by Joe Montoya | Jul 2, 2015 | Joe Montoya, Stories
How do you write a poem in 140 characters or less? Actually, less than 140 characters, because I usually tie the poem to one of my images. That cuts the space down to 117. Even with a link shortener, like ow.ly, that still leaves me with only a skimpy offering of 95 characters to wax poetic. I can forget hashtags like #poetweet and #twaiku. I don’t like being long-winded, but writing something meaningful with rhythm and rhyme in 95 characters is a challenge. I’ll give it my best go. I’ve already tried a few. Here are a couple of my recent Twitter expressions. Never mind the title. Not enough characters for one.
Gloomy gray
California day
I wanted my latest to be a thought stirrer. The image wasn’t so serious, so I kept it light.
He rides from point A to point B
Not very fast but definitely free.
I got a little motherly feedback on Instagram for allowing my kids in be on train tracks, which happened to be disassembled. But my mini controversy got me thinking of a sub-100 word poem for Twitter.
Warnings they refused to heed
To sit on the rails with books to read.
Here’s the next one in the queue. Do you have about 95 characters?
by Giulia Macario | Jun 26, 2015 | 1000 Words, Featured Articles, Giulia Macario, Showcases, Stories
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 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. Join us by tagging your images #wearegrryo or #grryo. We hope to see you there!
Blendscape Series 2015
I just love to use multiple apps and create a piece from scratch, combining different sources.
This piece consists of twelve layers, combined with apps like superimpose, modern grunge and union. I used photoshop brushes within icolorama. It’s great to be able to use them on an iPhone!!
I make mobile art as a form of relaxation and to escape the busyness of my every day life for a bit.
instagram
Bikers of Mirjave
This image was taken in a small border town in the Sistan & Baluchestan province of Iran called ‘Mirjave’ an old railway town I happened to stop-over while I was traveling, here is where the railway of Iran ends and begins. A few years ago a cross border attack left a deep scar in this town, drug addicts still consuming drugs in old abandoned British custom houses, gasoline smugglers spewing out their dusty trace…. nothing seemed lively here, just left with a deep feeling of desolation…while walking along the dirt roads I was surprised to see a group of kids biking around with sheer enthusiasm, here I started communicating and photographing them, they told me such heartbreaking stories from their town, these innocent children made me wonder how they are growing up and where will they all end up?
This shot is from my Sistan & Baluchestan Travel-memoir, where I traveled overland there for 2 months trying to capture my own personal experience as well as the feel and spirit of the people and their lands they dwell in…the series can be found on my website and I’m sharing my daily/weekly story of this trip on Instagram. I’ve also made a short 4min Video/Photo clip of my Journey…
instagram | website | facebook
Strings of thought
For this self-portrait I wanted to represent the link of the bird (which I believe always symbolizes new opportunity) with my representation forming a connection with the thread extending to my right hand representing the power to share and connectivity. For this edition I began to form my collage in Superimpose, then use Snapseed, MonoVu and photocopier to add texture.
Help! I’m stuck in a box!
My Name is Pia Maselowsky, I’m from Germany, I’m 35 years old and my English could be better.
The title of the photo is: “Help! I’m stuck in a box!” #currentmood
The story behind this “selfie” is, that I like to put things on/over my head just for fun.
I took this picture with the face time camera of my iphone 5s and edited it in Snapseed.
Longest Wait
Just one moment
Where paths crossed.
You-so strange and foreign,
Nothing in common.
Both on the hunt
To forget about the loneliness in us.
Just one moment
Where eyes crossed
And bodies mingled.
To recognise
The you in me.
All things sorted in black and white.
Just one moment
That my loneliness took on a darker shade of happy.
Oh. My. God.
Oh shit, wrong person.
– Kathrin Jankowiec
Apps used : Hipstamatic, BWLab
by Giulia Macario | May 28, 2015 | 1000 Words, Featured Articles, Giulia Macario, Showcases, Stories, You Are Grryo
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 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. Join us by tagging your images #wearegrryo or #grryo. We hope to see you there!
Roki’s zen
My dog is always in the water, since he was a pup. For almost a year he’s been hypnotized with the fishes in the water. Mesmerized, always staring at the water and trying to catch them (he caught one a month ago). He is the primary subject in many of my shots. In my images I try to catch him and the nature that surrounds him. I took this shot standing a few meters above him. My goal was to create color contrast between him and the water, and to add a little mood into the image. Shot was taken in the northern part of Croatia, where the river (Mur) borders with Slovenia.
instagram | eyeem
Eastern Glow
This piece titled Eastern Glow was named after a song from the band Album Leaf. I was on a big Album Leaf kick at the time, and I was creating that piece when that song came on and I remembered it being titled Eastern Glow, and I felt it was perfectly fitting to the theme of my piece. Generally, you’d find jelly fish on the Eastern coasts of Canada and New England, so I thought it was pretty amazing how well the two complimented each other. So I went with that title for the piece. I had also recently watched American Beauty for the first time in a while, and there’s this one scene where Ricky Fitts is talking about a bag and how it effects him; how there’s so much beauty in the world that he feels like he can’t take it. And this bag is just floating around blissfully with no agenda. With this image, the jellyfish are the bag. They’re just being. It helps me remind myself that sometimes you just have to look beyond what you first see because there’s always beauty to be discovered.
instagram | website
Give me five!
This is Max, my oldest son, he’s six years old. In this picture you can see the most authentic smile of him, I think that Max was really happy in that moment showing how dirty his hands were after an afternoon playing with his brother Teo making somersaults on the floor.
I only used the drama effect in snapseed to increase the contrast of the color in his hands and some mellow tone in vsco… I love the mellow tone!
instagram | facebook
Friday in the City
A story doesn’t always need to have multiple elements, nor it needs to come from the same common eye level angle. Stories can be told with few related elements, and by making the viewer engage always in different ways with the image. I was walking by midtown in New York and saw this lovely lady try grab a taxi. Chaos of humans and traffic was creating too much noise around what was really happening there and then… She was dressed up to conquer the city… her city.
instagram | website
I felt you like the cool rain in a vast dry desert
This image is part of a series called The Enigma Series on Flickr. I’ve often been told that my art is somewhat dark and at times evokes deeper emotions. I just begin a process of editing sometimes and the photo takes on a life of its own. I’m often inspired by the most unlikely things. I’m intrigued by how light contributes to the feeling or how color changes a mood.
The Enigma Series was just an idea that came to me from comments about my work and the deeper sometimes hidden meaning in words and art. I find inspiration from people, places, past experiences and also from photographers such as
Lori Vrba and her
Piano Farm series,
Sally Mann’s At Twelve series and
Jack Spencer. There is an endless plethora of artists and photographers who inspire me endlessly on Instagram and Flickr.
I used hipstamatic for the original shot and edited in Icolorama. I don’t get too complicated with my editing these days as I have limited time. I’ve found that having a general idea in mind and less complicated editing gives me better direction with my art. Some people hate being called artists, others prefer the label photographer. I consider myself more an artist than photographer.
I feel my work starts in a photograph and ends with an unfinished story.
Thanks so much Giulia Macario for asking and allowing me to share my ideas on my work and thanks We Are Grryo for sharing my story.
by Jeff Kelley | May 26, 2015 | Jeff Kelley, Stories
photo by Eric Mueller
If you are as frequent a visitor to Instagram as I am, there is a good chance you’ve run across a colorful rainbow umbrella in your feed over the last several months. In addition, there’s a great chance that one of those umbrellas was originally started on its journey by Jill Emmer, also known as @shineonyoucraydiamond. I’ve seen a few other ‘traveling object’ projects (in fact, I’ve even been working on one of my own), but Jill’s is likely one of the most widespread and successful. I decided to have a chat with her to learn a little bit more about both her and the project. There are now approximately 400 photos of the umbrella in her #shineonyoucrayumbrella tag on Instagram; this conversation is interspersed with a few of her hand selected favorites.
photo by @hello__jo
Let’s start with the basics. Tell me a little bit about who you are and how you discovered Instagram.
I grew up as the “girl with a photo habit.” In grade school I remember bringing a little camera with me to field trips and family vacation. In college, I was the girl at the bar and college football games with a camera (pre-mobile phone cameras!) And a few years later, I became a proud member of the proverbial “mamarazzi” – using my kids as my subjects on a regular basis. So, photography has always been a love of mine. It wasn’t really an art form though. It was more a way of capturing a moment. My husband teases me about my obsession with “time and space” because I often say things like, “just a year ago he was crawling!” or, “I remember grandpa pulling bluegills off this pier one after another only a few short years ago. I wax nostalgic. I carpe diem. So… for most of my life, my photos never were about composition or symmetry, or anything like that. They were to capture those fleeting moments that make my heart sing or cry.
Then, a little over a year ago, I started a public Instagram account. I had a private one for a bit before that, but I noticed that none of my friends liked my more “artistic shots”… so I anonymously created my IG account and posted a few landscape and deer shots. I will never forget the excitement of a stranger liking one of my shots! It was beyond thrilling and it gave me a bit of courage to continue to share photos.
photo by @smallmoves
After that I started to make random friends from all over the world, and suddenly, I didn’t feel so anonymous anymore. I was becoming a part of a community! It took me SIX months to tell my old, non-instagram friends about my new friends and the new world I was actively participating in! By then, I had strong friendships, a healthy following and a wee bit of confidence.
So, as you can imagine, my Instagram friends mean the world to me. Without their encouragement I would never have had the courage to share my photos. Thanks to their support I am pretty much bursting with ideas and creativity! It is just so fun!
So what inspired you to start mailing an umbrella off to random people?The traveling umbrella started after a number of Instagram friends asked me where they could buy a similar umbrella. So I mailed mine to them! It really made my heart soar to see a little part of me in their hands. It became a physical way to link “virtual” friends from all over the world. It truly makes my heart sing to see my friends with my umbrella. This project seems to be the perfect bridge between my artistic side and that sentimental, nostalgic side I’ve always had.Little by little, the list of people who wanted the umbrella grew, and my simple act of mailing it turned into a full fledged global project. I now have several hundred people interested in the umbrella – instagrammers from all over the world – and 7 umbrellas are out there right now! At this moment, [May, 2015] there’s one in Minnesota, San Francisco, Boston, Australia, Rome, London and Malaysia.
What’s been your favorite aspect of this project? Anything that surprised you about it?
I am torn! I have two favorite aspects of my umbrella project!
First, I love the connection it has given me to other people on Instagram. It has given me a physical connection with dear friends. A perfect physical representation of our mutual love of creativity, community and the art of photography. Many new friendships have been created because of this project. People usually get to “meet” the next person they pass the brella on to. It gives me great joy to see beloved friends from all over the world with the umbrella in their hands. People are now starting to recognize the umbrella in different countries!
Secondly I love the wanderlust. I love the notion that this big bright rainbow umbrella is living a glamorous life as a world traveler. Something I have always dreamt of. Since I can’t travel the world right now, at least my umbrella can! Many times when people receive the umbrella, they use it to show off the area they live in. It has been near a red telephone booth in London, adding color to Times Square, used as a prop at a world wide Instameet in Milan, Italy, glammed out in LA, snowboarding in the Catskills, taking a beach day on the Gold Coast in Australia, and alongside some beautifully colored walls in Malaysia.
photo by @golden2dew
Anything else you’d like to add?
Yes – I would like to tell you that I am looking to add on a charitable aspect to my project. So many well known instagrammers are signed up for this project, that I think it would be a great way for a company to get some exposure. I would like a company to sponsor the project (i.e. they pay for shipping or something, and then donate a bit to the charity I choose for each person that has the brella. In return, that company would be mentioned with each post.
I would love to find a company that would be willing to partner with me to help this traveling umbrella have a cause. It has connected us through our phones, through the mail and through our passions – I would like to see it connect us through our hearts as well.
If you would like to see Jill’s own photos, contact her about the umbrella, or if you are looking to sponsor this project, you can find her on
Instagram, or at her website,
Shine On Photos.
photo by Eric Mueller, model: Colleen
by Giulia Macario | Apr 20, 2015 | 1000 Words, Featured Articles, Giulia Macario, Showcases, Stories
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. Join us by tagging your images #wearegrryo or #grryo. We hope to see you there!
Trompe-l’oeil (to a place I can hide)
I shot this picture at the ‘Attentive Now’ light show by Gerry Hofstetter, on 03.12.2015 at Cité Internationale Universitaire in Paris.
A lot of pictures were projected onto the building walls but this eyes’ infinity was the most striking to me, and I focused on this child unintentionally echoing the statue that she pulled herself up on to look at the show. I was surprised by the way their silhouettes were looking so familiar sitting next to each other, both looking elsewhere while all these eyes and the show itself seemed to stare at them.
Living and non-living are mixed up in this scene where the omnipresence of the human’s image is mere window dressing. This picture is all about the look, in both senses of the word : how we look at things and what they look like. It wonders about the illusion of seeing reality and the chimera of human being ; so I consider it more like a trompe l’oeil.
instagram | tumblr
A message for Carlos
This piece was created while reading the book Life of Pi. I felt an enormous feeling to transmit the message written in there.
“You must take life the way it comes at you and make the best of it.”
~ Yann Martel.
This picture was taken with iPhone 6 using the native Camera and edited with VintageScene, Image Blender and VSCOCam.
instagram | facebook
Lippen
Behind the story I made this photo or this photo series because my wife likes to use striking red lipstick, and it is very evocative of my eyes when I saw her, so, that’s where the initial idea emerged as a concept. And to make this photo more interesting, I’m planning to create a photo series with a different implementation on each photo.
For shooting and editing, first of all is the makeup of the models face, facial skin is covered with white paint, so that the red lips look more striking. After completion of makeup, I started taking pictures with ProCamera application. For editing to get the paint splash effect, I use IColorama. In addition I also use other applications for final editing like blending the image, sharpening, or changing color tone with Superimpose, VSCO Cam, PhotoPower, Afterlight and Phonto.
For the image title, Lippen is a German language, it means Bibir in Indonesia or lips in English. I used that word because I just like it.
instagram | flickr
9:13 PM “Tapas”
I shot this photo near the end of this year’s edition of the 24 Hour Project, an annual worldwide real-time street photography event. Over 2000 street photographers around the world participated this year, walking the streets of their cities and posting a new photo every hour from midnight to midnight on March 21st. For more info, please see their website 24hourproject.org, or, instagram.
This is one of my favorite shots of the day. I had been shooting about 15 hours straight when we found ourselves in the West Village in NYC. We’d lost the light, making it more challenging to find the hour’s photo. I had noticed the marbled glass of this restaurant’s windows earlier and had spent some time trying to capture a different couple at a different table to no avail. Wandering about within the half-block radius (as the day goes on, you tend to move less and less), I thankfully spied this couple and finally got the shot.
Saul Leiter’s work clearly trained my eye to see this shot, though referencing his work was not conscious; I saw the similarity only after, when several commenters pointed out this obvious inspiration. I shot the image using Oggl, with some very minor editing in Filterstorm.
instagram | flickr
Waiting
It’s a funny photo for me because I do so little in colour, but this one just screamed out to me of course. I was waiting at this Subway station so I was just looking for a few relaxed photos, and also found others waiting like me. I was lucky that one of my subjects decided to lean against the wall in the corner like that, sort of at the collection point of all the colours on the wall.
The tiles echo Toronto’s fantastic cultural diversity, and they actually form a mosaic of faces. If you get back far enough and squint you can see them. It’s quite clever really, because from most angles you don’t see that at all.
It’s always a good day when you can bag a photo before you’ve even started really shooting! Although I guess in fairness, who ever really stops?
instagram | twitter
Bird by Bird
Pure play. I love those nights when time stops and I can lose myself in this kind of creative flow. It all started with an image of a stray cat in Spain… and it turned into a whole new story.
I liked this new story, and when I found the words from Bird by Bird by Ann Lamott, it felt so right.
“Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time,
was trying to get a report written on birds that he’d had three months to write,
which was due the next day.
We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears,
surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books about birds,
immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead.
Then my father sat down beside him put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said,
“Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”
This image is created by layering some old photos in Image Blender, iColorama and Repix.
instagram | flickr
The uncertainty principle, one thing secure, the rest in chaos
From an original pic by @another_eye using #mdpatterns by @motiondoom #decosketch and #unionapp
I’m interested in abstract art as it can have many interpretations, depending on the person viewing it.
I also had just been reading about quantum physics and the uncertainty principle and was intrigued that the more sure you became about one thing, the more other things became not so sure (or that was how I interpreted it)
When I saw this shape it looked strong and transformative, and I thought it could show how circles, entering through the eye of perception, could maybe become less certain and chaotic and so it is with many truths’.
instagram | google+
Brighter
The brightest lights tend cover the darkest of truths. A moments respite. Curtains and catharsis.
She makes Promises —
bright, sparkly, glittering things —
and sets them up in a row along
the horizon sun of a
brand new day.
~ Teagan @r_s_tea
instagram
by Anna Cox | Apr 13, 2015 | Featured Articles, Showcases, Stories, Storyteller
Every Monday we ask our audience to share their stories with us on instagram. We would love for you to join us and share what each photo says to you.
Photo Credit: Meredith Winn
Story Credit: Tommy Wallace
Times had been hard in the little family shop on 9th street in South Philly. No one seemed to appreciate the deep resonating tones of the tubas his brother refurbished anymore. That meant the family was cutting corners any way they could. So on an unusually hot night in September the decision had been made. Roberto, as the oldest, knew he would be the one to take the old renovated bus behind the shop, load it with all the big horns it could hold and travel from town to town, peddling his instruments. Taking I-95 all the way to Miami he had stopped here and there in big cities and small towns and was now on the way back home. He had learned some things while out on the road: eat more than you can at cheap buffets, be careful who you trust, you can take free showers at public health centers, and you should never take family for granted. Now it was almost Christmas and he had one tuba left. It would be a hard one for him to sell. He was only about 200 miles from home and in Fredericksburg, Va. Open for business for only an hour, it began to snow. He was glad and began to smile, because he took it as a sign to keep the last tuba. This horn was the one he had played growing up as a boy and as a most precious gift, it would now be handed down to his son, Roberto, Jr.
Photo Credit: Joe Montoya
Story Credit: Kelly Rogers
After many years of being a slave to the masses, Santa packs it in and moves to SoCal. After many failed attempts at trying to make friends with the local surfers he decides to pack up his pet crab and head north.
Photo credit: Francesco
Story credit: Susan Peck
Franco’s back was hurting worse than usual today. Stress, for certain, but today his back was complaining even before Franco climbed the 4 flights of stairs to the room that had been his office, his place of work for the past 4 decades. The empty box in his hand already felt weighted by the books, papers and assorted detritus he was about to fill it with. His boss, a man young enough to be Franco’s son’s son, had just told him to clear it all out – today. A grown man’s entire career, reduced to a jumble of piles of files. Jumbled like Franco’s feelings, his thoughts, and in ruins like his life. “How did I get here?” he asked himself, as he reached the bottom of the stairway that had a path worn down by 40 years of his own footfalls.
Photo credit: Igor C.
Story credit: @grandreopening
When Ellsworth drifted off mid sentence, Bill and the fellas didn’t really notice, Ellsworth had a habit of it. Sometimes he’d stop gnawing on his customary bologna and mustard sandwich part way through a bite, the crust left to bob on his lip like a limp, over-chewed stoogie. Bill knew one day a seagull would swoop down and steal the damn crust before Ell ever got back to chomping. Goddamn, Bill yearned for the day. He was half tempted to bait the sidewalk just to get those birds worked up before Ol’ Ellsworth even opened his lunch pail. Today it wasn’t a slipping of well-worn mental gears that commanded the pause, Ellsworth was grinning like a goddamn Cheshire cat, eyes twinkling like daytime fireworks. Bill followed his gaze, soon the other fellas did too. Across the street in front of Maelene’s Hairport Mrs. Cheryl Tompkins stood at the curb, head tipped back shaking out her freshly blessed curls, her back arched back as it was, her majestic chest was displayed boldly up to heaven itself. It was common knowledge in at least a three county radius that Mrs. Cheryl Tomkins hadn’t worn a bra since 1971. It was equally well understood that were she to live to 127 her otherworldly large, firm breasts would likely never need one.
Photo credit: Veronica Hassell
Story credit: Ariana Trinneer
She paused for a second thinking of all she would leave behind … Knowing that the minute she stepped out the door, everything would change ….
by Giulia Macario | Mar 13, 2015 | 1000 Words, Featured Articles, Giulia Macario, Showcases, Stories
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. Join us by tagging your images #wearegrryo or #grryo. We hope to see you there!
The Handlers
Darren Nicholls
These two security personnel supply safe passage for an interstellar collective known as “the other people place” who dimension shift between alternate realities manipulating society for their own success and reaping the rewards throughout the ages via mass exploitation. To cut a long story short in our society they may go by the names of illuminati or jesuits aka secret societies……. print at your own risk.
instagram | flickr
Let’s Play!
Mirko Saviane
I live in the province of Venice. Not too far from the beautiful island called Burano. I recently decided to start documenting life in this beautiful fishing village using a different approach from the past. I pay more attention to detail than the usual panoramic postcard, and I try to focus more on the connection between the locals and the unique architecture of this place. Then I started a series on the clothes lines in Burano (details) and a series of photos on everyday life in Burano (connections) – ‘Let’s play’ is a part of this.
The photo was taken at 12:22pm. I used vscocam (C5 preset) to make the light more soft and warm. I also used a new app by Pixite (shift) to emphasize the light. I usually try to focus on a single subject: I like simple and effective images. That’s why I tried to keep this image, with a group as a subject, as clean as possible.
instagram
When the Worlds Collide
Tuba Korhan
Our perception is not shaped with only our five senses but also by learning, memory, personal expectations and attention. Our beliefs or knowledge of the world affects our ways of seeing. So do we see what is really there?
The original photo was captured with the native camera of an iPhone5, which belongs to my Mannequin series.
While editing I used many apps such as Snapseed, Repix, Deco Sketch. I uploaded the edited photo to AddLib app, which automatically generates three different images. The colliding spheres reminded me the dilemma of perception. I edited the text in the app to resemble the four dimensions – time and space. Then I used one of my favorite formulas in Mextures to achieve the final image.
instagram | flickr
Walking Angel
Kate Trafeli
This image captured both a feeling and a moment in time. It was the proverbial dark and stormy night and the cold weather matched my own sombre mood after a long day with numerous obstacles that I couldn’t seem to overcome; I was taking the long way home to clear my head. I try not to take for granted the many beautiful small moments and places here in my adopted land (Italy) even when feeling very ‘blue’. When I heard footsteps and saw a young woman walking ahead of me, I hurriedly took this photograph with my phone.
In looking at the picture later that night I was struck by the feeling of movement, the illusion her arms made of wings and the way the archway and the light framed the composition. I tried to highlight these elements and the feeling of mystery such a moment creates. To me this picture is about how one’s perspective can change–well, if not everything– “enough”. Like Jimmy Page allegedly once said: ‘I’m just looking for an angel with a broken wing’. Aren’t we all?
I shot it with the Camera+ app (it tends to do fairly well even at night), and then edited it at home later that evening using the Stackables, Effexy and Filterstorm apps.
instagram | facebook
The First Night of Carnival
Steven A.J. Beijer
The first night of carnival in Barcelona, accompanied by drums, people dressed as giants, singing children, masks and of course plenty of ear-shattering fireworks.
instagram | tumblr
by Grryo HQ | Mar 2, 2015 | Bridgette Shima, FEATURE, Featured Articles, Stories
Each week we ask the community to tell us a story based on a photo. We have compiled a few into a month digest so you can enjoy them all in one place. Please join us on Monday mornings to tell your story.
Story credit: Laura McCann
Photo credit: Graeme Roy
The Story
He felt the slices of sunlight on his back and neck; undulations of heat and emptiness. Should I? Shouldn’t I? If I do, it will devastate her. But then again, if I do, maybe I can make it up to her. One day. Yes.
Story credit: Christine Benner
Photo credit: Devin Graf
The Story
Eighth time I’ve shoveled this effing car out…I should have sold it when I had the chance. I’m so over this winter. I wonder what Amy is up to? I really need to clean out the garage. I’m feeling like chicken for dinner. Sigh, ok, let’s get shoveling.
Story credit: Rebecca Cornwell
Photo credit: Maki Tabusa
The Story
Words are so unnecessary when it’s enough to see, hear, smell and touch. I hadn’t seen her in almost 3 months. Her absence was felt deeply in the house. Sometimes we missed her easy chuckle and quick wit while other times there was relief in not feeling subject to her judgment and chaos. She had become impossible to read, sometimes lost and other times angry. Looking back now, I can understand the mental illness that was gripping her but at the time I thought it was just normal teenaged rebellion. I had raised her carefully, eating only organics, refraining from alcohol and caffeine during my pregnancy. This hyper awareness of her needs, wants and constant and unflinching protection continued through childhood. The
first time we found her unconscious I thought it was an accident or a reaction to something she had eaten. She was secretive. The second time when we discovered her, fully clothed, in the tub with the blood pooling around her, I saw in her devastation so complete, I wondered if any of us would ever recover.
Story credit: Rose Sherwood
Photo credit: Fabio Giavara
The Story
These people have been riding the same subway route daily. Nothing out of the ordinary happens until today, when this person boards and starts yelling obscenities at everyone. Some riders are surprised by the behavior and others don’t care. It’s the insanity of living in a large city. People sometimes disconnect because the craziness will surround you and drag you into it….
by Anna Cox | Feb 24, 2015 | Anna Cox, FEATURE, Featured Articles, Stories, Storyteller
Captain and the Kid written by Cally and Grandreopening
The following is a true story, only the names have been changed to protect the guilty. It’s a story about a girl and a boy on the subway, right and wrong, life and death. Actually that’s not entirely true; this is just a very short story about Captain (C) and the Kid (K).
(K): Four schools in four semesters. It’s not a record; we set that in grade school; 3rd through 4th grade. To be specific, Ms. Elwood, Mrs. Derringer, Mr. Dicks, Mr. Raji, Mrs. Bergdorf, Ms. Gutierrez, and I think there was one more with a Spanish-sounding name, and I’m pretty sure she was really nice to me but I honestly can’t remember.
But this is now, that was when. When there was a reason. There is always a reason, always some never-seen emergency. Ma says I’ll make new friends, like the ones I made at the last school, at the last “Buy-the-Week” Inn which she insisted we call the ‘apartment’. It was nothing but another shithole motel and Ma will never understand the only friend I have is Tiger. Tiger is black and white and ugly, just like me but he’s the only friend I’ve really every had.
(C): Captain’s Log, Star Date 68557.5. It’s been one a hell of a night. I’ve been walking for five hours in the horrible cold and strange frozen precipitation, and still no sign of Lieutenant Cox. Never hire a man for your communications officer; they refuse instruction and ignore directions. Neither the tricorder nor the communicator is functioning property, apparently disallowing our return to the ship. I should never have let him out of my sight, never mind the novelty of alien porn. I’ve taken temporary refuge in an arcane transportation system that appears to simply crawl around in circles on strange metal tracks attracting what I deem their plebian citizens. Again, Cox dropped the ball on the civilization research. We were supposed to be observing signs of mating and/or fertility, but all I’ve actually seen is this ugly ass dog dry humping on one out of every five beings entering the car. Seems random, yet somehow very focused and specific (insert bookmark here for further review). I’m beginning to feel like the ship’s transporter isn’t even functioning or someone surely would’ve beamed me out of this shithole, Cox or no Cox.
I will now attempt to coerce one of the natives to aid me in a physical respite (primarily sleep and nourishment) outside of this rolling tin can. Captain out.
(K): I’m on my way the “Diss”, that’s what everyone calls D.E.H.S.; Who ever heard of a ghetto high school being named after Dwight D. Eisenhower? I take Tiger because Roy in maintenance lets him hang around his shop in the boiler room. I don’t trust my Ma and the folks she has over; not that they would hurt him on purpose, though a few that might, no, most are cool, they’d likely just get drunk then something dumb would happen to him.
This ride sucks. It’s a two-train jump that starts early, and in this neighborhood the early trains still tend to smell like puke. Sometimes all the bangers’ are still coming home drunk and mean; god they suck. Its been pretty mellow lately, which is nice. This morning it’s strangely empty except for this weird-ass woman behind me. An empty car and she’s been leaning on the door murmuring under her breath. She keeps looking around all twitchy, it’s like she’s looking at everything around here for the very first time. Fricking weird.
(C): “Pssst, hey kid.” Kid looks up at me like I’m some kind of freak. “Hey, I need help and I’ve got barter material. No I can’t show you here but take me to your place and maybe we can strike a deal.” I wasn’t too sure whether this was a good idea, especially now that I can see the look of stoic, yet frightened indignity plastered across his face like a half-assimilated Borg. Kid turns around, clearly lost in thoughts that might include jumping up and racing away or pissing his pants and deflating into a ball of liquid alien goo (not pretty−I’ve seen it before). The dog just stares at me, lower jaw jutting out, slow trickle of saliva shining on its slightly trembling lip. All of a sudden the dog emits a low, yet surprisingly menacing growl, and leaps from Kid’s lap, through the near-empty train, just as the train slows to a stop and the doors begin to open in a bizarre, slow-motion screech. Kid looks at me with wild eyes akin to a Klingon in heat, screams “NOOOOOOO, TIIIIGEEERRRR” and panic ensues.
(K): “NOOOOO, TIIIIGGGGER!” I scream. “What did you do you crazy bitch?” Fear and anger seized me. I hate it when it happens, it reminds me of Ma, how she loses it sometimes. I guess I’m the apple and she’s the tree; that anger bug that’s been chewing her trunk forever has me now. It bites deep and hard as I see Tiger bounding down the aisle, tail between his legs then out into the blur of legs on the platform. He’s never done that; he always stands his ground when the drunk bangers start to push and shove on the early train. Something is wrong.
I shout “crazy bitch’ and shove her hard. I’ve never done that, to anyone, much less an adult. I feel like I’m watching myself; this is so weird. Then I turn and run, tears streaming down my cheeks, to find Tiger…to find my only friend in a city of 15 million.
(C): Damn. The little shit pushed me. But, seized by the anathema of empathy that propelled me into this line of work in the first place, I took off, following the kid as he ran, wailing and cursing. I ran, thinking I’m definitely not logging this, chasing Kid chasing Tiger through the throng of underground life. I wasn’t sure exactly where we were going or if Kid actually saw the damn varmint, but I felt somehow responsible. As I rounded a corner I just glimpsed the kid’s back as he rushed into a “public restroom.” I had, quite painfully, found out about public restrooms several hours ago and stopped well short, knowing there was no other way out, and I sure as hell wasn’t going in there. I waited, torn between internal disgust at this ridiculous situation and the haunting realization that I’m pretty much lost, stranded, and pitifully ignorant of the species I was here to observe in the first place. I started looking around at them, all of them different. Hair color, eye color, skin color, clothing, expressions, all different; some subtle, some not so much. I never knew a race so different, yet so similar. A firm grasp on my shoulder bolted me out of my daydream; it was Cox! Looking down (yeah Cox was short and quite stocky) I was at once heartened and somehow horrified to see that Cox had emerged from the public restroom, Tiger tucked quite snugly under one arm. A second later, I saw (over Cox’s head) Kid emerge from the public restroom, just as Cox whipped out his communicator, breathed in a low, throaty drawl, “beam us up,” and the familiar tingle of my own matter breaking up began to overcome my body. The last thing I heard was, again, “TIIIGEEERRRR.”
(K): I saw Tiger’s tail disappear around a corner through the salty blur of tears. I just wanted to get to Roy’s office, drop off my dog and get through another day at the “Diss” with as little attention as possible. I was good at fading through the day, at being unseen. The teachers remembered my name; most did anyway. None of the students did. I had forced, semester-long lab partners that had no clue what to call me. I knew how NOT to draw attention to myself. Now I was crying and wailing on the subway station chasing my only friend.
He went into a restroom—thankfully it was the men’s. I race in to find him and ran into the chest of a thick bald man. He’s not mean looking but has distant, faraway eyes. They are raincloud blue, his eyes. Ma always said ‘the eyes tell no lies’ but this guy’s eyes were mute, maybe deaf and mute because it was like I wasn’t even there, in front of him, like I wasn’t tugging on his sleeve and blubbering. He just gently brushed me away like I was a cat and he was done petting and walked out. He walked out with my best friend whimpering under his arm.
I follow him out, getting mad. That molten coal that had burned before, glowing, starting to sear my guts. I charge out, around the corner and he’s there, talking to that same crazy woman.
“What the hell is…..” Then they start to glow, a little, then more. There are people everyone in the station but no one is noticing, only me. It’s like they are fading. I don’t think. I yell “TIIIGGGGER” and leap, the last thing I remember is grabbing that crazy black bitch’s pant leg, and then I’m glowing and fading too.
(C): Captain’s Log, Star Date 68775.5. We’ve got two unregistered, unvaccinated mammals aboard ship. Cox has been severely reprimanded and sent to the brig for disobeying orders, illicit cavorting with the native species, and several suspicious contraband powders that are currently being analyzed. I’ve ordered full medical scans of Cox, the kid, and the dog. Once cleared, I will escort our erstwhile guests back to their planet, and hope this incident doesn’t get us all (myself) into hot water. I’m stating for the record here that this entire fiasco was completely due to the incompetence of Lieutenant Cox, who I am recommending for psychological evaluation. Captain out.
Off the record, I have been persuaded to, and will in all good conscience, escort the kid and the dog to the “Diss” as he calls it, which seems to be an educational institution of questionable repute. As I learned from a hard-fought conversation with him that ended in an awkward, yet sloppy tongue kiss, the kid seems to think my mere presence will assuage his extreme anxiety that was apparently gained in the current situation, and serve to dissuade him from “calling the law” and “bringing me down.” He must know I could kill him and his scruffy little snaggletooth right here and now. But never mind that; I kind of like the little shits. At present, we are in the control room and will beam down momentarily. Having finally won him over, he smiles sweetly, hugs Tiger, and we stand quietly for a few minutes. Kid is still all eyes, still doesn’t quite comprehend where we really are, then Kowalski nods from the control panel and the tingle begins…… back to Earth
Photo credit: Sheldon Serkin
Story credit:
Cally Lence & @grandreopening
by Jeff Kelley | Feb 11, 2015 | Jeff Kelley, Stories
My entire day consists of interactions. Well, I suppose everyone’s day consists of interactions, really, but when you are a mailman on a small downtown business route, they’re certainly more accentuated. All day long, it’s a random ‘hello’ to a passerby that I may or may not know, then directions to a hard-to-find cafe, and after that, an extended conversation with a customer that continues from the previous day.
So it’s probably a good thing that I’m an ‘ambivert with extrovert tendencies’, according to a webpage that even knows what that is. The point is, interacting with people energizes me. I’d certainly dread my job if the case were otherwise. These are just a fraction of the fantastic folks I get to talk with every day on my route.
If I were to string together my daily conversations into one long paragraph, what would it sound like? Likely, a bit schizophrenic– a discussion about photojournalism, followed immediately by talk of raising chickens. A conversation about public school policies would transition into an ongoing joke about repetitive cable company advertising. It would be punctuated with a lot of hey-how-are-ya’s and intermittent chats about everything from ‘how about this weather’ to ‘why does this company send me the same damn catalog twice a week?’ (U-LINE, are you listening?)
If I have my way, I’ll be on this route until I retire– hopefully with the ability to still climb a set of stairs. Without a doubt, there will be a completely different set of people that I interact with when that time comes. I’m sure I’ll be a different person as well. But hopefully, I’ll still be an ambivert with extrovert tendencies– whatever that means.
by Rebecca Cornwell | Feb 2, 2015 | Featured Articles, Rebecca Cornwell, Stories, You Are Grryo
Every week we ask our community to continue a story based on a photo. We have been surprised and overwhelmed by the response. Join us every Monday on Instagram to lend your words to story.
Story written by Tommy Wallace
Photo credit: Kurt
Al watched the third letter from the city drop through his mail slot. He let this one lie in the pile with the others because tomorrow . . . he was leaving this place. Oh yeah, he had told himself he was going to leave before but there was the sudden return his daughter made after running from him two years before. There was also that new opportunity handed down to him from the top of the company that made him think, “maybe there was hope after all.” No, he couldn’t think of leaving then.
That all changed when just as suddenly as she had returned, his daughter was gone . . . again. The company that had become his savior had folded. He felt trapped by life. The chair that he had become a part of, and that had become a part of him, was what he detested the most. It seemed to have this power that kept him there, eating at him from the outside in. The city’s letters would continue to pile up and if he stayed the big boys would come and get him if the chair didn’t get him first. So now was the time. He was going to unglue himself from this chair and leave the peeling wallpaper and cesspool of an apartment that he wallowed in for these awful seven months. The city would no longer taunt him, the chair would release him, and he would find the freedom he longed for because there would always be tomorrow.
by Anna Cox | Jan 19, 2015 | Anna Cox, FEATURE, Featured Articles, Stories
A word from Caleb:
I’m pretty lucky to have creative friends, Nina being one of them. Last month we started talking about making a film together and the rest is history. The final product was following her around Minneapolis for a day, documenting it all. Having a mutual sense of dedication is important in creating great work and I think it shows in the film. Her narration gives insight into what inspires her photography, the style of her work and her thoughts on the artistic process.
Nina’s work inspired me to start this project in the first place and it’s been cool to see the aesthetic of her photos progress over the years. But one thing has been a constant; the way she photographs the natural qualities of her subjects. Nina turns people’s insecurities into something beautiful.
I shot this film in the same style of her portraits, trying to catch a smile or candid moment of her. Some of my favorite images are happy accidents, where it seems like the subject doesn’t realize they’re being photographed. You’re seeing a true representation of the person and that’s what makes Nina’s portraits special.
After getting to know Nina through Caleb’s eyes, I wanted to find out a few more things to share. I asked Nina to oblige me with a quick interview and she agreed.
How did you start taking photographs?
I started taking pictures in middle school. I was definitely that annoying friend who took pictures of everything, and I never really thought anything of it. They were pretty terrible. My dad encouraged me, though, and taught me a few things. I began engaging with the photo community on Flickr at the suggestion of my favorite teacher in high school, which is where I really started making major progress. By my junior year of high school I began doing senior photos, and the rest is history!
I would love to hear more about your growth through Flickr. Could you share more about how it affected your photography?
Absolutely! Flickr really helped me to understand where I stood in the photography world. There were tons of photographers who were much better than I was – and I learned from them. There were also people out there that hadn’t yet gained some of the knowledge and skills than I had. It was important for me to have those balancing factors so that I could see myself rightly in the spectrum of photographers. Flickr at that time was a thriving community filled with feedback, so I gave and received a lot of excellent critique on my work. Of course, that lead to growth. It was definitely instrumental for me in getting a better idea of who was creating what at that time.
There is definitely less emphasis placed on traditional learning now that art is more accessible to the masses. iPhones and other devices have brought photography and digital design to everyone’s doorstep. Do you think that it hurts or helps?
It used to be a little disconcerting to me that everyone was considering themselves either a professional photographer or an artist in general. As I’ve become more confident in myself and my work, though, I’ve really come to appreciate how easy it is for the everyday person to start engaging with and making art. Wouldn’t it be sad if nobody was trying to make anything beautiful except a select few who had an official title? To everyone who feels drawn to photography or art making of any kind, I say go for it! If you can add more beauty to the world, do it.
Thank you Caleb and Nina for sharing more of your craft with us. We look forward to seeing more of your work in the future.
Find Nina // IG // website //
Find Caleb // IG // Website //
