Flickr’s CEO believes that photos, data, and conversations from Free accounts aren’t worth keeping. Let’s help him see what @Flickr will lose if they delete existing images. Some of my favorites on the chopping block: flickr.com/photos/stewf/g… (See notes in corner of each image.)
@Flickr Since 2006 Tom Schifanella has shared his luggage labels and ephemera on Flickr, attracting 10.3M views. They are helpfully categorized by tag, album, collections (Hotels, Destinations, Themes, etc). Most of Tom’s 3,500 images & metadata will be deleted. flickr.com/photos/wavesja…
Peter Bruhn an important designer in the Swedish typography scene and one of my best friends. His account contains over 700 photos of family and work that will be deleted in February. They cannot be saved by buying a Pro account because Peter died in 2014. flickr.com/photos/fountai…
Nina is a designer with an unusually inquisitive mind. Her account is filled w/ her own informative work & examples of vernacular signs & type history. Many are accompanied by useful discussion like this one. Over 2K of Nina’s images are set for deletion.
flickr.com/photos/ninasto…
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Naz (@weightshift) Hamid is a friend and a great photographer. He joined Flickr in its first year & contributed over 9,000 photos attracting 10K followers. His shots of SF, in particular, capture the city like few others. Most of his pics will be deleted. flickr.com/photos/absente…
Süleyman was a doctor in Ankara, Turkey who was known for his macro photography & collection of rare cameras which he shot beautifully & meticulously documented. His account is like a camera museum. Süleyman died in 2012. Over 3,000 photos will be removed. flickr.com/photos/s-demir…
Kelly @verpabunny Vivanco is one of many artists who found a home on Flickr where they could build & organize a portfolio of hi-res images & get feedback from fans. Her images have attracted 2.3 million views. More than 1,000 of her works will be removed. flickr.com/photos/verpabu…
@Flickr apfelauge built a well-sorted catalog of 10K Avant Garde photos & ephemera. “i have no intention to pay for my good work … 95% of these pictures are only seen here, it's a cultural heritage, i invite everybody to download so they won't get lost forever.” flickr.com/photos/apfelau…
Janine, the founder of @uppercasemag, has contributed nearly 10,000 photos to Flickr, including her lovely collections of vintage typewriter ribbon tins and matchbox labels (over 800!). Both of these albums will vanish with most of her photos in February. flickr.com/photos/upperca…
Julian Montague has found and photographed over 3,000 noteworthy book covers & graphics, many of which are overlooked by the design establishment but are clearly popular among his 1.6K followers. Most of these images will be removed in February. flickr.com/photos/2347371…
That’s it for tonight. Ten more stories of at-risk Flickr accounts coming tomorrow. Or read ’em all in the Gallery: flickr.com/photos/stewf/g…
Ward (@wardomatic) Jenkins is an accomplished artist who shares his own work & celebrates under-appreciated illustrators from the past, like Peter P. Plasencia (shown). Nearly 2K images & biographical info will be lost when Flickr trims his account in Feb flickr.com/photos/wardoma…
Eric Rolph is an incredibly talented landscape photographer. (flickr.com/photos/ericrol…) His eerie suburban scenes are among the hundreds slated for removal. Eric’s one of many who left Flickr years ago due to mismanagement so he’s unlikely go Pro in time. flickr.com/photos/ericrol…
Flickr plays a critical role in graffiti communities where artists commune & preserve their ephemeral work through photography. Steve Rotman, an important figure in the West Coast scene, posted nearly 10K photos of exceptional pieces. Most will be deleted. flickr.com/photos/phunk/5…
Steffen (@flunters) joined Flickr in its 1st year. He’s since posted over 10K pics, many documenting the work of @eBoyArts, a pioneering studio that contributed to the popularity of pixel art thru elaborate city scenes. Most of his images will vanish. flickr.com/photos/flunter…
Gertie Jaquet has a keen eye for vintage graphics. Her amazing fruit wrapper album flickr.com/photos/hier-ho… was honored by @collectorswkly & @Coudal MOOM. She also documented lots of endangered Dutch signage flickr.com/photos/hier-ho…. Most of Gertie’s 9,523 images will be wiped out.
Speaking of vintage graphics, Swiss collector Michael Studt has built one of the most extensive design archives on the web (let alone Flickr). It’s all well captioned and organized into useful albums flickr.com/photos/mickyth…. Over 48,000 images will vanish. flickr.com/photos/mickyth…
A smaller, but more targeted collection is David Larson’s “Klockarp Institute” which documents Swedish design and illustration flickr.com/photos/klockar…. Over 2,500 images are headed to the trash, such as this beer coaster. flickr.com/photos/klockar…
Last in this set of collectors is Martin Klasch, who has a fine archive of mid-century illustration. Nearly 4,000 images will be removed, along with their historical info and associated dialog with other collectors and artists. flickr.com/photos/martink…
Barry Smith is a furniture collector and Flickr member since 2006 who has some of the finest images of classic and rare mid-century objects. 7,000 images will be gone, and with them their value as an identification tool and historical record. flickr.com/photos/studios…
If you need proof that @Flickr is a repository for cultural treasure, you need only visit the great @BibliOdyssey, w/ over 10,000 hi-res images serving the inimitable blog of esoteric book art. Countless discussions & metadata will be lost with the images. flickr.com/photos/bibliod…
Thanks to @hardwig for suggesting many of today’s at-risk Flickr accounts. I’ll have 10 more for you on Wednesday. (Tomorrow there are even more important things to attend to. flickr.com/photos/nickshe…)
