One of my favorite gifts this Christmas was a book my husband gave me, Vivian Maier’s Street Photography. Inside he inscribed a sweet note, saying her photography reminded him of mine. Sigh. While my photography is not quite on par with Maier’s, I sure was inspired to dig out my Hasslebald and shoot black and white medium format film again, just as she did. The book blew me away.
This past Friday I picked the boys up from school and headed into the city. We met Brendan at the last day of the Vivian Maier’s exhibit which was everything I expected and more. I soaked in her rich black and white fiber prints, ranging in price from $1800-$8000, and was so inspired and reminded why I am a photographer. You never know who will look at and appreciate your work one day when you’re not around. To leave something behind, is often why I take out my camera. To inspire someone like myself, in a small museum in midtown Manhattan is more than a dream for most photographers. Maier passed away in 2009 and I can only imagine how she feels looking down from heaven today.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Maier’s story, she was a nanny for close to 50 years in Chicago and New York, all the while taking photos with her Rolleiflex. Her lack of self esteem held her back from ever pursuing photography as something more than a hobby. Luckily John Maloof purchased many of her negatives through a local auction house and has since collected many of her negatives, prints and videos, making it possible for us all to be inspired be her amazing body of work.
What impressed me the most was when I read Maier often took only one frame of each photo. To be that quick with your focus, framing and exposure and for all that to align on the first try is truly impressive. Especially with street photography. To be able to seize the moment with a Rolleiflex, in my mind, is pure talent. Remember, this is not the day of the automatic focus digital camera with a zoom lens and a little work in Photoshop afterwards.
Next we took the boys to FAO Schwartz and then moved onto to PJ Clarkes for my favorite burger on the planet. I’ve decided we are heading into NYC, Fridays after school once every few weeks. I miss it there.
A few of my favorite Maier photos…











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