Posted by Devin Poolman on 6 January 2009.
Some of you may have heard by now, but if not, the good news is that we have already received a couple of credible offers from companies interested in acquiring JPG. So that we can find the best acquirer for JPG, we put a Wednesday deadline on all offers, and we expect to receive more by then. We are soliciting all the credible offers we can get, and any negotiations from that point forward will be handled by Minor Ventures. This is an important part of the process, since any deal will need to be approved by our board. All we, along with the rest of the team, are hoping for is that we can find the best new home for the JPG community.
Posted by Devin Poolman on 3 January 2009.
As I mentioned in my last post, we are hopeful that something can be worked out with a number of potential last minute acquirers who want to help the JPG community live on. There is a lot to sort through in any case, so please be a little bit patient with us. We will do our best to keep you all informed in the mean time. We do really appreciate the suggestions and offers we've received via email, JPG messages, Facebook messages, Twitters, blog posts, and savejpg.com-- you guys are awesome. If we had known the support would be so strong, we would have reached out earlier. The good news is that this interest has bought us a little more time, so we are now looking to keep the site open at least through next week. We'll keep you updated when we know more.
Posted by Devin Poolman on 2 January 2009.
With our most recent announcement that we will be closing 8020 and JPG, we received an enormous amount of support from the community. Thank you for that -- it means a lot to the team here and it shows that JPG is made up of wonderful people. Along with that support, we have also received some interest from qualified parties who may be interested in acquiring the company so that JPG could live on. We don't want to get your hopes up unnecessarily, but there is nothing we would want more then for JPG to continue in some form, and we are working on that now. Stay tuned and let's keep our collective fingers crossed.
If you or someone you know might be interested, you can reach us at contact@8020media.com.
Posted by Laura Brunow Miner on 1 January 2009.
Today is a particularly sad day for all of us at JPG and 8020 Media.
We've spent the last few months trying to make the business behind JPG sustain itself, and we've reached the end of the line. We all deeply believe in everything JPG represents, but just weren't able to raise the money needed to keep JPG alive in these extraordinary economic times. We sought out buyers, spoke with numerous potential investors, and pitched several last-ditch creative efforts, all without success. As a result, jpgmag.com will shut down on Monday, January 5, 2009.
The one thing we've been the most proud of: your amazing talent. We feel honored and humbled to have been able to share jpgmag.com with such a dynamic, warm, and wonderful community of nearly 200,000 photographers. The images on the website and in the magazine were adored by many, leaving no doubt that this community created work of the highest caliber. The kindness, generosity, and support shared among members made it a community in the truest sense of the word, and one that we have loved being a part of for these past two years.
We wish we could have found a way to leave the site running for the benefit of the amazing folks who have made JPG what it is, and we have spent sleepless nights trying to figure something out, all to no avail. Some things you may want to do before the site closes:
- Download the PDFs of back issues, outtakes, and photo challenge selections. We'll always have the memories!
- Make note of your favorite photographers. You may want to flip through your favorites list and jot down names and URLs of some of the people you'd like to stay in touch with. You may even want to cut and paste your contacts page into a personal record.
- Catch up with your fellow members. Our roots are in this humble flickr forum and we recommend going back to find fellow members, discuss the situation, or participate in another great photo community.
- Keep in touch. This has always been much more than just a job to each of us, and we'll miss you guys! We'll be checking the account jpgletters@gmail.com in our free time going forward. We can't promise to reply to every email (since we'll be busy tuning up our resumes) but we'd love to hear from you.
- Stay posted. Although the magazine is ceasing publication, we'll be updating you on what's happening with your subscription early next week.
We're soggy-eyed messes, but it is what it is. At that, JPGers, we bid you goodbye, and good luck in 2009 and the future.
Laura Brunow Miner
Editor in Chief
Posted by Christi Ginger on 30 December 2008.
We all know photography is an excellent method of documentation. So, imagine documenting a full year of self-portraits -- your year -- in photos.
Our new theme, Day 1/365, is a place for you to share your photo diary. We were inspired by Stephen Poff's 365 project, where his year of daily self-portraits served as a touching, photographic catalog of the events of his year.
To participate, take a photo a day (or take more, but select your daily favorite), number it (example: 23/365), and add it to your photo stream. The result? A collection of images fully representative of your life. Submit your favorite to this theme, with its accompanying number in the title, and share your years' journey with other JPG members!
Want some inspiration? Here are some great photos from 365 Self-Portrait projects of JPG members Stephen Poff and Lis Bokt:
187 by Lis Bokt
003 by Lis Bokt
Kiss by Stephen Poff
Sing and Shout by Stephen Poff
Posted by Lauren Sloss on 23 December 2008.
It's the holidays, JPGers, meaning it's time for us to fly -- and spend some quality time in the airport! In honor of this holiday season, we're leaving our Airport Photo Challenge open for a second week. So, as you journey to places near and far, be sure to snap a picture and think of your friends at JPG.
Below, enjoy some great photos already posted to the challenge. Happy Holidays!
Terminal 2 by Gerrit Bäumer
Last call for flight SY666. by Michel Gonzalez Brun
Hong Kong International Airport by Tommy Au
Heathrow by Jon Atli
Rolling Luggage by Timothy Martin
Posted by Lauren Sloss on 23 December 2008.
Our Ceiling photo challenge gave us a whole new perspective on the places we spend time. By looking up and snapping a photo, you JPGers gave us an interesting and whimsical assortment of photos.
Below, our eight favorite ceiling shots, along with a downloadable PDF.
Download PDF (450kb)
Centrifugal by Christina Dendy
art by Chelsea K
A Fan of my Ceiling by Debbie Hartley
Untitled by Alexis Gerard
Untitled by Brianne Bradfield
watching paint peel by Richelle Forsey
Crystal sea egg by Tricia Roberts
Above You` by Lis Bokt
Posted by Lauren Sloss on 23 December 2008.
Ahh, the holidays. The season of giving, caring, and of course, bickering over the family holiday card. Inevitably, whoever is doing the choosing will pick the photo in which they look best, and chaos ensues. In my family, it was a yearly battle -- largely, because my mother insisted that the photo be of JUST me (I have no siblings to share the pain), which got really, really. REALLY. Old.
But let's forget the turmoil of the holiday card for a minute, and get back to basics: the wonderful captures of character that can be found in family portraits. Our newest theme is all about your best family photos -- holiday oriented or not -- showing the essence of your family.
So get the crew together, put on the matching sweaters (or not) and show us what you've got.
Some great examples from around JPG:
Family Portrait by Stéphane Heinz
Family Portrait by feathermar
Family Portrait by Jed Bacason
Family Portrait by Pedro Lopez
Kentucky Family Portrait by Robert Clayton
Posted by Lauren Sloss on 23 December 2008.
Our Nighttime Theme was a spectacular success. From city lights to long exposures, you JPGers showed us the best kinds of nighttime photography.
But, as always, we couldn't fit all of the amazing shots into Issue 19. Lucky for you, we have a downloadable PDF of nighttime outtakes that is chock-full of amazing photography. You can find it on the JPG Downloads Page or get them right here:
Download PDF (6.1mb)
A small sampling, to get you started:
KAABOOOOOOOOM on the Hilltop by Paul Octavious
Floating away by Kasidit Puttarak
Rio de Janeiro by Andres felipe Morales duarte
cinema by Chris Bautista
Wonder Wheel by arctangent
Seine Swimming by Alex Lyons
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