Our Moments of 2013
12 months.
365 days.
8,760 hours.
525,600 minutes.
31,556,926 seconds.
41 photographers.
1 collective.
Infinite possibilities.
Out of 365 days of infinite possibilities in the past year we have each chosen one moment to share with you. This year was no different from the last in that it had it’s share of joy and pain but through the laughter and tears we grew as artists and as humans. We are looking forward to another year of creativity and growth within the mobile community. The connectedness of this community will continue to inspire us to stretch ourselves creatively and emotionally. Here is to 2013!- Anna
“Shine Down”. It’s my favorite because the photo was taken spontaneously just as the subject turned to look up towards the sky, which just so happened to include a flash of vibrant rays from the morning sun. Aside from the square crop, the only edit I made was adding a black and white filter which drenched out the flat colors that surrounded him and offered a dramatic, extraterrestrial composition. – Nicholas
My family goes up once every couple years for a Christmas tree to the Olympic Mountains outside of Quilcene, Washington. It is a long, sometimes treacherous unmarked logging road that leads up to Bon Jon Pass where you can find trees that are an appropriate size for use as a Christmas tree. Depending on the year, the weather can bring in snow or ice that makes trip up, and especially down, a heart stopping experience. The snow can be great with the kids for sledding and playing in, but after the trip down, unsure if your truck will slide of the mountainside, there is a mutual feeling among the parents: “I don’t think I want to do that again”! Luckily this year the snow hadn’t arrived yet, so we had clear roads to the top. There were gorgeous views of fog rolling over the tops of the mountains and looking out towards the interior waters of the Puget Sound. One of the fun traditions we have with friends, is to have a small fire for keeping warm, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. In this image, we are putting out the fire at the end of the trip with water. The kids thought it funny to run through the steam and smoke from the dying fire. I loved the thick mysterious cloud it made around them on the edge of the road looking out over the treetops growing below the steep drop off. – Shaun
Untitled by Marie Matthews
“While I thought I was learning how to live, I have been learning how to die” Leonardo da Vinci by Rebecca
Life is a journey that always confronted by choices.. What we choose on this life is determine how our life goes.. Again, life is a journey, a remarkably journey.. A journey that let us do everything what we want about our life.. The most important about this journey is creating memories, memories with others that can be remembered for a long time.. And to set a final goal, be a better person at the end of our life.. Lets leave the past and go for another better future.- Fahmi
You can leave him behind but he wont leave you. (from the series LafletcherTV) – Fletch
This is the last image in the series, it was a last minute decision to make this image, it was originally planned to finish on the previous image. However, once I was done I knew that it needed more and this is what I came up with. It was also a turning point for me and I knew what kind of work I wanted to focus on from then on.
This past year I traveled to NYC for the first time, and it was an experience I’ll never forget. After days and nights of riding in crowded subway cars, finding this one empty during the morning commute felt surreal. I was alone and probably should have been creeped out – instead I felt lucky to start my day in this quiet little oasis beneath the city that never sleeps… – Rachel
Untitled by Kristen
My favorite shot of the year was taken when we went to France in September. This was in the beautiful small town of Honfleur. I was captivated by this boat the entire time and have several shots of it. This picture is special to me because it was a wonderful trip, my first overseas, the town (and this boat) was enchanting and it was my first successful night shot.- Holly
“musing.” by Todd
I found this small tin of light bulbs at my grandmothers house in a pantry drawer. I love shooting small objects and enjoy the challenge of finding different backgrounds. I had a clear vision for how I wanted this image to look compositionally, and this is one of the rare instances where everything just fell into place.
Untitled by John
I had a photowalk with my awesome friends in Taipei. A great experience for me to have a photowalk with them. They all have different points of view. It was most amazing time of 2013.- Hayami
Olive surveying White Clay Creek – David
This image sums up happiness. It’s one of my favorite places to go with my favorite dog. I’m sure this was taken after a long jaunt through the woods, cooling off in the creek.
Something in a quiet wilderness speaks volumes to me.
Tracey Sings by Sam
I rather enjoy hipster hunting. Merciful soul that I am, I use a camera instead of an elephant gun. I caught this pair preparing to graze at LA’s Nickel Diner (repeat after me: maple bacon donuts) and came to feel that the scene was a cool analog for the modern version of LA: the diner and its classic touches, the young, modern clientele and their disaffected body language, a sense of repurposed history and inevitable modernity. I’ve spent an uncouth amount of time looking at this photo and I still dig it, which isn’t the norm for me.-Ryan V.
Crossing, Midtown, NYC– By Matt
A river runs through it’. I shot it whilst visiting a friend in London in the summer. I liked how Tower Bridge was peeking through the gap in the buildings and that the stream lead my eye to it.- Joanna
It had been three months since my father’s massive stroke. Three months since everything changed. The fog was unquestionably apropos, putting a film over everything that had been real. Reflections on the water only doubled the abstraction. My father sat in the car with a poker face more effective than he’d ever had playing cards, while I crouched and reached and twisted trying to get the best angle; trying to feel the familiar, to no avail- Jen LP
This photo is from a trip earlier this year to beautiful Venice in Italy, where I passed this tiny souvenir shop. The lady stood there in her little enclosure looking down to her smart phone. She didn’t notice that I stopped right before her and made the capture. I like it because of the contrasts of the confined space and her mind being completely elsewhere, free.- Christina
Untitled by Andres
Thieves by Joel
In April of this year an event occurred that shook my local community and the international community as well. The Boston marathon bombings brought the city to it’s knees. I live about 30 min south of the city and was a direct witness to the strength and courage of the local authorities as they shut down the city and brought the terrorists to justice. The coming days, weeks, months showed the resiliency of the city of Boston. “Boston Strong” was the phrase seen and heard everywhere you’d go. I was in the city for a wedding a mere two days after the suspects were apprehended. If I didn’t know differently, I would have thought it was just a typical Boston Saturday afternoon. Thanks to the authorities and the trust the community has in them, life went on almost without missing a beat. The image I chose here was shot on a cold day in early November of 2013. This police officer was working a routine construction detail that consisted of just standing in one spot for many hours and making sure no pedestrians entered the construction zone. When the time came, it was these men and women that I have to thank for being able to walk around and enjoy the city. The shot was taken quickly and discreetly, snapping as I pretended to be listening to a call and walked past him. I couldn’t believe how well the photo turned out when I reviewed it. It was almost as if it fate had a hand in it. So, as a tribute and thank you to the Boston authorities, this is my favorite photo (titled, “Boston’s Strong”) of the 2013.- Josh St. Germain
2013 has been a fantastic rollercoaster of a year for me. Looking back at the photo’s I have taken this year there are several that stand out from the crowd although the one I have chosen here has special significance to me.
‘Walking with a Purpose’ was taken in the UK seaside town of Tenby, in Wales. As a child we holidayed here for ten years in a row. Year after year, the same week, the same hotel, the same faces. Most of the time it rained so we spent many days at the cinema which bizarrely only opened when the weather was wet. This year I returned, this time with my own children. For me it involved a lot of reminiscing and visiting of old haunts.
One of those haunts was the cinema which sadly I found was in the process of being demolished to make way for a new and modern hotel. On one of my early morning walks I sat opposite the scaffolding clad building and remembered the happy times spent there. The sun was low in the sky, the shadows long, there was a freshness in the air and I wanted to capture a scene of this special building before it was gone forever.
Taken with Oggl and the combination of Jane lens and BlackKeys Supergrain, I love the contrast between the light and dark and the way the three bands in the image work together. The top third provides a backdrop of chaotic scaffolding. The bottom third provides a dark foreground which frames the passing gentleman and his shadow set against the plain backdrop of the site fencing.- Andy Butler
Photography to me is the act of freezing time, freezing a moment, something precious and then being able to keep it for ever and cherish it. London is where I live, its liveliness and beautiful architecture provides me with plenty of inspiration every day! I took this photo because I had this image in my mind of someone sitting there in a solitary and pensive mood. A almost a year ago I signed up for a wonderful online mobile photography workshop by Sion Fullana and Anton Kawasaki, and as homework they gave me a few tasks to complete so I thought it was the right time to experiment and see if I could create what I was imagining. Hence, I decided to go to Parliament Hill, in Hampstead Heath, a stunning park in London with amazing views of the city from high above, and I found a bench, but it was empty… The weather was perfect, there were these gloomy clouds hovering around, however I had to fill the bench with the perfect character, so I decided to hang around there. I waited and waited for almost an hour, a few people sat there but I wasn’t really inspired by them, then he arrived and his looks and the hat draw my attention. I knew he was the right one. I still waited for a bit, he then pulled the pipe out and started smoking and I started snapping! I took a couple of shots and then the two crows flew, luckily I managed to capture them too! What I found interesting about this scene was the quite and peaceful feel that it gives me, you can see the city far away and the dark, gloomy clouds, he is pondering and is completely taken by his thoughts and the birds are flying away. The world has just stopped, one frame that tells me so much. That’s why I quite love this photograph. – Dilshad
“You Are The Sunshine Of My Life” – Bridgette Shima
It was a windy, sunny afternoon in Seattle and SuperM and I met a friend downtown. She took us to her office rooftop where we watched the ferries, cars and people from up above.
SuperM felt so free among the tall buildings, running around in the open space. The wind blew and the reeds swayed. Then, at that moment the sun kissed his skin and everything around him. It was picture perfect.
This image is also featured in “love” – a book dedicated to our dear friend, Ale, who lost his battle to cancer this year. This photo is dear and close to my heart.
‘Can you hear me? By Paula Gardener
“Honey, I’m a Big Boy Now” by Jen Bracewell
Image by Nat Maddon
This Hipstamatic shot of tourists taking pictures of the Taj Mahal on their mobile phone was the perfect modern moment in front of an ancient World Wonder. It’s my favorite image of 2013- Jen Pollack Bianco
Image by Raffaele of The Minimals
Till Death by Mike Hill
This is my favorite of the year. Take in Pont L’Eveque, France in September. It was a memorable trip with @musiccityace and @jvdt. This picture is of the door of a 1,000 year old church. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it and seeing it again always takes me back to that place. – Dave
I met god in Valley View by Anna
“Guaranteed Unlimited For Life” New York City, August 2013 by BP
In Closing
So I get the chance to close out the last article of the year with the great contributors of We Are Juxt from around the world. I’ve written to these mobile photographers more than a few times already talking about how great they are and how wonderful they are for the community of mobile photography. It is within their DNA as creatives to make sure that this art form doesn’t stay stagnant on any of the social platforms but that it comes to life amongst all the relationships built on those platforms, here onto the We Are Juxt site.
This year we hit 1000+ articles. Many of which were interviews with amazing creatives like yourselves. This community exists because of you. You have your contribution and carry your own piece of We Are Juxt as well as any of the other promoters of mobile photography in your pocket. You have the whole world in your pocket.
This year we all have experienced many good and bad things in life. The camera phone in your pocket helped document that. You also helped in sharing your stories here. We had articles about love, death, new life, new chapters, newly found passions, great opportunities…the gamut. We wouldn’t expect any different in 2014.
From us here at We Are Juxt, we wish you and yours a very safe, passionate, healthy, creative, and prosperous new year.
Happy New Year! Cheers into 2014!
Let’s Have Fun! – BP