Photo by Holly Webb

 

After the email I received the other day, I am now almost 100% certain that my project is now going to be looking at the climbing community and the reasons people enjoy climbing, rather than looking into the last few days of the Mayor of Sheffield.

Because of this I have decided to do more research for my project to try and get inspiration from other artists and photographers. I have a plan in my head about how I will construct the feature and the images I would like to go alongside it, and I think that candid photography will aid the work in addition to some portraiture photography, which is why I have researched a candid photographer whose work inspires me.

To read my other research on portrait/candid photographer Pete Souza, click here.

To read my other research on portrait photographer Mihaela Noroc, click here.

 

 

VIVIAN MAIER

Born: 1st February 1926

Nationality: American

 

Maier only focused on photography in her spare time as a hobby, and instead worked as a nanny in the Chicago area for over forty years. In her lifetime she took around 150,000 images – mainly of the architecture and the people of Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.

Despite taking photographs for years, Maier’s photography only became well-known after her death. In 2007, a Chicago collector John Maloof acquired her photos, and two more Chicago collectors – Ron Slattery and Randy Prow – found a collection of her negatives around the same time.

In 2009, her images went viral after Maloof posted them online. Since then, she has received critical acclaim and her images have been featured around the world.

 

SOME OF MY FAVOURITE SHOTS:

 

HER STYLE:

• black and white (due to using film camera)
• mix of portraits and candid street photography, however her candid photos are some of my favourites
• mix of subjects – eg. children, herself, passers by etc.
• in a public place, capturing people naturally
• looks like she hardly ever asks permission, but just snaps away instead

 

WHAT I LIKE:

• My favourite thing is that the shots are all candid – I feel as though I’m seeing the real person. In my opinion, candid shots tell you more about a person or a situation than any portrait can, it’s why the shots are so effective
• I also really like how they’re in black and white – I know she didn’t have a choice as she was shooting on an old camera, but looking at her photos has made me realise that when a picture is in black and white I tend to focus more on the subject and take in the whole photo. I really like colour photography when it’s a portrait or something simple, but when it’s candid like this, I think the black and white effect makes the viewer focus more on what’s going on in the image more

 

INSPIRATION FOR MY OWN PROJECT:

• I think looking at Vivian Maier’s work has made me think about editing my photos to be in black and white too. I think that if there are any super busy shots, then black and white would be effective, causing the viewer to take in the photo in more detail and what’s going on in the shot. It’s exciting for me as I initially thought I’d be keeping all my images in colour, but looking into her work has made me realise how impactful black and white photography can be. I look forward to starting to experiment and shoot in black and white
• I am also definitely set now on including candid photography in my project, not only do I love Maier’s work, but a lot of the photographers I’ve researched have some amazing candid shots that I love. I think I will do a mix of both candid and portraiture photography for my project

 

Researching Vivian Maier’s work has been both eye-opening and exciting. It’s changed my views on black and white photography as I wasn’t really a fan before. I now think that my whole photojournalism project may be in black and white – something I didn’t expect at all.

I now want to go out and start experimenting more and trying some more candid photography in the streets or a public place to get me practising candid photography. I think I will hopefully do this this week some time.

 

AIMS FOR THIS WEEK:

• Practise candid photography
• Practise editing images in black and white