We curated a Twilight Colors gallery a few weeks ago and asked you on Flickr on Facebook to show us more by sharing your favorite photography of scenes around the world at dusk and dawn. You answered with many striking pictures. Here’s a sample of the wonderful submissions, from Kailua Kona, Hawaii, to Kleinwalsertal, Austria.
This #TwitterTuesday we asked you to share your best Lunch photo with us. You showed us delicious burgers, homemade pizza, light tomato and mozzarella dishes as well as Japanese bento dishes and delicious soups. Believe us, it was a mouthwatering experience to browse through all of them!
We thank everyone who submitted a photo. Check out all of them and follow us on Twitter or on Flickr to see the next challenge directly in your feed. We will be back next Tuesday with the new #TwitterTuesday theme.
The wildlife of Costa Rica is a major attraction for photographers, especially because of the abundance of exotic bird species, including a variety of toucans and resplendents.
The first week of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, have concluded, giving athletes and spectators a great deal to cheer. We’ve seen a number of beautiful photos from Flickr members who are documenting the games, from the amazing architectural shots to candids and portraits of athletes and fans. There is no shortage of Olympic spirit on display and we’re excited to see what the next week has in store.
You can enjoy some of the best Flickr moments from the games by following these photographers, who are filling their photostreams with amazing images:
It’s a real ‘modern-day’ love story: Boy takes a photo and posts it online. Girl randomly finds it and comments on the photo. They talk, meet and fall in love. Four years later, boy asks girl to marry him. And it all happened thanks to Flickr.
“I don’t think anyone signs up for a Flickr account thinking they’re going to meet their future spouse,†Whitney Tuttle, now known on Flickr with her husband David Tuttle as his&hers, tells The Weekly Flickr. “I certainly didn’t! But looking back it’s pretty incredible and I wouldn’t have it any other way.â€
Dave and Whitney’s relationship began as a result of an urban art project in their hometown of Portland, OR. All over the city, there are iron horse rings embedded into the sidewalks — originally used to tie up horses prior to the use of cars in the 1800s. In 2005, an artist started zip-tying toy horses to these horse rings to commemorate them.
In March of 2008, Dave posted a Polaroid he had taken of one of these horses tied up in his Northwest Portland neighborhood. It was his first photo upload on Flickr.
“I randomly found Dave’s Polaroid posted on Flickr,†Whitney explains. â€I recognized it immediately because I had taken a Polaroid of the exact same horse! So, I left a comment and said, ‘Is this on Northwest and Everett?’ And he said, ‘Yes it is.’ And that’s how we met.â€
Both Dave and Whitney had a passion for Polaroid instant photography and began corresponding via FlickrMail about each other’s photos.
“At the time, I would post Polaroid photos of nature, cityscapes and things like that,†Dave says. “Whitney was posting a lot of portraits of friends, candids and lots of selfies! We just started communicating back and forth on Flickr and liked what each other’s photos.“
“We became Flickr friends,†he says.
Dave and Whitney continued this internet correspondence for a year and a half. Throughout this time they both admit it was strictly “Polaroid nerd talk.†It wasn’t until August of 2009 when they met face-to-face at a Flickr members event.
“There were no name tags at the event, but I knew what Whitney looked like because she posted photos of herself on Flickr,†Dave says. “I actually had never posted a portrait of myself. So when I introduced myself to her, she had NO idea who I was.â€
“I thought he was pretty cute,†Whitney admits. “And then the more I got to know him, the more I realized we had a lot in common. At that point I thought maybe we should go hang out and take some Polaroids.â€
It would take another six months for the two to begin hanging out together. The day after Halloween in 2009, they met at a mausoleum to take spooky photographs for an upcoming Polaroid Week event. They took photos all afternoon.
“I wouldn’t consider it necessarily the first date… but looking back on it, it was kind of where those first sparks kinda started,†Dave admits.
“Yup, it was at a mausoleum,†Whitney laughs. “How romantic, right?â€
“We just had a great time,†Dave says. “We turned that into dinner and that turned into meeting up again shortly thereafter. And then, we just kept on meeting up, and it stopped being Flickr and photography related and became ‘Hey, I kinda like you’ related.â€
In February of 2010, their relationship became official. During this time, they combined their Flickr pages and started a project called “His and Hersâ€. They would take separate photos of each other and put them together as a diptych. It slowly (and unintentionally) became a great way to document their relationship.
After more than three years together, Dave decided to propose to Whitney.
“I knew I had to ask her at the same corner where we first met,†Dave says. “Of course, it wasn’t exactly where we met, but we both took the same photo at Northwest 11th Avenue and Everett Street. It was that photo that brought us together so I knew it was the perfect spot.â€
“And so I had the ring, and I got another [toy] horse,†Dave says. “As we got to the corner, I got to one knee and I said, ‘Well this is where it all began,’ and I asked her if she would marry me. After she said yes, we tied the [toy] horse together onto the ring and named it Flickr… because that’s where we met!â€
Dave and Whitney got married last July in a beautiful ceremony surrounded by family and friends — some of whom they met on Flickr.
Looking back, the couple recognizes their story is one for the books. What are the chances of two people meeting and falling in love on Flickr?
“It’s pretty crazy to think that we met on Flickr and whether our worlds would have collided without it,†Dave says.
“I like to think that we would have met eventually,†Whitney responds. “I don’t know if we would have, but I like to think we would have!â€
“You just never know,†Dave says smiling. “It’s one of those things that happens in a lifetime. And we’re so happy it did.â€
Do you want to be featured on The Weekly Flickr? We are looking for your photos that amaze, excite, delight and inspire. Share them with us in the The Weekly Flickr Group, or tweet us at @TheWeeklyFlickr.
Our last Flickr Friday theme was #AnObjectsPointof View. This is a selection of our favorites from your submissions.
This time, perspective was the challenge where your imagination took the most important part in our current theme. The strategy to put the right effects, brought us to see how it feels to be on the other side of the mirror. You shared with us how bikes and teddy bears enjoy the sunsets, the fantastic view through the lens, how conversations between good friends look from the ground and even E.T. made it to share his wisdom to an amusing crowd of Domos. You can check out all your submissions in the Flickr Friday group pool.
Have a look into all the galleries of favorites that you’ve been sharing with us, start creating your own and share it with us too.
For our next theme we are sure that the atmosphere will turn all into birds, flowers, butterflies and chocolates. Because when #LoveIsInTheAir we can’t do anything but follow the path to happiness. So share with us everything that makes you feel in love and about to take off to the moon. Maybe a special shot with your significant other or something symbolic that represents the joy of love to you. Wear the wings and start sharing your submissions in the Flickr Friday group. The selection of the week will be showcased right here in FlickrBlog. Make it even more fun and invite your friends to take part in the challenge by reteweeting us, or sharing our status.
A contribution from Sarah Ann Loreth. Sarah is a fine art photographer from New Hampshire, who specializes in self-portraiture, conceptual portraiture, and fashion. To find our more about her work, visit her photostream and check out her website.
Meet Liisa, a fine art and fashion photographer out of Estonia, and HÃ¥vard, a conceptual photographer from Norway. They found each other on Flickr and this is their love story. The last year they have spent traveling Europe and finding the time to be with each other.
Tell us a bit about yourselves and your work.
Liisa: I’m a 22-year-old dreamer, photographer and psychology student from Estonia. I believe that if you work hard, have overwhelming passion for something – and most importantly, have faith, then you can achieve things that seem impossible at first glance. When it comes to my work, I like to focus on the good side of life – dreams, possibilities, love, passion, longing, etc.
Håvard: I am a 20 year old (soon 21) guy from Norway. Sometimes I dream more than I live, but I believe that’s healthy because I’d go and chase my dreams whenever I get the opportunity to do so. I love travelling like so many others and I feel lucky to be from a place where I have the freedom to do so. I have been intrigued by photography ever since I borrowed my dad’s old analogue Canon to take pictures of flowers in our garden. Since then there have been more and more photographs but less and less photographs of flowers.
I enjoy taking portraits and playing with my creativity whenever it decides to be present in my mind. Sadly the creativity often takes breaks and wander off, but it always comes back to me. I think capturing someone’s beauty is easy, but to capture someone’s personality is hard – and it is the latter one that I like the most.
You know that photography is more than just a pretty picture when you can look at the person(s) in it and see their character more than you can see their beauty (or ugliness for that matter). The part of photography that tells stories, whether it is through personal work, journalism or even nature photography, is the photography that matters to me. It’s all about the stories behind that one moment.
How did you discover each other’s work?
Liisa: We found each other’s work on Flickr. Quite randomly! I can’t believe that a few funny comments on each other’s photos turned into this. It’s crazy!
What was it about the other and their art that made you feel connected?
Liisa:: I think what caught my attention was how he differed from other photographers who were doing a 365. His personality really shone through, especially his sense of humor. That’s also what made me fall for him when we first met.
HÃ¥vard: When I found Liisa’s work I immediately placed her as one of my favorites. It was – unlike many other conceptual photographers on Flickr – realistic but dreamy at the same time. Liisa’s work would show a world of dreams that could exist right here, in our lives, and that really got me. It was beautiful, colourful and filled with emotions and stories to be told.
What was your first meeting like and when did it happen?
Liisa: On the 17th of November, 2012, HÃ¥vard flew to Estonia for two days. I had asked him if he would like to visit me and take some photos together, and shortly after that he got his tickets and travelled here, all the way from Norway. We felt comfortable around each other right away and at the end of the day he kissed me.
Being so drawn to each other and getting so close in just one weekend was a big surprise for both of us. I mean, we just wanted to meet so we could take photos together! Apparently fate had other plans for us. HÃ¥vard even missed his plane back to Norway (just because the bus driver drove past the bus stop and we arrived at the airport 5 minutes too late) and we got one extra night together. If it wasn’t for that one missed flight, we probably wouldn’t be where we are now. That additional time helped us get to know each other better – as well as it’s possible in less than 48 hours – and make us fall for each other.
What has this last year been like for the both of you?
Liisa: Honestly, I don’t even know how to put it into words. HÃ¥vard came into my life and changed it forever. We’ve only been together for a little over a year but we already have so many great memories. Running away from Swiss mountain goats at night; freezing the whole night in each other’s arms 3000 km above sea level; exploring the streets of Florence and escaping from local rose selling gangsters; ending up laughing under the table when making (trying to make) salad; hiking up mountains and enjoying the most beautiful sunsets; backpacking in Switzerland; taking photos together and editing for hours, sitting side by side; having fun with my family at my grandma’s 80th birthday; playing board games with HÄvard’s family; having long conversations about aliens, religion, metaphysics, politics and the meaning of life, etc. I could go on forever. I just know that this is the best thing ever and I want it to last forever.
HÃ¥vard: My last year have been like living in a dream that slowly comes true. Pieces in my life have fallen in place and I have started to feel content and happy with who I am and where I’m going. All because of this one great girl. There has been ups and downs and challenging times, but when I look back at it I would not change anything. I have learned more about myself than I have ever done in the spawn of a year before. It has been filled with joy and sad times – awful countdowns and dreamlike adventures to other countries. And I have got to spend it all with the most wonderful person I know. We have grown very close and still there is something new to learn about each other every day. I feel like my last year has been a taste of what will come – and I can’t wait for the rest.
How has your relationship shaped how you create?
Liisa: I’ve definitely taken my best photos during the time I’ve been with HÃ¥vard. He’s been so supportive of my photography related dreams and always encourages me to go on. He’s such a determined person and that has inspired me greatly. Plus, I’ve got a few editing tips from him. His technical skills are badass.
HÃ¥vard: My creations have been highly affected by the happiness I have felt and the struggles we have been through. Photography have always been a way to express myself, whether it is the joy of seeing my girl again or the sadness of being apart. I have also learned a lot from Liisa. She has been an amazing support and ever since I met her I have evolved more than I thought would be possible over such a short amount of time. Be it colour correction or skin editing – she have always pointed me in the right direction and never been afraid to share her knowledge. I think there’s always a bit of Liisa in my work now, and I will be forever grateful for what she have given me (and keep giving me with every photograph I take).
Has distance been a challenge?
Liisa: It’s very hard to be apart from the person you love the most, but if they’re right for you, you’d wait however long it takes to see them again. Luckily for us, we’re not separated by oceans. We live on the same continent and our longest countdown so far has been 31 days long. Soon we’ll get our own apartment and distance won’t cause us any more sleepless nights or sad flights back home.
Tell us about your happiest memory since meeting?
Liisa: There are so many happy memories that come to my mind, but one that really stands out is from our first trip together. After another fantastic night in Florence, wandering around the streets and eating good food in a cozy restaurant, we got back to our hotel room and lay down in bed. HÃ¥vard was checking something on his computer and Jack Johnson’s ”Angel” started to play. HÃ¥vard started to sing along, the words meant for me. And in that moment I felt such intense love, appreciation, gratefulness that I started to cry. I had never felt so loved before. To love someone with all your heart and feel that it’s reciprocated, is the best feeling in the world. A few months ago, HÃ¥vard gave me a pendant that has lyrics from that same song, ”Angel”, engraved in it, and now I’m wearing it every day. It’s a constant reminder of how lucky I am to have found something so special that many can’t find in a lifetime.
Håvard: It is impossible to choose one memory. There is so many happy memories and I value them all a lot. If I have to pick one I think it would be from a trip we had in February last year. We went to Florence together. A really neat and romantic city. I had planned it as a Christmas present and throughout the whole flight Liisa constantly squeezed my hand in excitement. The memory of waking up together in our hotel room and having the sun stream in a little window that had view down to a small alley and the top of a majestic dome still makes it tickle in my stomach almost a year later. We lay there and watched the smoke from a pipe dance in the morning sun, and I don’t think I have ever felt a happiness like that before.
What are your plans in the upcoming year?
Liisa: I’m saving up for a road trip in the States (I’m dying to go back to the Smoky Mountains and Oregon!) and learning a little more Norwegian. It’d be nice to know more than how to call different animals haha. I’m also determined to push myself harder when it comes to photography. I have a feeling it’ll be a great year!
HÃ¥vard: This is a funny thing because I love planning. I am an addict to planning while Liisa couldn’t plan any less. And whenever I plan something, it never goes exactly as planned, so we’ll see how my plans work out. Anyway, I am currently applying to universities in Estonia. Hopefully I will be accepted to the programme I want to study and then we would be all set to get our own apartment together. That will be wonderful and I can’t contain myself – I’m so impatient to get to that checkpoint in our lives. We also plan to go to Iceland in the summer but there are always factors like money that might get in the way. I hate money. Always being an obstacle when wanting to travel. This year I wish to do a little more nature photography as well. I haven’t really done much of it, but I do enjoy being in the nature a lot, and what can be better than to capture wonderful memories while watching stunning sceneries?
Thank you Liisa and HÃ¥vard for sharing your story! Best of luck to both of you in the future!
Stay tuned on FlickrBlog, we’ll have a special Valentine’s theme for you for today’s #FlickrFriday, and later today, The Weekly Flickr will feature another wonderful couple that you don’t want to miss.
This post was written by a guest contributor to Flickr Blog. Please see their details in the post above. If you would also like to become a contributing author, tell us your story, and provide some examples of previous pieces (if you have them) and content you would like to cover.
Japan’s Hokkaido Prefecture annually hosts the Sapporo Snow Festival, an event made famous by its ice and snow sculptures on display. This year, light projections and a ski run installation partake in the entertainment, while musicians perform for audiences in the frosty outdoor temperatures.
Ten years of dreams, moments, wishes and adventures. Many of them surrounding special events in your life that made great congratulations for our 10th birthday. Thank you for all your kind words and your cherished Flickr memories… Your first analogue selfie, the first picture of your newborn baby, your first Flickr photo and tons of celebrations around the globe! We are happy to see how we have grown in your life and how in parallel our stories connect. Check out all your submissions, and thanks for all the delicious cakes you sent to us!
If you don’t already, follow us on Twitter or on Flickr to see the next challenge directly in your feed. We will be back next next #TwitterTuesday with a new theme.
For the first year ever, we celebrated the holidays by asking you to join Flickr’s ultimate photo contest, #Flickr12Days, and share what joy means to you! The response was phenomenal, with over 63,000 photo submissions from nearly 7,000 people all over the world.
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