Vivian Maier ain't naive

jtk · Jan 1, 2019

https://loeildelaphotographie.com/en/vivian-maier-the-self-portrait-and-its-double-ff/

She obviously knew she was an artist. She liked the way she looked. She shot Leicas and, evidently, another 35...

Bob Carnie · Jan 1, 2019

She also did not practice bracketing , but rather composed took the image and then moved on.

AgX · Jan 1, 2019

jtk said:
She obviously knew she was an artist. ... She shot Leicas .

I do not understand this relation. Was the Leica an artists' camera? Here in Germany it had been a workhorse camera since the late 30s.

macfred · Jan 1, 2019

AgX said:
... Here in Germany it had been a workhorse camera since the late 30s.

Regarding her output, Vivian was a workhorse too ...

Helios 1984 · Jan 1, 2019

She had a thing for German cameras.

warden · Jan 1, 2019

Thanks for introducing me to that website, which I hadn't heard of. I was in Manhattan last week to see art but the Maier/Burtynski show at Greenberg didn't make the cut, though I like both very much. I have no doubts that Maier knew how good she was.

Not meaning to OT your thread but I checked the other Best Of 2018 hilights on that page and didn't find much to enjoy there aside from Vivian, but wow Jean-Luc Leroy-Rojek is sharing a special gift with the world. If photography is about access, well hot damn he won the access lottery and isn't letting it go to waste. A beautiful project.

https://loeildelaphotographie.com/en/jean-luc-leroy-rojek-neighbors-jj/

Wayne · Jan 1, 2019

Helios 1984 said:
She had a thing for German cameras.

She even chose to be born with a German surname

slackercrurster · Jan 1, 2019

She was a snapshot shooter. Nostalgia is what made her popular now...and lots of shadow selfies.

faberryman · Jan 1, 2019

slackercrurster said:
She was a snapshot shooter. Nostalgia is what made her popular now...and lots of shadow selfies.

Opinions differ.

warden · Jan 1, 2019

slackercrurster said:
She was a snapshot shooter. Nostalgia is what made her popular now...and lots of shadow selfies.

Thanks for cluing us in. I guess I can throw out her books now.

miha · Jan 1, 2019

Helios 1984 said:
She had a thing for German cameras.

Sure. But German camera industry at the time had the most to choose from.

Bob Carnie · Jan 1, 2019

slackercrurster said:
She was a snapshot shooter. Nostalgia is what made her popular now...and lots of shadow selfies.

Your opinion of course... some of us really like her work.

macfred · Jan 1, 2019

Bob Carnie said:
... some of us really like her work.

I do!

Cholentpot · Jan 1, 2019

slackercrurster said:
She was a snapshot shooter. Nostalgia is what made her popular now...and lots of shadow selfies.

Snapshots are the most popular form of photography. Nothing comes close.

ic-racer · Jan 1, 2019

slackercrurster said:
She was a snapshot shooter. Nostalgia is what made her popular now...and lots of shadow selfies.

jawarden said:
Thanks for cluing us in. I guess I can throw out her books now.

Makes me want to get her books, to go along with this one which is pretty darn good if you can find it.

Roger Wade · Jan 1, 2019

slackercrurster said:
She was a snapshot shooter. Nostalgia is what made her popular now...and lots of shadow selfies.

Ouch. There is always one.

The website text is OTT and flowery and pretentious. I'm not convinced she was interested in how 'good' she was. She maybe just enjoyed taking photos, maybe as a cathartic process. She certainly had a wonderful eye, was aware of the human condition and evidently got through many pairs of good shoes ..... Not all "art" has to be staged and artsy: sometimes the capturing of a moment in the right way is enough. It is certainly enough for me and many others.

Thank goodness her work was saved for posterity

baachitraka · Jan 1, 2019

slackercrurster said:
She was a snapshot shooter. Nostalgia is what made her popular now...and lots of shadow selfies.

Hmm...

Almost everyone are snapshot shooters but some apply technique far better than others and there by know what to get from what they see.

On streets the anticipation predominates everything and in this regard its the self reflection done almost right.

Maier is fresh and an unchanged postal code to street photography.

Theo Sulphate · Jan 1, 2019

slackercrurster said:
She was a snapshot shooter. Nostalgia is what made her popular now...

Respectfully disagree. A lot of people made snapshots in her day and those photos are totally forgettable. Her work is valuable not because certain art directors say it is, but because so many people, photo enthusiasts included, see inherent value in her work.

NB23 · Jan 1, 2019

Ahhh the ever classic Leica BS.

It basically goes like this: the amateur buys a leica and starts thinking he’s a legend for ages.

So vivian maier had a Leica, eh? Was she also hooked on bokeh?

baachitraka · Jan 1, 2019

I personally reluctant to learn or understand the local kulture, since there is an angst of loosing the freshness in unknown.

An unknown chaos cloud is always interesting to see the beauty even from a mundane subjects.

Eric Rose · Jan 1, 2019

NB23 said:
Ahhh the ever classic Leica BS.

It basically goes like this: the amateur buys a leica and starts thinking he’s a legend for ages.

So vivian maier had a Leica, eh? Was she also hooked on bokeh?

Most of the famous people who used Leica "in the day" used DOF as a creative tool rather than today's cliche razor thin DOF.

To use such a broad brush stroke when describing current Leica users only goes to show your individual bias more than anything else. May I suggest you dismount from your high horse

NB23 · Jan 1, 2019

Eric Rose said:
Most of the famous people who used Leica "in the day" used DOF as a creative tool rather than today's cliche razor thin DOF.

To use such a broad brush stroke when describing current Leica users only goes to show your individual bias more than anything else. May I suggest you dismount from your high horse

No. I’ve seen too much already.

awty · Jan 1, 2019

Why does taking selfies makes you an artist? There a sways of people who seem to spend a lot of time taking pictures of themselves.
I would of thought you would of had to study art to become an artist and have peers confirm . Seems to be a case of I believe for there for I am.
Think Vivian brings hope to many that someone will one day discover there vault photographs and be acclaimed if not in there life time, afterwards.

warden · Jan 1, 2019

awty said:
Why does taking selfies makes you an artist? There a sways of people who seem to spend a lot of time taking pictures of themselves.
I would of thought you would of had to study art to become an artist and have peers confirm . Seems to be a case of I believe for there for I am.
Think Vivian brings hope to many that someone will one day discover there vault photographs and be acclaimed if not in there life time, afterwards.

It doesn't. She liked to make self portraits (she didn't make selfies which is different) and she was good at them too, but they account for a small percentage of her output.

awty · Jan 1, 2019

jawarden said:
It doesn't. She liked to make self portraits (she didn't make selfies which is different) and she was good at them too, but they account for a small percentage of her output.

I cant see much more than well framed, metered and sharp pictures of her self. Was a good photographer with plenty of disposable income and time, when many didnt. The article implies that there is artistic merit in them(?), I dont see that on the other hand I can with Francesca Woodman who use to take pictures of herself.
Vivian pictures for the most part are of a place and time I have no connection to and dont get any from her work, glad it provides for others.

Vivian Maier ain't naive

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