I really enjoyed Finding Vivian Maier (Maloof & Siskel, 2013), and found her work very humbling. I have a lot of thoughts on it.

The first being her remarkable ability for attention to detail and composition. Some of her work is breathtaking. Gorgeous portraits, observational and street photography, her dedication to her craft I found genuinely incredible. Not just that she took so many and had such a keen eye, but also that, for the most part, she had no intent for anyone to see them but her self and a few others, is incredibly genuine and humbling. Not to say I necessarily take photos just for others to see them – I enjoy the cathartic creative fulfillment of taking them –  but ultimately never showing some of my work, especially at the quality to which she often produced, to me shows a whole new perspective on creativity and why we do the things we do. They don’t necessarily have to be to show our view of the world, but instead, help us understand our own view of it, and navigate the world around us.

The other thing I enjoyed about it was also the whole discovery of her journey. On the one hand, it was a gorgeous, investigative story of a woman who was never renowned as a photographer, which was cute in that there was a lot to uncover and how to navigate documentary stories that don’t know where they are necessarily leading, which is perhaps an experience I would have liked earlier in my career as a media practitioner, as it definitely would have helped shape previous attempts at documentary.

On the other hand, I thought it was a great example of how treasure and inspiration is everywhere, you just have to have a keen eye and a desire to find it. It doesn’t need to come from the well-known, the obvious or the brand new: it can come from whatever sparks in your eyes, and anything can be extraordinary.

References:

Finding Vivian Maier (2013) Directed by John Maloof & Charlie Siskel. [Documentary]. New York, NY: IFC Films.