Vivian Maier is our Monday Master this week as chosen by our new friend photog Jeremie.
Who was Vivian Maier (February 1, 1926 – April 21, 2009) ? Well, nobody really knew until about 2009 when her photos were discovered and published on Flickr by John Maloof after he bought them at the auction. You can read the full story here
I first heard of Maier’s work some time in 2012 when I was just starting to discover street photography and the Masters. I didn’t really pay much attention that time, however it is after watching a documentary “Finding Vivian Maier” that I became interested and fascinated by her life story.
I wont go into details about her life but I will say that I’m hugely inspired by her work ethics and the urge she had to photograph anything that interested her. You have to remember that back in time the cameras were very big and uncomfortable to carry around but she did what she had to do and there are so many great images that capture every day beauty of life. And she didn’t feel the urge to share any of her work. She kept everything to herself ( what nowadays seems like an insane thing to do! )
Favourite photo:

What I love about this image? It doesn’t follow any “rules”, YET – It’s probably one of the most beautiful back shots. The lighting is used perfectly which makes the white dress stand out even more. A slight blur makes the scene look out of this world.
Again it was extremely hard to choose just ONE image.. Thanks for reading and make sure to check out the picks from Jeremie, Chris, Maria and David
Additional Articles on Vivian Maier:
Join us and share your favourite photo on Twitter with #MondayMasters or in your Blog!
Thanks again and till very soon
…”She kept everything to herself ( what nowadays seems like an insane thing to do! )”….
Why do you think so, Yuri?
Was being sarcastic, referring to Social Media and the amount of photos uploaded daily..:)
I know, I was teasing you, you know, Moday…but anyway, I know we all upload and there is a “consumer” on the other side who is flooded by the amount of photo content…doesn’t matter if good or bad…there is no time to stop and have a deep discussion about a single photo… so in the result people don’t think very much.
Haha you summed it up nicely Pavel. Btw I do miss your blog posts with few images and little story behind.
Hm, there are words and than there are photos…. when I wrote stories about photos I didn’t like how stories influenced the image….
I understand
I like to to discuss photos thought
She really was a fascinating character and a true example of an “amature” in the best sense of the word. It almost feels like we’ve ruined something by discovering her hidden passion.
yea, i dont think she would have been happy..
[…] Yuri Rasin […]
Sometimes I think that she would like some day that her photographs would be still seen by people. Before I thought differently.
Thanks for visiting Kaya and I agree with you. Her intention was also shown in a documentary ” Finding Vivian Maier”