Vivian Maier:

This image was taken by Vivian Maier, this is an example of candid photography. Where the people aren’t aware that they are being photographed. As you can see the little boy is looking at Maier and not the camera which shows that the camera is not distracting anyone from doing their everyday things. This image has a dynamic composition that draws the viewer’s eyes to the interaction between the two central figures. The diagonal in their posture adds visual energy. There is a strong tonal contrast between the light and dark areas, typical of black and white photographs. The lighter tones would be found on the central figures, their clothes contrast with the dark background details like the building and pedestrians. The juxtaposition of the man tying his sons shows on his knee creates a quirky and unexpected look. This photo has a very busy background which adds loads of details to the image, the fact that there are other people in the photo makes it look better, it helps to add more effect to the image. This image shows us a bond between what looks like to be son and father, this could be seen as a wholesome photo to some people, however others may think that this is a just an average image, many people can interpret different things to one image. I would say that this son and father have quite a good relationship, but it could be just for show, one image can’t tell you the whole story. It seems to be quite early, and the dad is bringing the son to school, they are dressed up in fancier clothes than everyday wear. Although this could be what they wear every day and they are just rich, back in the day and still now richer people tend to always be wearing suits rather than jeans and a top. The whole point of this image can show us that there is a lot more meaning behind an image that you may interpret. There is a lot of detail in this image that can lead to people thinking certain things about this image, really people are just guessing. This image is seen as quite modern due to the black and white effect given to the image. One thing that is controversial is the truth behind this image, different people have different views and spot different things first, it’s all about what Maier wants to represent that is important otherwise this image could mean anything. Vivian Maier states that the moment that she has photographed is forever gone, it will only happen once. This could make this photograph a lot more meaningful whether the two main people in this photograph as still alive or if they still have a close bond, there could be a plot twist where both the little boy and older man don’t know each other and its fully staged, although I do know that Maier’s images are not staged but they could still have a completely different interpretation that the viewers may perceive. Vivian states “I am a sort of spy” suggesting that she keeps an eye of her surroundings and tries to capture anything that is unusual. Things that stand out, any unspoken narratives that aren’t always visible to the naked eye. Sometimes the camera picks up things that we don’t, for example Maier’s focus would be the two boys/men in the image and not quite whets in the background, the fact that there are vans and cars help to make the image more alive and detailed. This image shows the history of what New York used to look like, things have changed such as the buildings, the roads, many plants in the surroundings and signs. It’s a captured image of the past. I do like how in the background it almost looks foggy which could be due to the black and white effect, but it almost adds its mysterious look to the photograph. It could also be the clouds as it doesn’t look like it would’ve been a good day. Overall, I do like this photo as it holds many different meanings to different people.