Vivian Maier - An urban street photography addiction

Photograph by Vivian Maier

For many photogrphy is about capturing "pretty" images. I certainly have not issue with landscape photography, the capturing of natural beauty or at times even the sentimental beauty that one sees in a lot of photographic work. The capturing of every day and urban images however is not so easily understood and I have come across several historical photographers that did so with excessive compulsion. They pursued the capture of these images with seemingly little or no outlet or expecation that someone would ever see their work. Like many of us the capture and production of the images was far more important or compelling than the promotion or marketing of these images.

I recently came upon a photographer Vivian Maier,who seems to be quite the unusual example. For starters she is a woman. Aspinsterish woman who supported herself primarily as a nanny who also photographed her world with excessive compulsion. The fact that she was a woman, this single fact may have meant that she did not stand a chance of ever being noticed by an art culture that focused predominantly on men with a few notable exceptions.  As someone who has an affinity for photographing architecture, the urban environment and the more familiar things of may daily world, things not always thought of a "pretty" her work is extrordinary. What an unusual combination this quiet care giver living much of her life in upscale suburbia making these amazing images of the urban, the poor and the ordinary or our world.  These images have a quality to them that are quite compelling. Clearly she worked at her craft as these are not just snapshots. They come out of a deep knowledge and familarity with her subject, tireless compostion and timing and a relentless pursuit that borders on excessive compulsion. She had caputured thousands of images when she died many of which were on rolls of film which had not been developed as she had become destitute and homeless losing access to her darkroom. Take a look at these amazing images and remember that these images were caught on film when you had to calculate your exposure, depth of field in your head and when there were no autofocus or exposure computers. You could not just shoot 40 frames at rapid fire to get it just right.
http://www.vivianmaier.com

Lunchtime In the Rain

Today's post includes  photos from Carondolet Park in South St. Louis and images from a classical public library in South St. Louis the Carondolet Branch of the St. Louis Public Library at 6800 Michigan Ave. Hope you enjoy. Please leave me comments if you like or dislike my work. I am working on slowing things down an making compositions. These images have had minimum post shoot processing. I willl adjust the contrast, crop, do some aligment. I have recently been removing the camera distortion much the way you might with a large format view camera that has shift and tile. I am planning on working with the Graflex Super Graphic that I have now very soon. I am interseted to see how I can manipulate selective focus with the view/press camera. Thanks!

Footbridge

Tall Pine

Footbridge and Ducks

Classical

Public Cornice Black and White

Public Cornice Color

Column Capital

Some New Urban Industrial Images

These images from East St. Louis and Granite City were shot at dusk under clear sky. The weather had cleared from a number of mid-day thunderstorms which produced tornado's across much of the Midwest. No trace of that hours later.

Elevator and Highway Sign

Merchant of Venice - Eppilogue

Steel Mill

Steel Color

Muted Colors

Near the River

Today's post is a series of new images from areas just South and North of the arch. It is a gritty industrial  area that is somewhat of a no man's land  but very near my office so I spend time here. I have photographed this area a lot and you will see many of the subjects already on the blog. The St. Louis flood wall separates the workings of the river, with its giant barges for moving heavy raw materials such as coal, grain and petroleum from the city. The area is laced with both highways and heavy rail lines. Roads and train trestles transition onto Bridges that cross the mighty river. Here in St. Louis the edge of the city along the Mississippi has very often been left to industry. Heavy smoke stack industry, warehouses and many types of things that have long since become obsolete in the American economy. Yet the river remains an ever active place. All manner of work seems to always be going on along the banks as she remains ever powerful. Vast amounts of materials being made loaded or processed along it. Certainly it is still shaping this landscape.

Images from a lunchtime photography! If you like or dislike these images please comment! Thanks!

New Bridge and Barge Conveyor

Arch and Sign

1970

 

Tracks and Shed

 

Tankers and Tracks

Crane Gears II After High Water

Barge Crane II

 

Trestles Black and White

Suck This Cold Mother!

As it used to be

These shoes were made for walking

Photos from the last Cardinals Home game of 2013!

Had the game turned out differently I would certainly have different photos. But when a game goes this badly it is hard to be in the mood to take pictures. The one saving grace is that we were with some great folks and met some other great folks. We had a good time regardless of the outcome. How can you not have good time at a World Series game at Bush Stadium? St. Louis Cardinals fans are truly spoiled. We expect this every year.

Where's the ball?????

Old School

 

God Bless America

The Star of the Game!

Cardinal Nation!

 

In honor of those who have served!

A post in honor of all of those who are veterans and who have fought to protect our country and our freedom. In particular Melvin J. Reim Corporal, United States Army, WW II, Pacific Theatre, European Theatre. Stationed in Kauai Hawaii during Pearl Harbor. Transferred to Utah State to learn to fly planes. Transferred to England to serve as a German/English translator in the Signal Corp. Participated in the D-Day invasion and the Battle of the Bulge. Whitness to history!

Interesting Fine Art photographer I came across Mark Iocchelli

Came across his work when googling around the Internet. Photographs old barns, farm buildings and decay. I share similar interests with this guy so I thought I would share.  Here is a Link to his home page Mark Iocchelli Fine Art Photography

Once Upon a Time by Mark Iocchelli

Focusing Screen Success - Cant wait to start taking photos

So the Cambo/Calumet ground glass focusing screen arrived and it works perfectly. It mounts without any additional modification to the revolving section of the Graflex Super Graphic camera back. I shot a couple of instant film images and the Fuji 405 instant film back insets and seats without issue. Something that it will not do with my Sinar F. So I am very happy about that. The Polaroid 4x5 film also inserts and seats without issue but since I am down to my last pack of Fuji FC100c45 film I won't matter. Well unless either the Impossible Project or New 55 starts to make film again that is actually 4x5.  Here are the photos of the new camera. I can't wait to load up some film holders and take it out into the field and take some photos. I will also be posting some photos of the beater Graflex Crown Graphic that I have. I am trying to decide if I am going to restore it or put it up on E-bay and unload it.

On another related front the older Soligor 1 degree Spot meter that I picked on E-bay for $15 is working and appears to be correct when tested against my digital cameras. It took a little creativity to solve the missing battery cover issue. But a little Yankee ingenuity to make a retainer spring clip to hold the hearing aid batteries in place and viola "success". My transportable, low cost (cheap!!!) 4x5 film, field camera set up is almost all together.

Front View Graflex Super Graphic Camera

Side View

View of Cambo Ground Glass focusing back with extra deep spring clips. Mounts perfectly where the missing Graflex back should normally mount.

Front View with camera bellows sliding back ready to be closed up.

All closed up. This makes a nice tidy package compared to my Sinar F. Much easier to put into a back pack.

The Cambo/Calumet focusing back easily mounts and removes without needing to modify the slide clips or other parts of the camera. It has enough depth to accept instant film backs and seems to work perfectly. The Super Graphic has more movements than older versions of the Graflex press camera with a sturdy aluminum box. Not all the bells and whistles that some field cameras have but also not the cost.

Looking for Smaller, Lighter, Easier

So I have embarked on a project to have a smaller, lighter, and easier camera to do 4x5 film photography. The camera I have been using is a Sinar F and while it is a dream of camera in terms of interchangeability of parts, amount of movements and quality it is just too heavy and slow for me to use when I am out in the field. As I looked at good field cameras I just wasn't going to spend a fortune so I have been bargain hunting on E-bay and am now the proud owner of an old really beat 1950's Graflex Crown Graphic and and a Super Graphic. The Super Graphic is missing its ground glass focus panel. The goal has been to find, at really low cost an alternative to the Sinar which I can keep in the car and take with me if I hike someplace with minimal gear. The Sinar while a great camera was never intended to go into the field unless it was manned by a crew. Once the prefect camera for shooting architecture and interiors but in those days the team consisted of a photographer and one or even two assistants.

I will post some photos of the cameras in there current conditions. If I decide to make the Crown into a fully working camera I will have to restore or re purpose it. The leatherette skin is shot, the bellows has holes in it and the overall camera is stained and dirty. I suspect it was in a flood or at the least stored in a garage or barn for many years given the accumulation of residue. But the price was right. It will require some TLC in any case.

The Super Graphic is in better overall working condition, the bellows is light tight, the movements all work and by being a Super, it gives me more of the movements I might expect had I actually gotten a real "field camera". Funny I don't find myself using that many movements even with the Sinar outdoors but we will see. I am curious to experiment with more selective focus and shallow depth of field and slower exposures. Something that I find problematic with digital cameras. The real problem with the Super Graphic is that it is missing the ground glass focus panel. Even if the rangefinder worked I can't seem myself handholding this or using it as my focus methdod. So solving that problem is paramount if it is going to really be a working camera. Graflex completely re-desinged these parts for the Super Graphic so the Graflock back from the Crown will not mount to the rotating back of the Super without removing the slider clips necessary for attaching roll film backs etc. I am presently awating a Cambo back which I have been told does mount to the Super's rotating back. So the journey commences.

All this because I still want to shoot "film" even thought my Nikon D600 cranks out really great, sharp, high resolution images that don't require any of the processing, scanning and photoshoping that is necessary to simply get a film image up on the web or printed. I don't have a real drakroom so my process is a hybrid of analog film and digtal. In the end I am hoping to still do really large prints. I have a good color plotter that prints up to 48" wide and I would like to create images that  hold together at that size. The Nikons full frame sensor gets me pretty close and it is a consumer grade semi pro piece of gear. In the past I would have needed a Leaf or Sinar digital back. But you can almost do it now with consumer grade equipment.  In the end this may still be a fools errand as color transparency film, labs

Looking for a Ground Glass focusing back for Graflex Super Graphic

I am looking for an alternative back for a Graflex Super Graphic 4x5 Press camera that I have recently purchased. The camera came without a key part. As I want to use this camera like a field view camera ground glass focusing is very important. The photos below are of a Cambo Back that I think might be an alternative that will mount where the missin Graflex focusing panel is supposed to mount. If anyone knows more about this please relpy.

Cambo/Calumet rotating back split apart. I think the part above with the hooks will attach to the Graflex Super Graphic rotating back without modification of either part.

 

Ground glass clipped into the Cambo back similar to how the Graflex part is supposed to mount.