Vivian Maier and Delayed Gratification

Today, I want to introduce you to Vivian Maier, a photographer I admire, a true master of street photography who had an enormous influence on my development as a street photographer.

Vivian Maier (1926–2009) was an American street photographer whose massive, unseen body of work came to light in 2007, when it was purchased at an auction in Chicago.

Born in New York City, Maier spent part of her youth in France and then worked in Chicago as a nanny and caregiver for most of her adult life.

In her downtime, Maier ventured into the art of photography. Consistently taking photographs over the course of five decades, she would ultimately leave behind over 100,000 unprocessed negatives.

While her photographs have compelled viewers around the world since being brought to the public eye, there is much that remains unknown about the enigmatic woman behind the lens.

In 1956, she moved to the North Shore suburbs of Chicago, where a family employed her as a nanny for their three boys. She enjoyed the luxury of a darkroom, enabling her to process prints and develop her own rolls of black and white film. As the children entered adulthood, Maier had to seek other employment, forcing her to abandon developing her own film. It was around this time that Maier switched to colour photography. Her subject matter shifted away from people to found objects, newspapers, and graffiti. In the 1980s, financial stress and lack of stability once again put Maier’s processing on hold, and the undeveloped colour rolls began to accumulate. Sometime between the late 1990s and the early 2000s, Maier put her camera down and stored her belongings while she tried to stay afloat financially.

A woman pushing a stroller in an alley in Venice, Italy. Street photography created by Ottawa commercial photographer Seb Duper. — One of my photos which could have been created by Vivian Maier

Delayed Gratification

In 2008, Maier’s health deteriorated after she fell on a patch of ice, forcing her into a nursing home. She never made a full recovery, leaving behind an immense archive of work when she died in 2009.

In 2007, several buyers purchased the contents of Maier’s storage space at auction, including John Maloof, who has since dedicated himself to establishing her legacy. While he could not connect with Maier in her lifetime, Maloof shared a selection of Maier’s photographs online in 2009 and was met with “viral” interest. Compelled to learn more about the woman behind the lens, Maloof investigated the life and work of Maier, culminating in the Oscar-nominated documentary Finding Vivian Maier (2014).

Finding Vivian Maier, a Documentary

I happened upon this documentary movie a few years ago while channel-surfing.

It was a revelation for me. Not because Vivian Maier’s photos are superb works of art.

Rather, it is Vivian’s willingness to delay gratification that I admire most about her.

Even if she could no longer process her own rolls of film (or couldn’t afford to pay someone to do it), she kept creating art.

Not for likes. Not for validation. Not out of vanity. Because she felt compelled to create. Nothing could stop her from taking her camera to the streets.

As a photographer creating in today’s digital world, I consider myself lucky that I never have to wait to see the results of my work. I can create a photo and have it up on my computer in less than a minute. It can be online for the entire world to see in another minute.

Yes, I know I can shoot film, and I do (sometimes). That delays gratification to a certain extent, and it kills me every time!

I get excited when I create and I want to see the result right away!!