She left us with her photos.

 

“I was broken from a young age

Taking my sulking to the masses

Writing my poems for the few

That look at me, took to me, shook to me, feeling me.”

As individuals, we take many paths to show our true identities. Some of us are out going and open to new things, some fall in the middle, and many of us just want to be left alone. I know which one I am, I wonder what my friends and family would say about themselves?

It’s interesting because some of the most outgoing people I know, once they hunker down, are actually introverts. I know a guy who is the life of the party, but once he comes home, sits down, and calls it a day—-I am told he is a completely different person. I heard this from his wife many years ago. I gave her a look that said, “Are you sure we’re talking about the right person?” We were.

It turns out this individual spent time in the Vietnam war; he was shot, recovered, and realized it was just not his time to go. But, he never forgot what he went through and every night needed time to just be happy he was alive and during this time of nightly reflection went silent. 

I also know of people who you would swear could not utter a word, and when you have a one-on-one conversation with them, all they do is talk. Go figure.

As a photographer, you are “technically” supposed to be invisible when taking pictures. Of course there are some photographers who abide by this rule, and there are many who don’t. You might recognize those who don’t as the ones who stick their camera in front of someone, interrupt whatever they are doing, and then simply walk away looking at the picture they’ve just taken. Often they bump into someone because they’re not paying attention to where they’re going.

As more and more people have begun taking pictures, thanks to the smart phone most of us have in our hands, the Kodak moment has long passed and is now the iPhone moment.

The photo above is a good example. Vivian Maier was an unknown. She would walk the streets taking photos; unlike the photographers of today, she held her camera low and pretty much out of sight. This past spring we saw a mural of her in downtown Chicago and I knew—-whereas I am nothing like her, we do have one thing in common—-we both love and believe in the power of photography.

Thanks for stopping by.