of the 16th century, Giuseppe Arcimboldo. The full project can be found in Gabriele’s eBook, Arcimboldo Women. 

Through Her/Their Lens Category

Boet & Harvey by Barbara van der Linde

Meet photographer Barbara van der Linde

Barbara resides in Nunspeet, a village in the middle of The Netherlands. She grew up with photography in her household, as her father was the chief of the Navy’s photo department at the time. Barbara later enrolled in a photography course to help solidify her skills and also joined a local photography club.  Barbara said in developing her photography abilities, “You have to be curious and that has always been part of me. Now it’s starting to come into fruition.” She specializes in animal portraiture, urban and street photography as well as nature photography, practicing every day. Barbara’s gear of choice is a Panasonic S5 along with several lenses plus the Panasonic FX1000 for her travel and street photography.

A little about this image 

This photo was taken in January 2023 and is a portrait of Barbara’s dogs, Boet (dachshund) and Harvey (bouvier) who has unfortunately since passed. Barbara’s dogs loved trips to her home photography studio which is where this photo was captured. In capturing images of her pups, Barbara said, “Before I ask them to pose, all gear is in position and I have properly set up and tested the lamps and other props. I have a tiny studio at home. This specific photo was made with 2 softboxes on the front left and right plus a little back light from the right. Boet was at a little table so they would be at the same height this time.” Check out her Flickr site to see more of her photography!

Each winner will receive a Peak Design Everyday Backpack of their choice along with a year of Flickr Pro. Special thank you to our friends at Peak Design!

Thank you so much to the entire Flickr Community for sharing your best pics from 2023 with us. Stay tuned for this month’s Explore Takeover, happening on Thursday January 25th, where we’re curating an Explore that highlights so many of our favorite submissions to this year’s Your Best Shot contest. Congratulations to all of the winners!

“Turó del Port Vell 2486m. Andorra”- Enric Matas

“Frost”- ZeGaby

“Little boy.”- Enrique Salvo

“BLUR”- Graham Gedge

“Bread of Resilience”- habib saleh

“Geai / Jay”- Marine

“Dad”- dc. roake

“Non-compete clauses”- Peter Goulborn

Have a great weekend!

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Birthday Season is in the Air

We’re celebrating several milestone birthdays this year at Flickr. In February, Flickr is turning the big 2-0, but first, to get the birthday season underway, we’re saying a big ‘happy birthday!’ to the Flickr Commons. Today, January 16th is its 16th birthday!

Flickr Commons is one of the world’s largest collections of unique historical photography. This program partners with over 100 cultural institutions in 24 countries around the world. Members of the Flickr Commons use a special copyright assertion on their images, “no known copyright restrictions”. This particular assertion allows for increased public access to important historical images and places the photos back into the hands of the communities whose history and cultures helped create these collections. 

Today, the Flickr Commons is managed by the Flickr Foundation, a 501c3 whose purpose is to keep Flickr photos visible for future generations. Headed by Flickr Foundation Co-Founder & Executive Director, George Oates, programs like Flickr Commons continue to make the mission of preserving important historical images for the greater good not just a dream but a possibility. 

If you are new to the Flickr Commons, a good place to start is today’s Flickr Explore Takeover. Click on Explore in your header and you’ll find a selection of photos from Flickr Commons’ members all around the world. To get an idea of just how diverse and unique the Flickr Commons’ collection truly is, make sure to check out Explore today! In the meantime, we’d like to introduce you to several members of the Flickr Commons so you can learn more about the work they do and how Flickr Commons plays an integral role in that important work.

Meet the San Diego Air & Space Museum! 

The San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM) has been with the Flickr Commons for over 13 years! According to their mission statement, their goal is to, “Preserve, Inspire, Educate, Celebrate! Preserve significant artifacts of air and space history and technology. Inspire excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Educate the public about the historical and social significance of air and space technology and engage its promise for the future. Celebrate aviation and space flight history and technology.”

SDASM joined Flickr Commons to assist them in sharing their large digitized image collection with a larger audience. They also learned that Flickr Commons could be used to crowdsource unknown details about many historical photos, which made the partnership a done deal. 

SDASM uploads thousands of images each month to their Flickr site and allows the public to tag and leave comments on those images. They also use Flickr’s built in Pro stats feature to gauge information about their audience size, and to determine what content their visitors are enjoying and frequently viewing. This stat tool also helps them provide detailed information to potential funders, leading to more grant and funding opportunities. 

Check out SDASM’s Flickr Commons site and also give their official website a look to learn more about events, educational opportunities and museum visit information.

Next up, meet the Cloyne and District Historical Society.

The Cloyne and District Historical Society is a not-for-profit, charitable, volunteer organization whose mission is to preserve, record and share the history of the local area, located in Cloyne, Ontario, Canada. They operate the Cloyne Pioneer Museum and hold monthly meetings and events to reflect on their local history.

A  small-but-mighty organization, their collection of more than 2,100 photographs, documents, and videos has been stored and enjoyed on Flickr since 2013. Their museum is open to the public three months a year, during the tourist season. While the museum is open a limited time each year, the historical society’s Flickr Commons site allows their members to contribute and enjoy the collection year round while also making it accessible to a much wider audience.

Another big draw to joining the Flickr Commons was the visibility and access their site allows the public. Often archives like this end up stored away and not easily viewed by the community, but digitizing their collection opened up new opportunities for their community to enjoy the history of their local area. Their Flickr Commons site has done a great job at growing their audience with an average annual viewership of around 650,000 photo views (6 million+ views since inception).

Today the Cloyne and District Historical Society not only use their Flickr Commons site as a central hub for storing and sharing their archives, they have also created a second Flickr site for additional cataloging. Their other Flickr site contains the history of their local cemetery and includes detailed information, along with high resolution photos, for every cemetery grave in their catchment area. This particular catalog allows free and easy access to families tracking and documenting their family history and genealogy. 

Say hello to the National Library of Ireland!

The National Library of Ireland (NLI) was founded in 1877 with a purpose to preserve, collect and provide the general public access to their archives. Covering Irish history from the 1840s to present day, their collection includes over 5 million photographs, books, newspapers, manuscripts, maps, prints and drawings.

In 2011, in an effort to help them in their mission of preservation and increasing public access, the NLI joined Flickr Commons. Like other organizations at that time, there was an effort to digitize their collection while also expanding access of their collection to a wider audience so joining Flickr Commons was a great step forward in that mission. 

With the help of volunteers and staff, NLI adds images to Flickr daily and curates posts using content from their Flickr Commons site. NLI also uses Flickr to crowdsource information by asking the public to be photo detectives. The public is encouraged to share and identify information about the images in order to assist the library in determining locations, date ranges and other pertinent details about the photos. NLI then utilizes the Flickr API to transfer that new information back to the NLI’s catalog which further enhances and preserves the existing collection, for generations to come. 

Finally, meet the very first member of Flickr Commons, the Library of Congress!

Based in Washington, DC, the Library of Congress is the national library for the United States and is considered the world’s largest library. When asking staff at the Library of Congress to give a quick summary of the role of the Library of Congress, they say, “We are the Library of Congress, and we love our job – connecting people with amazing collections. As the national library of the United States, we offer millions of books, films, audio recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps, manuscripts, and more. The Library is also the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. By preserving and providing access to rich, diverse, and enduring sources of knowledge, we aim to inform, inspire, and engage intellectual and creative endeavors.”

The Library of Congress has partnered with Flickr Commons since the very beginning. From their Prints & Photographs Division to the Office of Communications, along with the Office of the Chief Information Officer, the Library of Congress and Flickr have worked together since the early 2000s. Back in those days, the Library was looking for new opportunities to bring their extensive collection to a wider audience by incorporating social media trends that were on the rise. That’s where Flickr came in.

The Library of Congress uploads to their Flickr Commons site regularly in an effort to continue engagement by offering the public access to their rich and historically significant archives. While visiting the Library of Congress directly is an excellent way to enjoy this collection, when a trip to Washington, D.C isn’t an option, their Flickr site has provided an excellent alternative. The Library of Congress’ Flickr Team explains, “The Library has a vast collection of historical photographs–pictures guaranteed to lift your spirits, spark your curiosity, and otherwise make you look twice. Joining the Flickr Commons allowed us to connect with the Flickr community by uploading high resolution images from the Library’s Prints & Photographs Division that are readily available to use and download.”

Following the great engagement on their main Flickr Commons site, the Library of Congress has since created a secondary site, the Library of Congress: Life, dedicated to sharing more recent images of events and happenings. 

If you’d like to explore the Library of Congress’ Flickr site, but you aren’t sure of where to start, they have curated several albums of some of their ‘Favorites’. You can click on the links below to get started on your search!

• Celebrating Flickr Commons
• Top Favorites
• Your LOC Favorites
• Meet More Treasures

Learn more about the Flickr Foundation.

Flickr Commons is the flagship program supported by the Flickr Foundation. The Flickr Foundation has other programs and partnerships in the works, all building towards its mission to keep Flickr images visible for 100 years. Last year, the Flickr Foundation announced a partnership with Wikimedia to create a bridge between Flickr Commons and Wikimedia Commons by creating a new product, Flickypedia. Information about that partnership and Flickypedia can be found on the Flickr blog.  To learn more about other Flickr Foundation programs visit www.flickr.org

To continue celebrating with Flickr Commons today, head over to the Flickr Foundation blog and read more about Flickr Commons, past and present. If you are inspired by the work being done by the Flickr Foundation, you can visit www.flickr.org to learn about the ways you can support their mission! Happy golden birthday, Flickr Commons!

Stay tuned to the Flickr blog for other birthday announcements coming soon!

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