Topic: Vivian Maier: Who Took Nanny's Pictures? on BBC1@22.35 tonight 25-June-2013

[Amir]

BBC1 Imagine  Vivian Maier: Who Took Nanny's Pictures?

I'm loving what I've seen of her work and looking forward to seeing this tonight.

[Pete_R]

I think I might have to watch this on BBCi as the tele is fully booked until the end of Wimbledon.

[Late Developer]

Watched a bit iof it last night but fell asleep on the sofa.  Good job I recorded it - so I'll watch the rest later.  Looked exceptionally good from the bit I saw.

[Photo_Utopia]

I propped my eyes open with match sticks and watched it. On the whole it was very well produced, even understated in some parts–Alan Yentob has quite a relaxed style.
What I really liked was the re-construction of her life, the friends in France, the trips alone abroad etc
I especially liked the part where they printed a whole roll and traced her movements, from dropping the children at school to going downtown on the train all documented and mapped as we moved through the roll of film.
You had a real sense of someone with a purpose; someone who needed to record life, yet paradoxically seemed to be a viewer who recorded but never showed the fruits of her labours.

No doubt she was an interesting person, her vision of the world as she saw it showed that. I felt some of the story although compelling a little sad.

If you can catch it on iPlayer I'd recommend it.

[Pete_R]

Link to BBCi...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0366jd5/imagine..._Summer_2013_Vivian_Maier_Who_Took_Nannys_Pictures/

Haven't watched it yet.

[gothamtomato]

Anyone in the US sees "Not Available in Your Area" plastered across the video (same for every other video on the BBC site. Sigh.

[Andrej K]

Not only in the US - I think the same applies to anyone outside UK..

[Francois]

Just get the Media Hint addon for Firefox... it'll make it work anywhere in the world

[zapsnaps]

I watched this, even though it was past my bed time. She had an amazing eye and a really high hit rate. I didn't know about her trip around the world until last night - I'd like to see more of those pictures.

Question: was it easier then, for a woman in old-fashioned clothes to wander the streets of Chicago and NY and get close to her subjects? 3ft was mentioned as a likely distance. I think that if I got to within 3ft of a subject these days and snapped them without asking, women would call me a pervert and men could get very aggressive, very quickly. This question isn't meant in any way to diminish what she did - it was amazing - but I feel it would be less easy today. Or am I just paranoid? [Who said that?]

[Owlsflight]

I watched this, even though it was past my bed time. She had an amazing eye and a really high hit rate. I didn't know about her trip around the world until last night - I'd like to see more of those pictures.

Question: was it easier then, for a woman in old-fashioned clothes to wander the streets of Chicago and NY and get close to her subjects? 3ft was mentioned as a likely distance. I think that if I got to within 3ft of a subject these days and snapped them without asking, women would call me a pervert and men could get very aggressive, very quickly. This question isn't meant in any way to diminish what she did - it was amazing - but I feel it would be less easy today. Or am I just paranoid? [Who said that?]

I do not want to de-rail this thread, but I think it has a lot to do with how crazy the world is today. Not that it wasn't crazy in her time, but much less so. I'm sure her demeanor had a lot to do with it, or even the tone of her voice, ect, ect...

People really are paranoid these days. Although, I'm sure you'd have a bit of an advantage now, as most people aren't that familiar with a TLR or how it works. You could hold a conversation with the camera held to the side and just casually trip the shutter if it was already set to a focus of whatever footage you were anticipating. And glancing straight down would let you see your framing. As famed photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt said, "trip the shutter without moving, 'click', like a stone."

[SLVR]

thanks francois for the addon I checked it out. I think there is amazing work done. I really like the allure of the mystery of who she was or how she taught herself.

I honestly can say though, as inspiring as the whole thing is. I still can't get over a slight nagging fear in the back of my mind about getting the shot. It's funny how such a reserved and private complex person can be without fear when behind the viewfinder. Perhaps its time now to get a TLR! Or finally a wlf for my bronica...

[John]

I feel uncomfortable with it all. She was a private person and now some fellows are making big money out of her work. When looking at her images I feel I'm intruding on her private world. One of the owners said something about giving the photos at random to people, back to the street where they came from.

Tony Worobiec made a good point about who is selecting and editing the images? I went to an Vivian Maier exhibition in 2010, that was part of the London Street Photography Exhibition. Some of the images were good but really they were a mixed bunch and badly printed on what looked like an inkjet. They were part of the 'John Maloof Collection', how pretentious does that sound - he got them in a junk auction, that's not a 'collection'. Then he wanted to get some attention on his own photos on the back of him finding Vivian's work - take a hike.

[Moiz]

Its on YouTube for those that can't use iPlayer. I haven't watched it yet myself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_ZKYhtSHmg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[sapata]

Its on YouTube for those that can't use iPlayer. I haven't watched it yet myself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_ZKYhtSHmg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I've watched but it seems to be missing the last 10 - 15 minutes...

[Late Developer]

I feel uncomfortable with it all. She was a private person and now some fellows are making big money out of her work. When looking at her images I feel I'm intruding on her private world. One of the owners said something about giving the photos at random to people, back to the street where they came from.

Tony Worobiec made a good point about who is selecting and editing the images? I went to an Vivian Maier exhibition in 2010, that was part of the London Street Photography Exhibition. Some of the images were good but really they were a mixed bunch and badly printed on what looked like an inkjet. They were part of the 'John Maloof Collection', how pretentious does that sound - he got them in a junk auction, that's not a 'collection'. Then he wanted to get some attention on his own photos on the back of him finding Vivian's work - take a hike.

I'm also a bit uncomfortable with it - mainly as it seems the photos were never intended for public consumption; they were her private archive and only the photo printers ever got to see what she'd taken.

I also agree with Joel Meyerowitz' (not Tony Worobiec) point about selection of the photos that go on display. In all honesty, if she were still alive, I don't imagine we'd see any of her work. That would be a bad thing, though, as many of her photos are beautiful.  some of the FWs made a group visit to the exhibition near King's Cross / St Pancras a couple of years ago and most of us liked the photos - even if the processing wasn't always what it might have been.  From memory, I think some of the printing was contemporary but not particularly well done.

I suppose it's a case of striking a balance. It's a huge shame that they decided to sell her collection from under her whilst she was still alive - and yet we'd never have seen some of the fantastic places and people she photographed otherwise.  Whoever sold off the various "lots" seem to have created a super-heated micro-economy for the new "owners". It's a pity that they didn't donate the whole archive to, say, an eminent Museum, so that it could be curated properly and ensure that Ms Maier received proper recognition for her work.

[LT]

I also agree with Joel Meyerowitz' (not Tony Worobiec) point

Ha! I wondered how Tony W had got himself on to a BBC documentary about street photography!

[Rafael Morales]

It is a great documentary. She was a fine photographer.

[Owlsflight]

Did anyone else notice it's not the whole video? It cuts right off in the middle of a conversation at 58+ mins for me. Is there a part 2?

[John]

I also agree with Joel Meyerowitz' (not Tony Worobiec) point

Ha! I wondered how Tony W had got himself on to a BBC documentary about street photography!

Oh well it was a long day How on earth did I get those 2 mixed up?

I'm also a bit uncomfortable with it - mainly as it seems the photos were never intended for public consumption; they were her private archive and only the photo printers ever got to see what she'd taken.

It's a pity that they didn't donate the whole archive to, say, an eminent Museum, so that it could be curated properly and ensure that Ms Maier received proper recognition for her work.

That's a good point, it would have been better to have given the archive to a museum. It is a remarkable legacy, whether she intended others to see it or not. For me, I don't think the images can be really seen in isolation from her personal story. And she has given inspiration to amateurs like me, to keep on shooting regardless.

[calbisu]

I bought the book some time ago,Vivian Maier, Street Photography, and it gave me the impression that the editing could have been done better (in my humble opinion); I think it fails to be a great photography book because lack of consistency.

C.   

[This-is-damion]

I'm also a big fan of her work, was impressed by the London exhib, the book and this programme.

I wasnt aware the collection was split across to or three people until watching this and straight away then wondered if that would affect what we saw, or didnt see.

I always wondered about the editing part... I was under the impression that most of the collection was yet to be scanned/developed and therefore  shouldnt they wait until they had done most of it before sorting books/exhibitions etc  - suppose the money side comes into play.

[JoeV]

I watched the YouTube link, minus the missing last few minutes, and enjoyed it a lot.

One traveling exhibit came through Santa Fe last year and I had an opportunity to see it. Very nice images, and were also printed well.

The most informative part of the video was explaining how the Meier collection is split up amongst various collectors, such that there's no one definitive version, and they all seem to be vying in competition to make money. Perhaps someone will buy up the other's collection, so at least it will all be together. Interesting.

[Terry]

The unfolding mystery in this story is intriguing to me.  The photos are stunning and I think rightly regarded as some of the best American street photography.  Up there, dare I say it, with Robert Frank.  But the bits and pieces coming out about the woman herself really make this interesting.  I'm happy that it's there for me to see (though I know she'd have hated it) and I'm pleased that there is now some indication of the kinds of photos that she chose to have printed.  Perhaps we can get a sense of the things she liked about her photos.  Real genius often goes hand-in-hand with social or psychological disorders and I doubt that she'd have taken the risks she did (and gotten away with it) if her personality had been more conventional.

[Andrej K]

I tried to watch the film... I really like her photographs, but, I'm sorry,  I couldn't bear the unfolding of the movie and turned it off after maybe 25 minutes. As far as I can tell, the title of the documentary is an unfinished sentence - Who took nanny's pictures and is making biggest "bucks" out of her. It was almost disgusting...

[LT]

I tried to watch the film... I really like her photographs, but, I'm sorry,  I couldn't bear the unfolding of the movie and turned it off after maybe 25 minutes. As far as I can tell, the title of the documentary is an unfinished sentence - Who took nanny's pictures and is making biggest "bucks" out of her. It was almost disgusting...

I agree completely Andrej. I couldn't bear watching it after the bit when the guys were talking about bringing weapons and body guards when they bought and sold the archive. Sickening really.

[Ed Wenn]

I was very disappointed with this show too. From the title I assumed it was a saucy 'special interest' programme about an exhibitionist naughty nanny. Turns out it was just a documentary about some photographer.

 

[Paul Mitchell]

What a lark eh Ed!

Bought this for a bit of saucy literature the other day... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fifty-Sheds-Grey-Erotica-not-too-modern/dp/0752265458/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372871402&sr=8-1&keywords=50+sheds+of+grey+book

Turns out there's 50 sheds in various shades of grey!

(In actual fact it's a very funny book!)

[Moiz]

Got it for Xmas, had me crying.

Eg:

'Stick it right up there,' she said, 'I want to remember this!' I did, then I patted it firmly. You can't be too careful with Post-it notes.