Welcome to our third themed Instagram 1000 words showcase! There are many talented artists on Instagram and we wanted to tap into their creativity and showcase their work here. I chose “Still Life” as the theme for this showcase.  I’m very impressed with the images that were submitted. It was difficult to choose just a few!

Grryo believes that mobile photographers/ artists tell stories through the photographs/ images and art that represents their families, their environment, themselves. This is important because of the level of communication that is portrayed in imaging today.

We want to support the mobile arts community by having a place for artists to share, discuss, and critique (if requested by individual). These dialogues help the individuals and the community to grow.

We look forward to you and your art. We thank you for your contribution to the mobile photography/ arts community.

Welcoming Committee

Inspiration came to me for this image from 3 spherical shapes that stand sentry at my entryway. They rest in a concrete sculpture of a large rhubarb leaf that I created years ago. I love the peaceful face that hints at whimsy, and welcomes everyone who enters.

The editing process was very simple. Originally I thought I would take it to black and white until a Mextures formula seemed to bring it to life. Then I added a simple VSCO filter and it was complete. – Tricia

     . . . and the call never came

On a recent venture, down a dirt road in rural Perry County, Arkansas, I came to a favorite place to photograph. This wasn’t my first time at the old abandoned farmhouse. It was a fantastic setting, complete with outbuildings, junk cars, and other ancient artifacts scattered about. I had only shot from the front of the house before but this time wandered around to the back. I took a few shots of the old cars and the back window of the house before sticking my head in the open door of an old shed. There it was. An old black rotary dial phone lay covered in dust and grime. The natural light coming in through a side window made this a great shot. Using the Camera FV-5 app on my Samsung GS4 I snapped a few angles of this great find.

Like some other “great shots” in my gallery, it sat there for months. Recently going through some old stuff I pulled this one up into the HandyPhoto app. I dropped the saturation to make it a black and white and adjusted contrast and sharpness slightly. I then decided to add some very slight cloud texture to give it a little bit of a dusty feel in the air. This photo reminds me of the days of my boyhood when rotary phones were the way we stayed in touch . . . or didn’t. – Tommy

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This image was taken a few months back on Isla San Miguel, Panama back when we had just begun our vacation.  Now we’re back in Panama with only a few days before going home!  It was a blast!  Met many super people, saw some great places, bought a house, and can’t wait to do it again sometime! – Frederic

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This is a photo of Hopkins Marine Station located in Monterey, California.  The original photo was taken in December 2013.

History: Hopkins Marine Station was founded in 1892, making it the oldest marine laboratory on the US Pacific Coast, and the second-oldest in the US.   I work directly across the bay from this historic building and I have had the opportunity to photograph it through the changing seasons.   On this particular day, I was watching some storm clouds approach and though it would make a pretty impressive picture.

Technique: Taken with my iPhone5, the photo is a two-exposure HDR rendered in ProHDR. The “looking glass” image was added using Juxtaposer and colorized using ColorFX.  The dodging, burning and blur effects were done using PhotoToaster, and final touchup was done in PS Express- Jim

Still Life, Number One

“When I once read about still lives I happened to find out about Vanitas still lives.

Vanity might kill us all.

Or America.

Or we do it ourselves.

Or we live forever.

Or we buy space rockets and find a special box which has a glowing pink gem in it. The gem gives everybody on earth the power to fly while sleeping.

After the fourth flying dream all people got a letter in which they found a message:

“That would be such a senseless thing to be able to do! I never explain what I mean with my pictures.”

But here are two facts about the ashtray:

No. 1: my parents stole that thing years ago.

No. 2: since I can remember I loooooooooooovvvvve Coca-Cola so much – everyday!!!!!!!” – Michel

A Tattered Room All Undone

The last time I visited Bodie I was 19 years old but it has stayed with me till I returned last fall over three decades later. I can’t believe I waited so long to return. The last ten miles in is now very rough road, but worth every bump and all the dirt and dust. Pack light, but bring water and full tank of gas, no over night camping.

These rooms are fascinating and not open to the public. This photo and a series I photographed were taken by pressing my I phone against the windowpane and shooting. As I peered in the windows I was struck by fragments of life left in each room and the stories they tell, of family, friends, love, loss and history.

The park rangers and volunteers that look after this amazing old town refer to the state of affairs here as arrested decay, nothing is repaired or painted, but an occasional board to prop up a wall or roof line will be done as needed.

I remember reading a story about the little girl who moved to Bodie, she had written in her diary: “Goodbye God, going to Bodie” when her family moved there from San Francisco. Apparently back in the day – it was a pretty tough, and unforgiving mining town, and at one point boasted a lively population of 10,000 folks.

I had an amazing week in the beautiful Sierras, visited Manzanar, Lone Pine, Big Pine, Independence, Bishop, Mammoth Lakes, June Mountain, Bodie and Bridgeport – the 395 is a gorgeous stretch of highway filled with mountains, nature and history layered and inspiring on so many levels – a perfect brew.

Photo taken fall of 2013 / Bodie Ghost Town

About me – A Modern Maverick/Karen Baxter

I have a passion for the new, the old, different cultures and far away places. I am in love with the creative process, and consider myself an idea person with strong visual and conceptual influences. I am drawn to the underdog, the forgotten or voiceless and have been advocating on behalf of criminal justice reform, Brandon Hein and The Innocence Project for many years. I am motivated by my deep care and concern for humanity, social responsibility, planet earth and her environment. My favorite city is my hometown Santa Monica, California. My first love and influence was my Grandmother Martha “Mattie” Burkett Baxter born in 1890 in Oklahoma (formally Indian Territory) for her late night storytelling that lasted into the wee hours of the night, and throughout my life – she claimed as a child I did not care much for fairytales or storybooks, and that I often said “Grandma tell me only the true stories”….not much has changed since then. – Karen

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I hope my editing description isn’t too vague. I did most of the editing months ago and can’t remember everything I did. Haven’t been able to get out much to take new photos lately so I’ve been going back to older ones on my camera roll.

I took the original photo using ProCamera. I applied a couple filters in Afterlight. Then I used the blur tool in Filterstorm to blur everything except the flag. – Dave

Last Days

I shot this image just recently whilst on holiday in the Aveyron region in southwest France. I’d picked a big bunch of lavender the day before and put a few extra loose pieces in a glass on the windowsill. The old cottage we stayed in with its ancient rough-cut stone walls served as a perfect backdrop for many still life images during my stay. I chose to use the Tintype SnapPak from Hipstamatic as the antique feel of the lens and film complemented the stone as well as the faceted crystal of the glass. I was really happy with the amount of focus on the surface of the water and the light glinting off the glass. This hipsta combo is recommended for portraits but I shoot landscapes, still life and everything else with it. It’s very atmospheric! This image is unedited, so I guess it’s a purehipsta shot! – Jennifer

Protect the animals

This once majestic creature hangs high on the wall in a busy bar in North London, forgotten and surrounded by lights and human paraphernalia. In Native American symbolism the steer/bull head respectively stands for courage and protection. The ironic way this beautiful steer skull is placed, still and with no voice; in the busy bustle of a bar, haunts and inspires me to have a voice.

Apps used Hipstamatic (Lowy, Blanko BL4) Snapseed and Mextures – Karla