Under the tutelage of new CEO Marissa Mayer, Yahoo! is currently undergoing a total transformation. One of the first Yahoo! products to undergo a redesign was Flickr, its flagship online photo management and sharing application. Flickr was originally an independent, innovative company that introduced the concept of “tagging” to photos, and also enabled users to add Creative Commons licenses to their images. When Flickr was subsequently purchased by Yahoo!, many were disappointed to see that Yahoo! did not do much with it, and were elated with the new redesign.
Flickr now has infinite scrolling, black backgrounds, and offers a terabyte of free storage, in contrast to Picasa’s meager free gigabyte of storage. Photos can be viewed in a lightbox, and you can collect other people’s photos with a feature called Flickr Gallery. Many professional and aspiring photographers showcased their best work on Flickr, taking advantage of the high resolution and in-depth editing features. Other photographers are returning to Flickr after trying out alternative applications.
We have gathered some of the best photos taken in 2013 below. If you want to preserve your own memories of 2013, you can import your photos from Flickr into a photo site like York Photo, Shutterfly, or SnapFish to turn them into postcards, photo books, and more.
Image via NASA Goddard Photo and Video
Many public organizations and political figures (including the current President of the United States) use Flickr to publish and share their photos. NASA Goddard is no different; we love this photo of a sun flare. It captures, in one picture, everything we love about space and its possibilities.
Image via Don McCullough
We adore the use of black and white processing to capture this World War II Memorial situated between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Memorial. It adds nostalgia while still being very much with the present. With the government shutdown recently over, it brings to mind the US veterans who refused to let the National Memorials stay closed. They took down the barricades and let tourists and other veterans into the park.
Image via Fraser Mummery
2013 saw a renewed interest in astronomy and many of its cool events, such as the supermoon that happened in June. A supermoon happens when a full or new moon orbits as close to Earth as possible during its elliptical orbit, creating the largest apparent size possible. With today’s sophisticated cameras, anyone can capture the many rocks and craters of the moon. In 2014 we can look forward to a total lunar eclipse on April 15.
Image via Thomas Hawk
Post-processing used to be a bad word in the world of photography. Now, in the right hands, processed photos can be compelling, and give the viewer a whole new perspective. We think Thomas Hawk succeeds very well with this fish-eye lens view picture of The Capitol District.
Image via Andreas Giesea
The little things matter as much as the big things. We find this macro of a dragonfly flying in a field beyond gorgeous. It is amazing how much detail you can capture with the right camera; Andreas Giesea’s Leica shows you every line, spot, and pattern of the wings on this particular dragonfly.
