Shutter Sisters

A Legacy

By

Watch this. 

Those words and a link to a video of Vivian Maier was all that was in an email that my friend had sent to me.  As I watched the short video piece, I was mesmerized and intrigued by this unkown woman.  In 2007 John Maloof purchased from an art auction a box that had been owned by Vivian containing over 30,000 negatives dating back as early as the 1950s. He decided to develop some of the photos (like the one above and the self portrait below) and what he has found is an absolutely amazing treasure.

In John’s research on Vivian, he learned that she had never married or had children and was a very private person. She died alone at the age of 82 in a nursing home, her photographs never seen by anyone until now. So incredible is Vivian’s photography that there will be a showing of her work next month at the Chicago Cultural Center.  John was able to purchase even more of her negatives and now has over 100,000 of her negatives and hundreds of undeveloped rolls of film which he plans to put into a book or make a documentary about Vivian.

Two things came to mind after learning of Vivian.  First, how sad that this wonderfully talented woman died alone, having never shared her gift of photography with anyone, ever.  If she had, I wonder how different her legacy might have been.  She very well may have helped pave the way for woman in photography all those years ago in a time when female photographers were a rare commodity.

Second, after seeing Vivian’s story, I began thinking of what my legacy might be.  Yes, I would be remembered as a wonderful wife and mother but there is more to me than that.  I’m a photographer, too.  It’s a large part of who I am.  If something were to happen to me tomorrow, would I have anything to show for it? Sure I would – and there are hundreds and hundreds of photos on numerous hard drives to prove that.  More importantly, would my husband or friends know how to gain access to them? No, they wouldn’t and that is about to change. Some of the hundreds of photos on my hard drives will now be printed, matted and framed, put into books or given to friends.  What good is it to keep all of them stored and never shared with anyone? When I am gone, I want people to say that I was a wonderful wife, mother and photographer. 

What about you? What do you want your legacy to be? If you could choose one photograph (or two or three or more!) that you would want people to remember you as the wonderful photographer you are, please share.  Let us know you, too. 

You can see more of Vivian Maier’s photography on the blog, Vivian Maier – Her Discovered Work.

Comments

  5. I have thought about this before, what would my legacy be. I have thousands of photos on my hard drive, but so few edited and in a format that shows my true vision and a finished work. I need to spend more time reviewing and creating final copies of these. Should anything happen to me, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack for the ones I've edited, and sad to think that so many other wonderful images that I didn't get around to editing would be overlooked. Thanks for the reminder.

    I've shared a lot of my favorites here recently. This one is older, and has become one of my alll time favorites, showing who I am as a photographer:
    http://www.kateyeview.com/2009/12/quiet-night.html

  7. This is such a beautiful, encouraging post! I think there is some part of us that longs to share our work. Thank you for sharing the story of Vivian, and for encouraging that little light within!

    Hey Sisters- there is a great DVD workshop out there by Brooks Jensen called, "Find an Audience for Your Work" -I have it, and have worked through it, and am employing the ideas for getting my photography out there in the world. – it's a wonderful resource for sharing your work with others through print medium and digitally on the web. Right now, it's being offered at discount holiday price too- here's the URL:
    http://www.lenswork.com/workshops/findinganaudience.html

    In sharing some of my own photography, I'd like to show you these:

    http://www.photosynthesisdesign.com/Projects/Circa2008-9/10102644_oCagz#693742685_FqsSi-L-LB
    http://www.photosynthesisdesign.com/Projects/Circa2008-9/10102644_oCagz#926615358_hFmPT-M-LB
    http://www.photosynthesisdesign.com/Projects/Seasons-of-the-Bloom/12845038_zTqyr#926813841_3EEZw

    Have a wonderful day! Happy New Year!

  8. wow, wow, wow! Absolutely stunning! Now I want to go to Chicago again this winter to see her exhibit.

    Nature photography came to mind for my legacy. I've slipped from my habit of hiking and photographing lately because we moved to downtown Detroit, which is lacking a bit in natural wonder. Need to figure out how to get back to it.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/spelliott/4611746605/

  10. What a thought-inspiring post. Just in the past few years, tons of pix, some on the blog, some on Flickr, some well edited. Few printed. None framed. All because I'd have a hard time choosing what to print or frame. This is a wonderful way to look at the dilemma, a legacy. Thank you!

  11. I absolutely loved this post – it inspires me to continue to be a photographer and to share my images with both myself and others.

  12. What an amazing find… very thought provoking, I've yet to find my photographic voice, and this post is just so inpiring! It's time to really consider taking photography to a new level now that I've exhausted that first 10,000 snaps!

    Thanks for sharing this!

  13. this is the craziest thing.
    I just discovered the vivian maier blog independently this morning through some connection on flickr… I am enthralled by this woman….

    lots to think about. have to come back with a photo.

  15. Incredible story that I just heard of today. I want my legacy to be inspiring others through image and word. To bring a smile to your face by sharing a little bit of myself, and hopefully encouraging you to be a better you, and to live through your heart and follow your true calling. Tall order I guess, but we all have to have something to aspire towards. Here's one of my images that I hope fits the bill: http://www.flickr.com/photos/soupatraveler/5250697836/

  16. Stunning. Thought provoking. I was stuck by the honesty in her photos. Truly a reminder to share your personal work – which I have been pondering of late. Now is the time to take my work off the hard drive.

  18. I've started creating photobooks for my family…just simple photos of them, details of their homes and pets and gardens…they love them. And I didn't realize until you mentioned 'legacy' that is exactly what I'm doing.

    this post is beautiful. thank you.

  20. how cool!
    i will definitely be going to see that exhibit, as i live only an hour from chicago.

    my work is nowhere near hers from what i can see. but my friends do appreciate my photos and my eye… the way i see things. many of them read my blog, but none of them have printed versions of my photos. that is why i decided a couple weeks ago to print the 2011 calendar that i created… as a thank you gift {to the 8 or 9 women/friends who helped me in my first trimester of pregnancy}. here is the calendar with my photos.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/28567264@N05/5253276904/in/set-72157625453749185/lightbox/

    if something were to happen to me, it is the one hard copy of the photography that is "me" that others would have. otherwise, everything is digital and/or on a computer or web site… better than nothing i guess. but i like this idea of the people i know having something to hold in their hands.

  22. wow, wow… so much to think about after seeing this. I'm speechless at the sight of Vivian's photography! Thank you for sharing this.

  23. Thank you for sharing Vivian's story with us. I am blown over by her images, her quiet dedication to her craft and her compassionate eye. She was obviously keenly observant. I found great inspiration in her viewing her work and was deeply touched by her story.

    I found your question of Legacy to be very thought provoking. I have been a documentary photographer for many years and am probably most attached to the images I create of my twin nephews, now 6. I have kept these images private for the most part but this story has inspired me to more actively share this images.

    Thank you, Jane Bernard.
    http://photographyeducationfoundation.com/

  24. I am back again- I was inspired by Georgia's beautiful calender (made with the Shutter Sisters template) to make a little video about mine. (I love making videos!) So here is a link to a presentation of my Shutter Sisters calender-template-inspired 2011 calender:

    http://vimeo.com/18278041

    Bravo and Ole to all of us sharing our work!

  26. I can't remember exactly what led me to your blog and your beautiful photographs. I was telling my grand daughter about your website just a few days ago and encouraged her to take a look since she is aspiring to be an excellent photographer herself. So revisiting your site, I came across the story of Vivian Maier. Her work is so amazing. But what really is intriguing to me is the fact that she seems to have had a sense that she was alone in the world and wanted to leave her mark. I relate to that myself. She makes me ask several questions of myself, specifically of my art. I've spent my life raising my family, working, painting. This is the thing that intrigues me about blogs. You're expressing your vision. It's very inspiring and it makes me want to follow in your footsteps, and in the footsteps of people like Vivian. Maybe what I've done with my life so far is beautiful and wonderful too.

  27. What a beautiful and inspiring story. It gave me chills! I love to capture the true personality and innocence of a child as if they had no idea that there was a camera in the room. It is so gratifying to know that the photographs we take now will be passed on for generations to come. I'm off to preserve some more memories of my three year old little girl as she plays
    with her new Christmas gifts!

  28. Thank you so much for sharing this story – it's absolutely amazing. Her work is extraordinary.

    I have been seriously about taking pictures for about a year now, and feel like I am just starting to find my photographic voice. In most of my favorite images that I've created there's something interesting going on with light and color and oftentimes pattern too.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/22487105@N06/5180529544/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/22487105@N06/5175701923/in/set-72157622418015954/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/22487105@N06/5249158171/in/set-72157622418015954/

  30. Love, love, love this post–and the photos. I can't wait to check out the full story you linked to. Thanks so much for sharing it!

  31. I've been dying to see Vivian Maier's work. A few months ago, a friend shared her story, and I've been intrigued ever since.