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The Incredible story of Vivian Maier
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 10:51 pm    Post subject: The Incredible story of Vivian Maier Reply with quote
I have been following this for a bit. There really is some remarkable work here and a truly incredible story

http://vivianmaier.blogspot.com/


Quote:
I acquired Vivian's negatives while at a furniture and antique auction. From what I know, the auction house acquired her belongings from her storage locker that was sold off due to delinquent payments. I didn't know what 'street photography' was when I purchased them.

It took me days to look through all of her work. It inspired me to pick up photography myself. Little by little, as I progressed as a photographer, I would revisit Vivian's negatives and I would "see" more in her work. I bought her same camera and took to the same streets soon to realize how difficult it was to make images of her caliber. I discovered the eye she had for photography through my own practice. Needless to say, I am attached to her work.

After some researching, I have only little information about Vivian. Central Camera (110 yr old camera shop in Chicago) has encountered Vivian from time to time when she would purchase film while out on the Chicago streets. From what they knew of her, they say she was a very "keep your distance from me" type of person but was also outspoken. She loved foreign films and didn't care much for American films.

Some of her photos have pictures of children and often times it was near a beach. I later found out she was a nanny for a family on the North Side whose children these most likely were. One of her obituary's state she lived in Oak Park, a close Chicago suburb but, I later found the lived in the Rogers Park neighborhood in Chicago.

Out of the 30-40,000 negatives I have in the collection, about 10-15,000 negatives were still in rolls, undeveloped from the 1960's-1970's. I have been successfully developing these rolls. I still have about 600 rolls yet to develop. I must say, it's very exciting for me. Most of her negatives that were developed in sleeves have the date and location penciled in French (she had poor penmanship).

I found her name written with pencil on a photo-lab envelope. I decided to 'Google' her about a year after I purchased these only to find her obituary placed the day before my search. She passed only a couple of days before my inquiry on her.

I wanted to meet her in person well before I found her obituary but, the auction house had stated she was ill, so I didn't want to bother her. So many questions would have been answered if I had.


PostPosted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 10:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
WOW..very good photos, very touching story
thank you very much for posting this


PostPosted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 11:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Amazing discovery. I wonder how many unsung and undiscovered pic collections are out there.


PostPosted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 11:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
There so many page to review.

This scene is interesting. Must be from her later years.


PostPosted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 3:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
A few more of my favorites.















PostPosted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 3:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
A truly amazing woman,thanks for posting.


PostPosted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 5:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
What a discovery, what a talent, what a shame. Thanks Andy - fascinating



patrickh


PostPosted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 7:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi Andy, thanks for sharing this. A great find.

When I view older images or films with poeple on it, I always think about their life, what is or was their story, where they are now, what they are doing now ... what would happen to find these people and show their old pics and so on.

For me one of the few moments to think about images a longer time.


PostPosted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 7:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I love the way the people just look at her through the camera....no malice just wonder.She obviously had a way with people or do you think there may have been words said after the photo taken?
Could you take photos like that in this day and age??


PostPosted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 7:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Unknown in life, worldwide fame a few weeks after death. It's a strange world. It's a strange obsession, too: capturing fleeting encounters with strangers.

They are well shot but most of them don't say anything to me. This one does, though: I think it's one of the cleverest uses of the accidental juxtaposition of people/signs/symbols I've ever seen:



PostPosted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 7:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Mo-Fo wrote:
I love the way the people just look at her through the camera....no malice just wonder.She obviously had a way with people or do you think there may have been words said after the photo taken?
Could you take photos like that in this day and age??


I think a waist-level finder helps a lot. And if you want to try street photography today you need something that either blends in, like a mobile phone, or looks like a mad obsession, like a folding camera. A DSLR looks too serious.


PostPosted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 7:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I only briefly read the link does it give an indication of the camera she used?


PostPosted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 8:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi, Andy,

also my best thanks for sharing all this with us. Wonderful street-photography
by a real master-photographer.

Thomas


PostPosted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 10:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Mo-Fo wrote:
I only briefly read the link does it give an indication of the camera she used?


There's a photo of her holding a TLR, possibly a Rolleicord.


PostPosted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 11:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
PaulC wrote:
Mo-Fo wrote:
I love the way the people just look at her through the camera....no malice just wonder.She obviously had a way with people or do you think there may have been words said after the photo taken?
Could you take photos like that in this day and age??


I think a waist-level finder helps a lot. And if you want to try street photography today you need something that either blends in, like a mobile phone, or looks like a mad obsession, like a folding camera. A DSLR looks too serious.


I much agree.
A TLR, like Vivian used, looking downwards into the finder, should be fine too.

( A small 28/35/50mm primes on my *istDs still feels ok for shooting street, I'd feel very different if I used a large zoom )


PostPosted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 5:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
A thought just hit me - who owns the copyright to these works? They seem certain to become regarded as an important record of life in the city, so they are valuable.

Does buying a trunk that bailiffs have seized transfer copyright to you, even though there was no mention of it? Or does it belong to the photographer's heirs?


PostPosted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 6:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
PaulC wrote:
A thought just hit me - who owns the copyright to these works? They seem certain to become regarded as an important record of life in the city, so they are valuable.

Does buying a trunk that bailiffs have seized transfer copyright to you, even though there was no mention of it? Or does it belong to the photographer's heirs?

Most definitely to the heirs. Copyright was not transferred by her, and her death doesn't end copyright. In the case of written works, CR extends for 50 or 70ish years after the death and can be renewed. Just look at how much the family of the late Charles Dickens still makes from his works. Afaik, it's exactly the same for photographic works.


PostPosted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 10:22 am    Post subject: Vivian Maier - must see! Reply with quote
Two videos:

WTTW Chicago Tonight's Documentary
(during the video you can see a box with the cameras of Vivian.)

Short video about the planned documentary

Self-portrait:


Her images:
http://vivianmaier.blogspot.com/

Great stuff!

Last edited by blende8 on Wed Dec 29, 2010 7:55 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 6:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
PaulC wrote:
Mo-Fo wrote:
I only briefly read the link does it give an indication of the camera she used?


There's a photo of her holding a TLR, possibly a Rolleicord.


From the picture it's a Rolleiflex Automat of some description; see the self-timer release button.


PostPosted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 10:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Fascinating story and some lovely pictures.

There is a long series of postings over almost two years on the "Hardcore Street Photography" group on Flickr as well as one or two disagreements about some of the facts in this case between the main chap working on this material and one of the other purchasers. Apparently the legal heirs have been contacted.

The hundreds of rolls of undeveloped film are just one amazing aspect of this story.

K.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 5:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Wonderful find Andy, thanks for bringing that to our attention here!


PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 5:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I just hope it all gets sorted out amicably. The 'finders' of her work should get something out of it, for without them putting a lot of effort in we wouldn't have seen any of it. What I don't want to see happen is filthy lucre taking over, as it does in so many other things. All we need now is for a lawyer or two to get involved and the whole thing could get very sour.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
that's history being recorded, the mundane history of a city's streets.

It's so good to see it being saved, it could have been so different.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
the images are amazing, she really had the eye and the chutspa... quality work, and goes to show also that the range finder with wide lens cult isn't the only way to street excellence Wink

Thanks for bringing this to our attention, this is very worth while work on many levels.


PostPosted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 3:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Adding my thanks to the crew's thanks. This woman was fantastic.
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