A community dedicated to preservation

Within Flickr’s community, many photographers have stepped up as early supporters of the Flickr Foundation, contributing to support initiatives such as Flickr Commons and Data Lifeboat, as well as our overall operating costs. Talking with long-time Flickr.com community members who are also donors has been a fascinating aspect of developing Flickr.org’s nonprofit fundraising strategy. Flickr.com contributors are passionate creators and collectors of digital images; they understand how special it is to have their work be part of a collection of tens of billions of photographs posted to Flickr over the past twenty years. Get to know some of these community members and enjoy their stories.

Daniel D’Auria, Nature photographer, New Jersey, USA

Dr. Daniel D’Auria, physician, children’s book author, and wildlife & environmental photographer, has been posting photos on Flickr since 2006. D’Auria’s photographic locations span the globe: Denali, Alaska; Hawaii; the Falkland Islands; New Jersey Pine Barrens, and many more. D’Auria says that he started on Flickr as a relatively inexperienced photographer, but over the years, he learned many techniques and perspectives from fellow photographers. “The community on Flickr is amazing,” he says. “I have always found it intriguing and free of bias.”

He says, “My photo stream represents nearly 1/3 of my life. It is a history of some of the things I find most important. None of us will be here forever. I hope Flickr’s preservation will mean that a significant part of me will remain for others to see long after I leave this world.“  

Jeff Pankin, Travel and Landscape photographer, Massachusetts

Jeff Pankin joined Flickr in 2005, when Flickr was just a year old. “The fact that the platform was a social network just for photography was compelling,” he said. ”People sharing their photos and comments was something new.” Flickr has also provided learning and inspiration. “Flickr is a safe, anonymous playground to try new things,” he explains. “I have tried AI-generated images and spent over a year posting a photo daily. I’ve attempted black-and-white photography and painted photos. The inspiration to try these things came from other individuals or Flickr groups.

As a donor, Pankin wants to ensure that Flickr’s archives persist through time. For him, Flickr’s rich collections–including Flickr Commons–make the beauty of life and nature available through photography, contributed to by professionals, amateurs, and everyone who snaps photos on their phone. 

Jim Poolner, Local photographer and archivist, Massachusetts, USA

“Browsing Flickr is like walking into a library of strangers’ photo albums—strangers with all sorts of photographic agendas: recording history, capturing landscapes and city scenes,” said Jim Poolner, who has been active on the platform since 2008. A member of 76 different Flickr groups, Poolner enjoys contributing photos to a public gallery and sharing comments and ideas.  

He adds, “I feel my photos (and scans of old prints) innately preserve cultural memory by recording so many things (styles, landscapes, and cityscapes, etc.) which may seem ubiquitous or every day at the moment—but within short amounts of time might be forgotten, were it not for the ability to serendipitously or intentionally search for something.” 

For Jim, protecting the vast Flickr collection and expanding Flickr Commons members’ “curated view” are critical reasons to donate. “ Without archives like these, people couldn’t even learn about the past,” Jim said,”By preserving history, we allow future generations to be inspired, enlightened, shocked, or whatever emotions are evoked.” 

Martin Kalfatovic, Community photographer and librarian, Virginia, USA

Photographer, archivist, and dodo-fancier Martin Kalfatovic started using Flickr in late 2005 to look at pictures from tech meetings in the Bay Area and then joined in August 2006 to start sharing his own photos of conferences and events. He says, “The Flickr community is one of the last remaining social experiments of the early 21st century that hasn’t, like many platforms we could name, devolved into a self-promoting marketplace or virtual hellscape.” An enthusiastic and active photographer, Martin also urged the Smithsonian Institution to become an early member of Flickr Commons. 

Martin said that Flickr, through the work of the Flickr Foundation, is one of the rare organizations that has had—from its inception—a horizon that is longer than the next quarterly report. He explained, “There have always been people involved with Flickr that have a longitudinal view of what’s being built and commitment to building a better online community space. That Flickr took the initiative to engage with George Oates to create the Flickr Foundation is a testament to that vision.”

Thanks for the love!

These photographers—Dan, Jeff, Jim, and Martin—represent just a sample of the larger Flickr community whose members understand the importance of preserving our shared visual heritage. Their stories highlight what makes Flickr unique: an exciting community of photographers who learn from each other while documenting our world, history, and shared experiences.

As the Flickr Foundation works to ensure these billions of photographs remain visible and accessible for the next century, we’re grateful to supporters who share our long-term vision. 

We invite you to donate and support Flickr.org’s mission. To learn more about supporting the Flickr Foundation or donating, visit flickr.org/donate.

We enjoy talking to Flickr community members who also support Flickr.org; if you’d like to speak with us and share your story, please get in touch with hello@flickr.org.

cover photo by Ooishi Yoshio