Brezaja Hutcheson - Vivian Maier - Post 3

1) which of the artist’s many technical choices are of interest to you and why?

I admire Maier's efforts to capture the essence of her subjects, no matter where they are or what they are doing.  I admire her "photographic eye" and her ability to see the potential for a photo anywhere she is. I find beauty in all of her photographs, due to the fact that she aims to capture all of her subjects in their natural state - no poses, no studio setup.  Just her camera, and the subject or object that she chooses to depict.  She evokes a rawness from these photographs that can only be produced by her willingness to create an intimate relationship between the subject and her lens. 

I find myself drawn to the vulnerability of some of these portraits, which in turn inspires me to turn to  go out into the world to practice my photography skills.  Maier doesn't hesitate to think about the picture she is going to make, she just follows her instinct.  She does not hesitate to capture some of her subjects even in their most fragile moments.  I am inspired by her bravery to go out into the public and capture these events, and to tell the stories of others that I see around me.

2) what do you believe are the artist’s conceptual and/or thematic intentions?

I believe that Maier attempts to capture a sense of intimacy between herself, her subject, and ultimately her viewers.  She wants to use her lens as a window that bridges the gap between the "audience" and her subject, and attempts to combine them as one.  When she is out in the world documenting what she sees on the streets, in the homes of her subjects, or during her day-to-day routines, she is offering a glimpse of parts of her world, as well as the world of others around her.  It is a reminder that while it seems that we are all the center of the universe, we are not.  Each of our experiences combined are only a fraction of the universe that we are experiencing as a whole, and the stories of her subjects that she documents act as those small fragments.

I also believe that Maier intends to evoke some sort of emotional response from her audience while photographic these events, consciously or subconsciously.  In order for her to make these photographs, something about her subject must have stricken her in a way that made her feel compelled to document it.

3) how do you personally respond to these choices and intents? 

Maier's ability to take portraits of strangers she encounters on the street has prompted me to think more critically about my own work, and my own personal obstacles that I need to overcome to get the shot that I need. 

When we were practicing taking the portraits of strangers we encountered on the street last class, it prompted me to think critically about what is really holding me back from producing candids of people that I have never met, events on the street, and much more? 

I admire the beauty and simplicity of all of Maier's portraits, and I aim to have reflect the same sense of innocence, vulnerability, and raw emotion that seems to prevail in the photos that Maier has captured.