The original, instant classic which set the world afire. The first book to introduce the phenomenon that is the life story and work of Vivian Maier. A good street photographer must be possessed of many talents: an eye for detail, light, and composition; impeccable timing; a populist or humanitarian outlook; and a tireless ability to
The original, instant classic which set the world afire. The first book to introduce the phenomenon that is the life story and work of Vivian Maier.
A good street photographer must be possessed of many talents: an eye for detail, light, and composition; impeccable timing; a populist or humanitarian outlook; and a tireless ability to constantly shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot and never miss a moment. It is hard enough to find these
qualities in trained photographers with the benefit of schooling and mentors and a community of fellow artists and aficionados supporting and rewarding their efforts. It is incredibly rare to find it in someone with no formal training and no network of peers.
Yet Vivian Maier is all of these things, a professional nanny, who from the 1950s until the 1990s took over 100,000 photographs worldwide—from France to New York City to Chicago and dozens of other countries—and yet showed the results to no one. The photos are amazing both for the breadth of the work and for the high quality of the humorous, moving, beautiful, and raw images of all facets of city life in America’s post-war golden age.
It wasn’t until local historian John Maloof purchased a box of Maier’s negatives from a Chicago auction house and began collecting and championing her marvelous work just a few years ago that any of it saw the light of day. Presented here for the first time in print, Vivian Maier: Street Photographer collects the best of her incredible, unseen body of work.
Please note that all blank pages in the book were chosen as part of the design by the publisher.
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Why the sepia toning of all the photos? As many reviewers have pointed out, this book is indeed a revelation. This woman was an extraordinary photographer. The printing is fine, in spite of what some have said – maybe the book had a bad print run – but I’m surprised that all the photos were sepia-toned. Nothing in the text says anything about her wanting them this way, or having printed with sepia, and it looks a bit artificial. The cover is in true black and white; I think the rest of the photos should be.
Great content, bad print production. The book is like a time capsule of photos.. Look at the people, their clothes, the constructions, the buildings, the stores, their signs, the cars, the streets.. It will take you back in time and you’ll feel immersed in that time.The low rating isn’t for the content, the content is fabulous.. The rating is for the production quality of the book. Here are my suggestion to the publisher: 1) Avoid converting black & white to sepia. 2) Review the tone banding; photos look good digitally…
Outstanding print quality and beautiful selections from Vivian’s catalogue. Maier fans will love this. This is a wonderful look into early urban American life, sans agenda, through the skillful and creative eyes of Vivian Maier.The print quality is truly exceptional… among the best I’ve seen in any photo book. The photos themselves are all outstanding. Her framing, compositions, and eye for light are remarkable to me.I am so glad that John Maloof stumbled on Ms. Maier’s work and took the time & effort to present it so beautifully. Highly recommend this title for her…