STYLE, MOTIF AND HOMEAGE
Vivain Maier
Vivian Dorothy Maier known as Vivian Maier, was an American street photographer whose work was discovered after her death in 2009. She was born on the 1st of February 1926 in New York United States.
Facts about Vivain Maier
Vivian Maier never showed her work to anyone, and most of her photographs went undeveloped. Over 120,000 negatives remained in boxes for decades. She worked as a nanny for her entire life, caring for families in New York and Chicago from 1951 until 1993. The three brothers she looked after continued to care for her until she died in 2009. Maier described herself as a spy, capturing candid moments and observations of the world around her.
What are the main Style and Motfi?
Style-Vivian Maier's style of work focuses primarily on street photography, capturing everyday scenes, people, and events in urban environments. Her images often depict human interaction, emotion, and humour, revealing the beauty and complexity of ordinary life.
Vivain's Maier photos often utilize similar techniques. She focuses on reflections, capturing both black-and-white and coloured images as well as self-portraits. This pattern is evident in most of her work.
Why do I think Vivian Maier uses these patterns in her work?
Reflection - I think Vivian Maier utilized reflection in her work to illustrate that everything in life is real and that the reality people want is the same reality they're getting. I think she wanted to demonstrate that even the smallest details in life can be beautiful and have an impact on others.
Coloured- I believe Vivian Maier took many coloured photos to evoke emotions and reflect the mood of the scenes captured. Most of her coloured photos feature bright colours like red and orange, which convey feelings of happiness and create a cheerful atmosphere in the images.
Extension Task
Where do you think it is set? The image appears to be set in an urban area, likely in the city, given by the modern buildings and windows surrounding the man. There's also a reflection on the right side showing people feet, that indicates people are walking by.
Who/what can you see in the photo? I can see a gentleman who appears to be middle age, wearing hearing aids, a cap and suite. The man is holding colourful balloons that have patterns on them and a magic wand. He seems to be a street vendor or a balloon seller.
When do you think it was made/set?Why? Considering the fact Vivian Maier started her photographer around 1949 and ended it in 1990, I would assume that the photo is set between the 60-70s by the suite the gentleman is wearing and the different colours of balloons he's holding. The prime colours in the 60s and 70s where blue, yellow, red ,orange and green. In the photo the gentleman is holding all those colours hence why i think it was set during those times.
What are the Style & Motif of the Photographer? In this photo Vivian Maier has taken a street photo that captures a everyday lifestyle of a man in an urban environment. The vibrant colours and natural lighting could suggest that Vivian Maier is trying to tell a story within her photograph by documenting this man livelihood.
Artist shot 1 - Vivain Maier
Colour & Detail
Reflections/Selfie
Annotations for my images
How do my images represent the Style & Motif of the photographer Vivian Maier? (Coloured Photos)
For my coloured photos, I aimed to emulate the style of Vivian Maier's colour photography. I focused on capturing vibrant items, allowing me to extract and enhance the colours during the editing process in Lightroom, making them resemble Vivian Maier's work. I photographed elements of nature, such as flowers, leaves, and plants, as well as everyday objects to further mimic her unique style.
Vivain Maier's Photo
My Photo
For example, in the photo I took with the cones, I wanted the colors to closely resemble one of Vivian Maier’s photographs. To achieve this, I used a color mixer to adjust the image’s saturation, making the red cones stand out as the primary focus. I decreased the brightness of other colors like green, aqua, blue, purple, and magenta. This adjustment helped enhance the warm colors in the picture: red, orange, and yellow.
How do my images represent the Style & Motif of the photographer Vivian Maier? (reflection/selfie) For my selfie and reflection pictures, I captured images of windows and cars to emulate the style of Vivian Maier, who is known for her reflection and selfie photography.
For my reflection shots, I focused on car windows, highlighting the scenery reflected in them. Additionally, I took pictures that included the silhouettes of people and windows that mirrored objects from the other side. My goal was to mimic Vivian Maier's approach of capturing reflections and her emphasis on what is being reflected.
For my selfie, I took a picture reflected in a car window, inspired by one of Vivian Maier's self-portrait photos. I adjusted the brightness to enhance the clarity and ensure that the main focus of the image is on me.
Reflection
My photo
Vivian Maier Photo
Selfie
My Photo
Vivian Maier Photo
