(finding) Vivian Maier?

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She is part of photographic history.

She has a movie made about her. How many SPs can say that.

Her photos are interesting on their own merits and from a historical perspective.

I love seeing them.

Like most people who aim to tell us "the truth", you are really just giving your opinion.

I am puzzled by her critics; there is no value in criticizing her at all.

Will people be making movies about you in 50 years?

I'm glad she created photographs, otherwise we'd never know she existed.

I find her work and life intriguing.

Thank you, Vivian.

And, that's the truth,

maljo

 

[MissyAnn]

I love her work and her story x

 

[lemonadedrinker]

My sentiments exactly, maljo.

 

[Brad Bohland]

"Her photos are interesting on their own merits and from a historical perspective."

"...I think she’s one of the top street photographers, ever. She has a key place in the history of the medium—right next to Robert Frank and all the other great practitioners." Anne Morin

https://www.lensculture.com/article...aier-street-photographer-revelation#slide-118

"...she was a very good photographer, the equal of virtually anyone shooting on the streets of America in the '50s, '60s, and '70s....It's too soon, of course, to fully assess Maier's work....I'm willing to bet that when it's all said and done we'll think of Maier as one of the most remarkable street photographers of her generation." John Edwin Mason

http://johnedwinmason.typepad.com/john_edwin_mason_photogra/2010/12/vivian-maier.html

 

[Chris Noble]

I just saw the "Finding Vivian Maier" movie on Netflix. Wow. So many mysteries, fascinations, and the complicated competing interests of others swirling around this mysterious woman. Opinions still outweigh facts by a wide margin.

I've been a fan of her work but only casually interested in her as a person until now, and did not realize: (1) Her mental illness became progressively worse over time and, tantalizingly, just as she started to get interested in publishing her work, the mental illness won. (2) Her work was "discovered" two years before her death, but no one could connect it to her, and her mental illness had put her past caring. But what a complex, fascinating and tragic personality in her younger years! (3) Other members of her family also went to great lengths to hide family records for reasons still unknown.

I also recommend Part 3 of this series, which talks about her evolution as a student of photography. She obviously studied a lot, through visits to galleries and her large collection of photography books. And every time she could, she would leave the house with her camera and a roll of film, and start walking. Many lessons for all of us.

 

[Easy Rider]

I just watched the film yesterday.

Firstly, what an wonderful photographer she was! Her Street work and street portraits show an amazing power of human observation and clarity of vision and excellent master of composition and style, her self portraits are whimsical, witty and again expertly executed. Even some early landscape work you get to see is excellent, not Adams, but very good.

There is no doubt in my mind and I am echoing Joel Meyorwitz who says the same in the film that if she had got her work out there in her own lifetime she would have been a famous photographer and may have also began an illustrious career in commercial work based on it if she wanted.

She never saw her work printed which is sad but I'm glad it has been and hope she would be happy knowing how beautiful it looks when printed.

As for the story of her, it is a bit bittersweet. A witty, funny and eccentric character with an original intelligence and clear and intelligent observational powers regarding what was happening in the world around her. This informed her photography.

They were, I feel also a defense against something and we'll never know what....

Also a private and seemingly socially awkward woman with perhaps some hidden demons which she managed well in early life due to her obsession with photography and humour but which proved in later life to be perhaps an undoing.

But despite all that - the photographs! What beautiful and inspiring photography!

Both the work and the quality - as far as can be ascertained from watching the DVD on a laptop monitor - are exquisite and I'll warn you, if you want to do some slower work or even slower more considered work in the streets in good light; they'll make you want to buy a Twin Lens Reflex of your own to shoot some medium format B&W film.

Seen a Rolieflex 3.5T in LCE for £299 lol but cannot (no my precious, must not, we mustn't...) justify yet due to recent purchase of an unused X100T ha ha.

Well worth a watch but be prepared - the end quarter is quite depressing but all in all as an introduction to her work - well worth it.

Vivian, nobody told you when you were alive (but you quite clearly knew) but your photographs were wonderful!

A lot to be learned about SP from seeing her work.