by David Norbut | Jul 24, 2014 | Stories
A new morning, a new journey. Time to start over. There are places she’d dreamed of going in her mind, now it was time to make it real. Chloé gathered the few belongings that meant anything, sold the rest, and headed to the station. When she arrived at the depot, the station clerk asked where she was headed. “I don’t know,” she said, “far away from here.” The station clerk grumbled, but Chloé knew that anywhere in the world would be better than this old town. She smiled at the old, miserable clerk and slipped her money under the glass. Then she boarded the train and headed west, into the unknown. Fear turned to wanderlust with the ever passing pictures she saw from her train window. She pulled from her bag an old, weathered Leica her father had left her. Chloé rubbed her fingers across her father’s initials, still scratched into the bottom of the machine. She wiped the dust from the lens and brought the viewfinder to her eye. She focused on her reflection in the window, with the mountains all blurred in the background and clicked the shutter, knowing she’d see herself in a new way. Chloé started to capture her journey in silver and light and started seeing the world in black and white. No more depression and lost love, the world was hers and there was nothing that could change that now…
by Andres Tardio | Jul 23, 2014 | Stories
Portraits are beautiful. They tell a person’s story in a moment, a snapshot of a lifetime. The joy, pain, the thrills and fears, are all in the portrait, which is why it’s such a beloved type of photograph. But there’s also something about mystery that intrigues us. That’s why silhouettes carry such beauty in photography also. This is how my #portraitsilhouettes work came about.
My wife and I were flying back from our honeymoon in Italy. After an extremely long flight, I woke up, stretched and realized we were landing. Once solidly in L.A., I turned on my phone and looked to my left. My wife had opened the plane window. The light was blinding. And then my wife came to the rescue, as she often does. She shifted in her seat, blocking the light from hitting me. This was relief. And it was beautiful. I asked her to wait there. I took a shot with my phone and left it in the camera roll.
When I looked back at images from Italy, I had – as you can imagine – a lot of fun. Venice, Florence, Rome and a ton of other places in between? That’s beauty. But one shot struck me and inspired the #portraitsilhouettes series, the shot of my wife by that plane window. Eventually, I realized it was influencing other shots I’d take. That’s where the series began.
I also fell in love with this idea because it reminds me of my childhood. I don’t know if I was in first or second grade, but at some point in elementary school, every kid in the class had to do an art project using a silhouette of our side profile. These images remind me of that project. To me, these images offer something about the subject’s story, a snapshot of their lives, but it also provides some mystery and intrigue. Here are some of my portrait silhouettes.
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by Bridgette | Jul 21, 2014 | Stories
Photo by Cierra Joy
Adventure Together by Bridgette Shima
As part of the Instagramers Seattle admin team, I interact with local photographers on a constant basis. I am always in awe of the photos I see and by the amount of emerging talent there is in the Pacific Northwest.
There’s something to be said about the passion and adventure Northwesters possess and carry throughout their every day life, which is why we have decided to bring back the Igers feature which began two years ago.
The way this will work is that each admin will select a person (or group) to interview each month. Our goal is to show you the beauty found in our corner of the world. We hope that you enjoy this series and feel right at home with us.
Everyone, meet Matthew and Alicia Waag…
Do tell us a little bit about yourselves and family life. Where are you from? How many children do you have and what are some of your favorites things to do together on a daily basis?
Alicia: Matthew was born in Wyoming, was raised in Montana and moved to Oregon in 2007 where we fell in love and got married. I was born in California, was raised in Oregon and from there we moved together to the Seattle area this last winter. We have 2 beautiful children, Chloe Jane (2 years) and Axton Bennett (3 months). Matthew is an Account Manager for an IT Staffing Company during the week, and I am blessed to be a full time stay at home mom.
Our all-time favorite thing to do is adventure together, exploring new places whether it be a new park for the kids, a hike in the mountains, a new waterfall, or a new restaurant. Matthew and I are both amateur foodies (or maybe we just love food a lot). We will try any cuisine or any dish at least once. Both of us love anything related to the outdoors; camping, hiking, fishing and just being near the water and mountains in general. We love photography, fashion, art, and all things nautical. I have a small custom prints and digital paper goods shop called Sea Jay, that I spend my free time working on, and Matthew is working on finishing an independent rap album with a good friend and makes beats in his free time.
Who was the first to think of #adventure_together? What is the idea behind it? Have you always been an outdoorsy person?
Matthew: I came up with the idea shortly after we moved to the Seattle area. Alicia and I had made a pact when we first moved here that we would make it a point to get out and explore a new place every weekend to get familiarized with our new city. So the idea sparked from getting out and adventuring together as a family. Both of us grew up loving the outdoors, some of our best memories as kids were adventuring with our families.
Name three of your top family hikes and tell us why they’re high on your list.
1. Snoqualmie Falls is at the top of our list. Not only is it a short easy hike to the bottom, which makes it super family friendly. You are also guaranteed great views with good photo opportunities and the waterfall itself keeps the kids engaged.
Photo by Alicia
2. Franklin Falls would be second on our list. At 2 miles round trip, this hike is easy and kid friendly. The terrain is easily maneuverable and there are plenty of spots to stop along the way and see the river, with a grand finale waterfall. (Yes, we are partial to epic waterfalls.)
Photo by Alicia
3. Rattlesnake Lake would have to be our third. If hiking to the peak is more than you’d like to bite off, there are plenty of paved walking trails as well as picnic tables that make it friendly to most family outings. You are sure to get a good shot regardless of the elevation.
Photo by Matthew
(Disclaimer – we are rather new to WA so although we have explored several hikes. These cliche hotspots just so happen to be our favorite thus far.)
What tips would you give families just starting to get out there with their children?
1. Be prepared! Pack a tote or something in your vehicle equipped with everything your child/ children may need; diapers, snacks, change of clothes, something warm, rain gear, sunscreen, a favorite toy, etc.
2. Get your kids engaged. Be sure to point out things along the way to keep them entertained like trees, animals, the weather, and any noteworthy sights in general. If they are walking age, let them pick flowers, find rocks or walk with a stick. And wherever possible, make it a treasure hunt.
3. Did we say snacks already?? DON’T FORGET THOSE WHATEVER YOU DO!
4. Be prepared for Plan B. It is bound to happen that your kid(s) will have a meltdown at some point, so being prepared for this is key. If you need to turn back halfway through the hike, be ok with that and prepare yourself ahead of time. You can always take extra photos from your car window (not while you are driving of course).
Are there any websites or resources you use to help find family-friendly adventures?
We typically use the AllTrails app on our iPhone to look for new places to adventure. It is handy because you can filter activities and features you would like to see along the way and can filter the difficulty level as well. Plus you can see pictures of exactly what you’re getting yourself into. Aside from that we use the Washington Trails Association to get additional information.
From your experience, what would your advice be in terms of dealing with those hard and trying moments when your kids are tired and just want to give up and go home?
It’s best to go into it with an open mind in case things do not go as planned. For us snacks seem to be a cure-all. In addition any time we can make a song out of something along the way it help keeps their minds off of what they were upset about in the first place. The more involved they are, the less likely they are to go south. Make a game or a challenge out of it so that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We try and plan our outings so the kids have napped before we leave or can nap in the car on the way. If you can stick to your routine that tends to help.
How do you make your adventure fun for your child? What sorts of things do you bring with you? Do you engage in any activities to keep them going?
Chloe has a toy camera which she takes any where we go. She loves feeling like she is taking pictures like Mommy and Daddy and so we encourage her to take pictures at the same time we do and show her what to look for.
As your kids get older what are some places you wish to explore?
Mount Rainier has a ton of spots we would love to explore, as well as Little Si and Big Si to name a few along with any other hikes that have been too difficult to take on with little children.
How has Instagram influenced the way you see the world?
Matthew: Instagram for me opened my eyes to photography, which now is one of my biggest passions. It not only inspired me to want to get out and explore my surroundings more, it connected me with people all around the world who share the same passions. I have always loved the outdoors but it was not until I began using Instagram that I began to appreciate it the way that I do now.
Alicia: I have always had a connection so to speak with nature. I am most at peace outdoors, taking in sun rays, walking barefoot in the sand, feeling the rain, a breath of mountain fresh air, getting the satisfaction of a long hike. Some may say that technology hinders what used to be a peaceful world, separated from distraction. But when done right, it can enhance the memories we make. This is true for me. Even though I have always appreciated the things around me, Instagram made me take notice more of every detail and gives me an outlet to capture my experience and share it with other around me including my family.
Could you recommend other Pacific Northwest families who share your passion for photography and who #adventure_together?
@justinwhenry, @whenray, @boy_wanderer and @itscierrajoy and @itsjasonallan are a few that come to mind. Aside from that we haven’t met too many other families who share these passions. Which is another reason for the tag, in hopes we would get connected with families who are passionate about those things.
What do you love most about living in Washington State?
We love the fact that there are so many places close to home to explore. When you are a parent, travel time is something that is critical, so to have so many options of incredible places to go explore within a short distance it makes it a prime location. Aside from that we absolutely love all of the fog, the coffee, and the amazing variety of cuisines that Washington has to offer to name a few.
If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be and why?
Matthew: New Zealand is definitely near the top of my list. Incredible beaches, stunning mountain ranges and lush green foliage. That place has it all…from what I’ve seen both online and on the The Lord of the Rings series of course.
Alicia: This is a really tough question. The world has so many places I would like to go.
As much as I would love to say I want to explore Europe in its entirety, I will narrow down to Italy. I want to experience the charm of Tuscany, the romance of Venice, the history of Rome, the beaches & food of Sicily.
When you’re not together you’re…
Winnie the Pooh, one of Chloe’s favorites, said it best:
“If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together, there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart, I’ll always be with you.”
Find Matthew here.
Find Alicia here.
by Grryo Community | Jul 20, 2014 | 1000 Words, Stories
Welcome to 1000 Words Showcase for Windows Phone via the Windows Phone Experience Flickr group.
This group has many great artists and photographers and along with many mobile photography communities is rich in story.
We Are Juxt has asked a these great photographers to help curate this showcase and are very happy that they agreed. Please put your hands together for Aman, Sony, and Jean Brice. Their bios and contacts are below.
We hope to showcase the great diversity and beauty of the work shown to continue to inspire other mobile (connected) photographers/ artists within our community. 1000 Words is titled under the premise that “a photograph says a 1000 words.” We Are Juxt 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 look forward to you and your art. We thank you for your contribution to the mobile photography/ arts community.
If you are a Windows Phone photographer please feel free to contribute to the Flickr group.
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The Peacemaker by Dr Pajchiwo aka Wojtek
Nokia Lumia 800 (on Windows Phone 7.8)
I took the photo while my daughter’s class was playing on a mini ramp. I set “a capture in motion” on my Lumia 800 and shot a series of pictures during the kids were running and jumping. The one looks exactly how I planned: expressive and dynamic character in the foreground. For post-processing I used mainly the great app Fantasia Painter (selected blur and “white point fix” adjust).
Grupa Mobilini // Flickr // Instagram
Pão de açúcar – B&W by Bruno da Cruz de Moura
Nokia Lumia 1520
I took this photo on the first day of work at my new address corporative, my days got better after I work facing this wonder. As like other photographs in black and white, I decided to record the moment and also eternalize it that way. Make corrections in Lightroom and then do the black and white effect in Photomatix.
Linkedn // Facebook // Twitter // Flickr // Instagram
Blue Hour by Daniel Cheong
Nokia Lumia 1020 + camera grip + tripod (Gorillapod).
ISO 100, focus to infinity.
Used the auto EV bracketing function of the 1020, 5 exposures -2ev to +2ev by 1ev step.
Then I manually combined the 5 exposures in Photoshop using layer masks.
This is one of my favorite spots in Dubai Marina, I have shot this view with my D300, then my D800. So I really wanted to shoot it also with my Lumia 1020.
Website // Instagram // Facebook
A Rough Soi 1 by Juha Lappalainen
Nokia Lumia 720
Bangkok is full of interesting looking rough streets. I was walking around one day and noticed this particular soi (side street) and a man happened to be walking on it. I took out my phone and got this photo. I converted it into black and white and did some basic adjustments (contrast etc.) in Photoshop.
Website
From a darkness to the darkness by Mateusz Jaszak
Nokia Lumia 520
This picture was captured in Toruń (german Thorn), central Poland. It was last Saturday before an examination session-very difficult time for every student. I was sick of it all, so I’ve broken away from learning. Photographing is meditation for me. It is an escape from negative karma that destroys everything which I aspire. I thought about it and I wanted to show on a picture. I had stood 10 minutes before I took good photo. Why a human being and a church is on the pic? The church- a house of God, is an escape from negative karma for many people. Dark parts of the picture mean negative karma, bright part- positive karma.
I processed this picture in Snapseed. I’ve changed contrast, ambiance and then I added a grunge filter.
EyeEm // Instagram // Flickr // VSCO // Grupa Mobilini // Twitter // Website
Untitled by Cuộc Sống Vitamin
Nokia Lumia 1020
I took this picture on 02/16/2014
Early in the morning dawn while the fishermen going out to sea, on the image that you see, they use the wheel to transport a small boat.
Exif data:
Nokia Lumia Cameras 1020
Exposure 0.002 sec (1/498)
Aperture f/2.2
Speed ISO 100
Exposure bias 0 EV
On this picture, I used the app on Windowsphone: Fotor
Facebook
Stay In Your Lane by Corvida Raven
Nokia Lumia 1020
As a Miami native (born and raised), winters in New York City are bittersweet. It’s ridiculously cold (even the sidewalks are frozen), but the beauty of the city continues to flow like hot tea and warm honey.
The contrast between the gritty NYC building on the left and winter wonderland on the right grabbed my attention. The railroad and people in the middle are what made me pull the trigger. Why? Because this contrast is an interesting analogy of how I see NYC: buildings and long blocks interrupted with glimpses of nature and a transportation system that does one hell of a job of connecting people moving through the city to everything in and around it.
This was shot with my Nokia Lumia 1020 and edited with VSCOCam on my Moto X using the k2 preset. I increased the contrast a little bit to bring out a more gritty and almost harsh feeling that accompanies NY winters.
Instagram // Flickr // VSCO // Twitter // Google+
The Suburb OF Saigon by Trần Nam Phong
Nokia Lumia 1020
This is random photo taken while I am going for a picnic with my friends. This place is not very far from city center. At the time making sense of the connection of wild and modern beauty which occurred when I recognized the bushes and the behind city center’s night scenes, I recorded that moment. I used 1020 to capture, used the Nokia Camera app, chose bracketing, chose 5 photos to take from -3EV to +3 EV, then mix them together by photoshops and customize them in order to suite my hobbies.
Flickr // Twitter // Instagram
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Curators
Aman G., Germany
Twitter // Flickr // Tumblr // 500px // Mobile Photography Blog
Born in Ethiopia, escaped from a civil war as a child in the end ‘70. Grew up in Germany… loved the Nokia N95 8GB with its fantastic Image quality back then, but my real mobile photography obsession began late december 2012, when i bought the Lumia 920. I shoot to freeze the moment, …addicted in details. There’s no real concept behind my photos… i see the moment and love the fact to have my weapon in my pocket to catch that moment…. Any where… any time.
Sony Arouje, India
Flickr // Tumblr site of my Lumia 920 photos // Instagram // Twitter // Facebook
By profession I am a Software Architect working in Banglore, India. I am very passionate about photography. I started clicking from 2007 when I bought my Nikon DSLR camera. I never explored mobile photography until I bought the Nokia Lumia 920, it got an awesome camera. I realize the power of mobile photography and I kept my DSLR aside and started shooting in my Lumia 920. I love street photography and majority of my photos are from the streets of Bangalore.
by Grryo Community | Jul 18, 2014 | You Are Grryo
Transversing Trails and Frontiers by Star Rush
A little more than 2 years ago, I started splitting my time between Seattle and rural Pacific County, about 150 miles southwest of the city. The county is one of Washington state’s oldest, having been founded by the government of Oregon Territory in 1851. The geography is marked dramatically by the Columbia River as it empties into the Pacific Ocean.
The landscape is characterized by expansive natural resources, historic drama and layers of memory. Here, Lewis & Clark Expedition cited the Pacific Ocean for the first time in 1805 and found what they sought when they left St. Louis the year before. The party had been hunkered down along the Columbia River for weeks in what is now named “Dismal Nitch.” These days, it is ironically a rest stop along Highway 4 with a heritage marker and picturesque views of Astoria, Oregon, and Megler Bridge. A mile west is Middle Village Station Camp, ancestral home of the Chinook people, who have lived and traded along the Columbia for thousands of years. When the Expedition arrived, Clark used the area as his survey station, mapping the river’s mouth. More than 20,000 people live in Pacific County today. Throughout the county are communities preserving the cultural and ethnic heritages of emigrants from Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, and Finland as well as the ancestors of the Chinook people, who live in the towns of Bay Center, Chinook, and Ilwalco.
Military forts remain as ruins, remnants of a former purpose: to guard the strategic mouth of the Columbia from the late 1800s to their closing after World War II. The forts are now state parks, popular with visitors camping, site seeing, and enjoying the outdoor recreation. Gun stations stand still. All that’s left of bunkers are concrete outlines of their foundations, lookouts giving expansive views of the Columbia and what are now suburban shopping centers, open fields, and campgrounds.
Towns in this county include its largest, Raymond, its county seat, South Bend, and a number of smaller ones whose economies had thrived upon the natural resources of timber and fisheries at one time-and now-tourism and recreation. Their historic downtowns are weathered, the old Sears & Roebuck sign on a brick building slowly disappearing. Willapa Bay, an estuary separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Long Beach Peninsula, is known for its biodiversity and is a working bay, supporting a local oyster and seafood industry. Here, oyster men and women grow nearly 9% of all oysters in the U.S. The estuary and rivers are habit to a diverse ecosystem of woodland, grassland, and coastal plants and animals.
Photographing in this geographic and cultural landscape has me navigating new terrain, not just in terms of land- and seascapes, but those of my imagination. I’m interested in memory as performative flux and renewal. I’m curious about the juxtaposition of civc history markers of Manifest Destiny and its products of economic prosperity and growth, cultural appropriation and annexation, territorial occupancy, and annihilation of indigenous peoples. Remnants remain of a time when robust commerce and industry fostered thriving economies and also environmental exploitation across this expansive-and still present-ecological grandeur. The “thens” and “nows” blur among artifacts of natural and built landscapes, of found and constructed objects that leak both an imagined and real cultural and social legacy. These are disjunctive narratives that transpose cultural tropes against a complex socio-historic landscape.
Hills roll above the Willapa River. They can look haggard and depleted as timber sales lay them bare. Clear cuts regularly scar the route on Highway 101 from Olympia toward the Pacific Ocean. Along any stretch of the highway, my car window frames gothic Sitka Spruces and Bald Eagles. Around the bend, trees have been amputated to splintered stumps and strewn limbs, the land ravaged as hawks circle above. In summer, a stream of campers, motor homes with names like, “Prowler”, “Bullet”, “Elite”, or “Expedition” and trucks pulling boats make their way west to the Pacific Ocean. They’ll drive by Middle Village, Dismal Nitch and Cape Disappointment to beachfront boardwalks, salt water taffy, ice-cream and bright windsocks all along the sunny holiday shore.
Photos captured with iPhone 5 between 2012 – 2014
Star Rush is a photographer, writer, and educator, whose background is in journalism, marketing, composition and rhetoric, and poetry.
Her mobile photography has been exhibited in the United States, London, and Europe and published in magazines Actual Colors May Vary, Askar Magazine, Camerapixo, dodho.com, as well as Resource Magazine, wiete.it, and Volksrant. Her writing about connected mobile photography has appeared in iPhoneography.com, wearejuxt.com, dprConnect, EyeEm.com, iPhoneogenic.com, and others.
She has been faculty and educational administer in higher education, teaching and writing, and currently serves as Special Assistant for Teaching & Learning at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle.
Work and contact information: starrush.net.
