There are plenty of roundups of the year's best photography, but we want to gather 2012's best photos -- that are sitting on your cell phone. James Estrin, New York Times Lens blogger, will look at your photographs a announce his favorites on Wednesday, December 26th.
Note: The slideshow below only displays the most recent submissions. Look below for the full archive of photos.
Charles Maraia
Pilings in the Hudson River on the west side as the flooding from Sandy.
Brian LaRossa
Taken in Park Slope the day Sandy hit; before she had done any damage.
Irene Gallo
Times Square
Casey
Month or so ago, I was in my parents' backyard as the family cat, Bandit, napped. I placed my phone on a table and zoomed in. He woke up and crept toward me. Very friendly cat that unfortunately had a stroke, so he's much sweeter than he looks these days. I know it's a pet photo, breaks the rules, but I was just impressed that this was not touched-up, looks terrifying.
Sarah Pachelli
...because summer sunsets in NYC are pretty much the most magical thing ever.
(taken on the Staten Island ferry)
Kevin Kehler
What is left of the board walk in far Rockawy
Brandon Emerick
This was indicative of what my entire 25 year record collection looked like after my apartment was submerged by Sandy.
Margaret DeVico
I took this photo on Thursday, November 1st, which was the first day I was able to leave my Hoboken apartment after Sandy. It's inside Saint Peter and Paul's Church on Hudson Street at about 9:00AM. I charged my phone and my laptop for the first time since the storm hit, and while I was there I was given hot coffee and a breakfast sandwich by a random stranger. I left around 10:00AM, and by then there was a large group of people waiting for an open outlet.
Kaylah pantaleon
Gas shortage in Yonkers, NY! 2012.
Brandon Emerick
This is what it looked like in Red Hook during the Sandy blackout snowstorm.
Michael Davidson
Took while in the PATH to Newark NJ. Love to shoot people sleeping on train. I love that this young man is dressed for success head to toe :)
martin bretzin
Taken off the coast of ft lauderdale, florida. Just graduated college and started my career in the yachting industry. Not necessarily a journalistic topic but proud to show that even in my demographic (age under 25) I can find a great job in todays economy.
Blaze Nowara
A few days after Sandy I took this photo in Long Branch, NJ (Monmouth County). I like the composition and the simplicity of the photograph regardless of the devastating story it tells.
Kevin kehler
Taking a subway ride with a Pigeon. Sometimes pigeons don't fly everywhere
Allegra
When/Where: Immediately post-Sandy on Riverside Drive.
Why: Using my 11 month old puppy Tango for scale, I wanted to show my friends how Sandy impacted my neighborhood, the Upper West Side: wind more than water.
I like it because the photo tells that story AND more personally, I was pretty psyched about this sit-stay - he would usually come and lick the camera. And the photo also speaks to my puppy's love of sticks, but that's not so universally newsworthy!
Dennis Lee
This photo was taken in Columbus, OH where I was visiting an old friend this summer. We spotted a praying mantis on a bush in front of his apartment and as I tried to take a picture of it, it leaped onto my iPhone. The actual photo was taken by my friend at that moment. It came out really well, I believe it didn't even need cropping. We'd joked that Apple would would buy this image. Thanks!
Jo-Ellen Trilling
This photo was taken at home of Christmas tree ornaments ( repainted) with an added caption. The monkeys were purchased at the Union Square Christmas Market. I took it because I am an editorial artist. The objects are a gift for my son-in-law Jeremiah Goulka who writes political commentary. I like it because it's funny but a necessary sentiment.
Kevin Turner
I took this photo at New York Road Runners' official kick off to the doomed 2012 ING NYC Marathon. I was registered to run the race for the first time and on that day, I remember feeling so much excitement.
Paul Brozo
This is a shot of Hoboken looking down from the Heights of Jersey City the morning after Hurricane Sandy hit. The water came all the way up to the hill we live on, about a mile from the Hudson's western banks. Notice the two semi trucks trying to drive through, water reaching halfway up their sides. We also found out that by zooming in, you can see a man trapped inside the black SUV. We were shocked at the depth of the water so far inland against the eerie backdrop of a dark Freedom Tower. (Pic #2 in subsequent post.)
Taylor Roig
This is a non edited picture from my terrace in east Harlem, my view from the 30th floor. I love the contrast of the snow with the sunset... I just get a feeling of warmth and comfort from the picture. I can't explain it...
Matthew Yanchuk
It's a haunting shot taken from Smith St in Brooklyn.
Rachael Zur
Homeless man in Midtown
susan w
D.C. just before the election. Commodifying man of the year!
George
This is a photo of my favorite bridge in NY and the one that has the least exposure. I guess cause its a train bridge. Its even got a great name. Hell Gate Bridge. It was taken from Astoria Park during sunset. 2 bridges, one ship one river and a sunset.
Matt L
Zucotti Park, 10/14. 'Nuff said.
Dorian
I took this in Greenwich Village, on W. 10th St., a few days after power was restored there. It with a touch of ironic humor and a (likely) knowing reference to a horror show of yore, talked of Sandy.
susan w.
Sandy, inland. Anthropomorphism among killer trees run rampant: this one just lay down for 20 winks.
Carol Davis
After losing power for 10 days after Sandy, I took this photo of my husband just seconds after the lights came on. He found a way to keep warm. Count the cats!
Kevin Turner
This is a screenshot that I took as the announcements from the Supreme Court regarding the Affordable Care Act came rolling in. There was a lot of confusion that morning as news outlets scrambled to analyze the ruling.
Gary Eckstein
My wife and I rode our bikes to Red Hook the day after Sandy. I took this shot of the still flooded Beard Street on my iPhone. The high water mark is still visible on the warehouse where receding water from inside the Fairway apparently damaged the bottom of the security gate.
Kayan Lam
We had to throw away my sister's piano had to thrown out post storm sandy.
Yolande
This is one of the window displays at the 2012 Macy's Flower Show taken from the sidewalk. All the displays were beautiful, made up of bright flowers, plants and Brazilian samba costumes. This was my first time seeing the Macy's flower showed. Loved it.
Edward E. Crouse
Monroe St between Wabash Ave and Michigan Ave, Chicago, Ill. May 21, 2012. I was marching with National Lawyers' Guild legal observers to get their view of things. The faces, however blurry, render the shapes of the municipal (and in this case international) control of protests and first amendment rights.
Paul Brozo
This is a shot of Hoboken the morning after Hurricane Sandy hit. You can see the City of Hoboken sign in the center along with other badly damaged and immersed signs. This is at the innermost edge of the city, about a mile from the Hudson. Prior to this shot being taken, a man was trapped inside the black SUV. We were shocked at the depth of the water so far inland. More pictures upon request.
Jeff Pappas
Album release " A Viberatto B ". Jimmy Goodman plays Kingston NY
Conor McDonough
Super storm Sandy overflows the Gowanus Canal at 2nd Street in Brooklyn.
Jeff Pappas
Holiday Decorations and old brick , Albany NY
Edward E. Crouse
130 E Randolph St, Chicago, Ill., September 4, 2012. Near the close of a muddled election season in which America's wars were scarcely mentioned, groups such as Veterans for Peace, the Gay Liberation Front, and Occupy Chicago reminded citizens of the stakes of drone strikes and other military actions. After a march through downtown, these coffins were left in front of the president's campaign headquarters. The crowd scattered slowly without publicly announcing that the coffins would stay until the police or building security took them away. Not nearly as packed as the NATO protests, but important nonetheless.
took picture of this huge drawing pad that is outside of someone s house on dean street in boerum hill in brooklyn. It is on an artist's easel. Every week another drawing pops out - and their dog sits right below the drawing on the ground, in leaves. This picture was taken of the drawing right after Sandy. It is the dog swimming with an inner tube - full moon etc it is hilarious random nyc artistry or an amazing ongoing non digital conversation
Uzagaya: Head monk - Htee Pu Village - Bagan, Myanamar - Nov 2012 (iPhone 5)
I was on assignment for The Orient Express documenting their CSR humanitarian projects in Myanmar. We were visiting villages, schools & clinics. Each village has a monk who takes care of the village. This monk invited us to his house for lunch and he was very curious about my cameras. I pulled my iPhone out and he instantly put his hands to his face and mimicked glasses looking back at me.
My father Don Gavagan (r) and brother Robert Gavagan (l) clearing debris, including a sign that speaks volumes, to gain access to my parents' house in Breezy Point, the morning after Sandy struck.
Taken during the week after Sandy, in front of the NYU library. We live in the East Village and made a daily trek here that week to charge up and correspond. I think it captures the vagabond lifestyle and ad hoc community feeling we downtowners experienced in the wake of the hurricane.
This is a photo from the Olympics in London. We loved watching the Beach Volleyball in person. Even more fun than watching it on TV! Here of course is the winning female duo taking a break. It really shows their intensity.
This photo was taken near Macaroni Beach, on the island of Mustique, which is part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. In the background there is a storm rolling in off the Atlantic while the sun is still rising brightly above it. What I like most about this picture is that by using the Hefe filter on Instagram I was able to recapture the warmth of the moment. The original was very "white" in comparison to what I was seeing with my naked eye. I also love that I you can see the elements directly contributing to both the strong cool breeze rushing off the Atlantic (storm), as well as the heat lamp warmth (sun). Mustique is a beautiful island where views like this are an everyday occurrence.
Taken from my Union Square apartment window. Sandy. Night #2. Later that week, I heard a caller on the show describe looking out her window the night of the hurricane, alone, scared, with only Brian Lehrer's voice and the glow of the Empire State Building to let her know that she wasn't completely alone in the city. I thought: "Yes. Me too."
This was taken in Babylon, Ny I took this because the sun was in the perfect positions for a silhouette shot. I like how this picture describes fear and caution via signs and the first line of protection is a little birdie. I feel many people will read the signs and turn around rather than taking their fears head on.
I was out with Occupy Sandy that day (Nov 17) and we took a lunch break. I thought this vista captured the extra-ordinariness of the situation:Even the people we rely on to deal with our catastrophes had themselves been destroyed.
While the quality of the photo is not the best, I hope the subject matter is discernible. It depicts a small zebra and a pony enjoying a romp through the yard at my place of work in Staten Island. In the left foreground is my supervisor—she and I and most of our staff were attempting to corral the runaway equines, to return them to their owners and keep them from trampling our nursery stock. They seemed to be enjoying the exercise, and luckily they were successfully lured back to their harnesses about ten minutes after this photo was taken without any harm occurring to either flora or fauna. I've gotten a lot of mileage out of the story, and the photo is a nice reminder of an otherwise unremarkable November morning turned awesomely weird!
This photo was taken as I passed through a wedding celebration in the Eberbach Cloisters in the Rhine Valley in Germany. This is a surreal scene of an amputee bride in solitude on her wedding day.
This photo was taken while driving to the 14,000 foot summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. We passed many soldiers making the same trip on foot. This shot of the single soldier shows the grueling training done in solitude on an island that I would have otherwise described as a pure paradise.
In the wee hours of a cold morning in February, I was in the back of a cab hurtling down the West Side Highway to Newark Airport to catch a plane out for a work trip. Felt reluctant to leave my beloved NYC. Snapped this out the window on the fly and it came with me to keep me company. I like the austerity of the darkened Empire State Bldg under the wisp of a moon, as the sky fades in. No news. Just New York.
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