[Thanks to Beth]
We've talked about the excellent Vivian Maier before. She now has (though she's dead) a home page with many of her photos, in good size too, which I appreciate, it's too rare.
Her compositions are so good, I almost wish she'd focus less on people. (It could be the editor of course.) My uncle once said: If you include people in your photos, then the viewers only look at the people. And there's definitely something to that. Most people are so interested in People to the degree that everything else is peripheral. A bio about Mozart will sell much better than a book about his music.
Thanks for the link to this photographer.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to note that most of her photos were taken with a twin-lens-reflex which means that they were shot pretty much at waist height rather than eye level. This creates a different point of view which I find appealing.
The "prints" are really nicely executed... I put "print" in quotes because they are not prints at all, but scans from her negatives. I wonder if she would have printed them to the same level of quality (apparently she did no darkroom work but relied on commercial processing).
John
And there's definitely something to that.
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing to that, actually. That you believe it is possibly a clue to your total failure as a photographer.
These snapshots of a living city wouldn't work without the people.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, maybe not. But most of the pics are of people rather than of the city.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to note that most of her photos were taken with a twin-lens-reflex
ReplyDeleteDo you know the make of the camera she used? Just curious, as she wasn't wealthy apparently.
She shot with a couple of different Rolleiflex cameras and 120 black and white Kodak film.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if she would have printed them to the same level of quality (apparently she did no darkroom work but relied on commercial processing).
ReplyDeleteGetting them printed commercially today they would look awful, but back then they knew how to develop black and white so they probably would still have looked quite nice.
Those cameras go for a lot of money these days on Ebay.
ReplyDeleteI was looking on vivianmaier.com and it says that when she moved to Chicago in '56 she did have a darkroom.
I might pre-order the book. I admit I'm intrigued, both by her photos and by her.
ReplyDeleteKewl. Report how you like it.
ReplyDeleteI can do that. It doesn't come out till November though.
ReplyDeleteInteresting website. It strikes me that any time I've seen modern day b&w pix they don't look quite as good, even when done by pros, as even amateur work from back in the day.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you're not alone in thinking so.
ReplyDeleteI dunno, but it's clear that there is some sort of mental conflict in making BW in the digital age, it's strange.
it's clear that there is some sort of mental conflict in making BW in the digital age
ReplyDeleteEven Maier - whom I hadn't heard of before I saw this blog entry - seems to have abandoned it once colour became widely available.
I think she didn't have a darkroom, and BW is no fun without one.
ReplyDeleteShe did have a darkroom at one point but most of her pictures went undeveloped especially her later color ones.
ReplyDelete