Vivian Maier and her photography

[mohmad khatab]

I like to think of her as a singular talent.
She was the.....
Niki Lauda
Tom Petty
Elon Musk
Marie Curie
of "Street Photography"
Like a Great White Shark with rotating rows of teeth and a Keen Sense of the surroundings.
She was born to do it.

I maintain she is one of THE Finest photographers that ever walked this Earth.

I totally agree with you.

 

[Don_ih]

. How can she get acquainted with the works of other photographers, who may be living in other distant cities, and perhaps holding art exhibitions in other cities?
Perhaps they publish their work through expensive photographs.
At that time, there was no internet.
She was, after all, a woman who worked as a nanny.
She was not allowed to roam and attend art exhibitions in different cities and follow the movement and artistic activities. She had no free time to do so.
She was just stealing a few moments to wander in the street, case of the camera.
I don't think she has seen any of the work of contemporary or previous photographers from that era,,
I think she was a talented and creative woman by nature.

She lived in major American cities with galleries and museum and libraries and book stores. She could have gone to see every single photography show in any of those places. She was a nanny as a job but otherwise unfettered. When she was a live-in babysitter (nanny), she had income and almost no expenses. She had no responsibilities to anyone except during work hours. She had plenty of time to go look at photography shows, art shows, movies, plays, read books, wander around and take photos.
The world was not totally filled with ignoramuses before Netscape Navigator.

 

[juan]

The world was not totally filled with ignoramuses before Netscape Navigator.

Ha!
Somehow, living in a small city, I saw actual prints by Ansel Adams, Edward and Brett Weston, Strand, HCB, etc., etc before I ever heard the word Internet. I’m sure she could have done the same in Chicago, New York and Paris. Not to mention books.

 

[John Wolf]

Maier, like HCC and almost ever other street photographer’s work, to me is more valuable as a historical record than an art form. As such, most of it bores me to tears while selected images resonate as something worth looking at.

I see it the same way. And I often wonder how much the appeal of work like hers is because of its historical aspects -- the fashion, cars, settings, hats, cigars, etc. The same pictures set today, with our ubiquitous mobile phones, for example, would likely seem banal to those of us living among them.

I do enjoy her work and admire her technical skill. I own a 3.5F, which she also used, and find street work with it challenging.

John

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

She lived in major American cities with galleries and museum and libraries and book stores. She could have gone to see every single photography show in any of those places. She was a nanny as a job but otherwise unfettered. When she was a live-in babysitter (nanny), she had income and almost no expenses. She had no responsibilities to anyone except during work hours. She had plenty of time to go look at photography shows, art shows, movies, plays, read books, wander around and take photos.
The world was not totally filled with ignoramuses before Netscape Navigator.

Good points Don. She also traveled to Paris where she did street photography. I assume she visited family in Europe. She wasn't a shut-in. She lived in major cities and was exposed to culture and the arts. She new equipment and how to use them. The accusations about her are just silly myths created by bored people.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I see it the same way. And I often wonder how much the appeal of work like hers is because of its historical aspects -- the fashion, cars, settings, hats, cigars, etc. The same pictures set today, with our ubiquitous mobile phones, for example, would likely seem banal to those of us living among them.

I do enjoy her work and admire her technical skill. I own a 3.5F, which she also used, and find street work with it challenging.

John

Ye that's true John. I always find older pictures more interesting because of the fashion, old cars, horses, etc.

 

[mohmad khatab]

She lived in major American cities with galleries and museum and libraries and book stores. She could have gone to see every single photography show in any of those places. She was a nanny as a job but otherwise unfettered. When she was a live-in babysitter (nanny), she had income and almost no expenses. She had no responsibilities to anyone except during work hours. She had plenty of time to go look at photography shows, art shows, movies, plays, read books, wander around and take photos.
The world was not totally filled with ignoramuses before Netscape Navigator.

You missed saying that she had a bank account and a Cadillac with the driver.

 

[pbromaghin]

.
She was, after all, a woman who worked as a nanny.
She was not allowed to roam and attend art exhibitions in different cities and follow the movement and artistic activities. She had no free time to do so.
She was just stealing a few moments to wander in the street, case of the camera.

I think there may be a cultural difference in the definition of a nanny. This is not how domestic employment happens in the US.

 

[Duceman]

I do enjoy her work and admire her technical skill. I own a 3.5F, which she also used, and find street work with it challenging.

I agree with this as well. Take this shot as example. Proper exposure, focus and framing. Obviously, not impossible to do, but presuming this was shot with a TLR, it does require a bit of skill. And given the perspective, that shot was taken rather close to the subject. For me, this is the toughest aspect of "street photography".... getting up close to strangers to photograph them is difficult for me to do.

 

[Mike Lopez]

She lived in major American cities with galleries and museum and libraries and book stores. She could have gone to see every single photography show in any of those places. She was a nanny as a job but otherwise unfettered. When she was a live-in babysitter (nanny), she had income and almost no expenses. She had no responsibilities to anyone except during work hours. She had plenty of time to go look at photography shows, art shows, movies, plays, read books, wander around and take photos.
The world was not totally filled with ignoramuses before Netscape Navigator.

Yes, there was a whole hell of a lot of art and lots of artists that somehow produced their works before the Internet. A simple library card can lead to a whole lot of learning, particularly in a major city like Chicago.

 

[Pieter12]

Photo exhibits in galleries and museums were not too common in the 40's and 50's, when she most probably started taking pictures. Her aunt was a photographer and taught her at a young age about portrait photography, if I remember what I have read. I also don't remember anything in the books I've read about her taking the kids to museums or galleries, but she could have done that on her days off. She was not a naif, but from what I gather she pretty much developed her street photography on her own, not trying to emulate others.

 

[Mike Lopez]

Maier, like HCC and almost ever other street photographer’s work, to me is more valuable as a historical record than an art form. As such, most of it bores me to tears while selected images resonate as something worth looking at.

Don't sleep on Helen Levitt, a name which comes up surprisingly little. She was quite a talented female photographer as well (her gender doesn't matter to me, but sex seems to have been alluded to a few times in this thread and in others). Her work was not exclusively "street photography," but that's where her most famous works happened.

 

[choiliefan]

Only people who love themselves take so many self-portraits as she did.

I often do a self portrait to document the camera with which I'm shooting the roll.

 

[Arthurwg]

Duceman, damn good picture. Much better than most street shots. And you are right about the exposure. She really knew what she was doing. Also able to work quickly. BTW, in a picture of her room and clutter, I remember that she had several photography books. Can't remember which ones.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

 

[Sirius Glass]

Only people who love themselves take so many self-portraits as she did.

Or maybe like me because they are so damned good looking.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Or maybe like me because they are so damned good looking.

Do you make a pouty face like a girl taking a selfie?

 

[Sirius Glass]

Do you make a pouty face like a girl taking a selfie?

Why do models make such discussed looks on their faces? If they have being models why do they do it? It is not like someone is holding a gun to their heads to do it. At least have a pleasant look your face.

 

[CMoore]

Don't sleep on Helen Levitt, a name which comes up surprisingly little. She was quite a talented female photographer as well (her gender doesn't matter to me, but sex seems to have been alluded to a few times in this thread and in others). Her work was not exclusively "street photography," but that's where her most famous works happened.

Yeah, she is great..!!!
Lee Miller along with Vivian are some of my favorites.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Why do models make such discussed looks on their faces? If they have being models why do they do it? It is not like someone is holding a gun to their heads to do it. At least have a pleasant look your face.

Right!?? It's just so silly!

 

[Pieter12]

Why do models make such discussed looks on their faces? If they have being models why do they do it? It is not like someone is holding a gun to their heads to do it. At least have a pleasant look your face.

It's a look. If it wasn't popular with the client, models wouldn't be doing it. Or the photos wouldn't be used.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Right!?? It's just so silly!

It's a look. If it wasn't popular with the client, models wouldn't be doing it. Or the photos wouldn't be used.

Exactly why are the models being paid if they look so bored?

 

[logan2z]

I think street photography is often a waste of time unless you're HCB. . Most street photos earn a passing glance if anything. Ms. Me Maiers pictures are an exception.

It's all subjective of course, and everyone seems to have a different definition of 'street photography', but there have been a lot of great photographers associated with that genre, including Robert Frank, Garry Winogrand, Elliott Erwitt, Helen Levitt, Louis Faurer, Leon Levinstein, and Tony Ray-Jones. And that's just scratching the surface. I would be hard-pressed to call any of these photographers a waste of time.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Exactly why are the models being paid if they look so bored?

Thank God that silly fad seems to be over... the yearbook teacher here had a hard time with girls pulling that face. Boys were doing the silly gangsta look, too. You know the one. Head tilted back. Angry expression. Arms crossed.

 

[Pieter12]

Exactly why are the models being paid if they look so bored?

Models do what they are paid to do. If the photographer wants them to look bored, they try their best to look bored. Don't blame them--if no one liked their look, they wouldn't be working.