Photo by Vivian Maier

The story and the work of photographer Vivian Maier. Extraordinary!

I was recently given the photography book “Vivian Maier: Street Photographer” as a gift, and it took my breath away. Not since Robert Frank’s “The Americans” have I been so excited about owning a book of images.

A lot has been written about Maier (NY Times, Mother Jones Magazine, LA Times)…and for good reason, her story is truly amazing, and inspiring.  In short, Maier lived a dual life, one as a nanny, and the other as a street photographer.  By one estimate, she shot over 100,000 images in 40 years, starting in the 1940′s.  And no one knew.  She never showed her images!  Not even to those she worked for, who severed as family to the unmarried Maier.

In 2007, a Chicago realtor bought a storage locker brimming with rolls of undeveloped film for $400.  All he knew at the time was that the locker was repossessed for delinquent payments, and belonged to an elderly woman.  What he found on those many rolls of exposed film was a master visual storyteller.  Sadly, it wasn’t until two years later that he discovered that the owner was Maier, who had died a few days earlier.  Strangely, maybe it’s better that way.  Like most great art, the viewing experience is personal and needs no interpretation beyond our own.

Vivian Maier, Self Portrait

What excites me most about Maier, aside from her amazing and telling images, is that it appears she was in love with the process.  For me, the reward of photography comes the moment an image is made, the visual and intellectual process, not necessarily who sees it or how it is used.  By all accounts, Maier was insecure about her work (aren’t we all), which may be why she never shared it.  We’ll never truly know, but maybe she was motivated by something more personal…the simple (and engrossing) act of taking an interpretive image.  Long live the Vivian Maier in all of us.

Rich

To see what I’m talking about go to:  http://www.vivianmaier.com/, http://vivianmaierprints.com/, http://vivianmaier.blogspot.com/.

Aside from the art that I practice professionally, no other art gives me more pleasure than music.  Here is what kept me sane in 2011 (in no particular order).  Rich

FAVORITE ALBUMS

“El Camino” by the Black Keys.  Never thought I’d say this.  “The Black Keys make a pop album.”  Just a few years ago, the Black Keys were making raw, heavy, Hendrix-influenced blues rock.  Today, as Rolling Stone Magazine calls it, they’re making Sixties bubblegum garage pop.  Sort of goes along with the old wood-paneled Dodge Caravan parked on their album cover.  This album is a blast.  It’s still the Black Keys, and seems like a nice progression from last year’s awesome “Brothers.  Get in you car and crank up “Gold On The Ceiling”.  You’ll think you’re so cool cruising along.  Or watch the video below and “dance yerself clean”, to borrow a song title from LCD Soundsystem.

“No Time For Dreaming” by Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band.  Soul music (you know, the Otis Redding-James Brown kind) lives.  Bradley’s backstory is amazing.  At the age of 63, he finally got his shot (another Daptone Records find).  It’s worth every heartbreak he pours into this amazing album.  He even covers Neil Young.  If you could buy only one song give “Stay Away”, “Golden Rule” or “The World Is Going Up In Flames” a try.  Better yet, buy it all.

“Nine Types of Light” by TV On The Radio. My favorite albums are those full of discovery that lasts. This is one of those albums. So many different sounds, and all of them seem to echo my musical listening past…soul, funk, punk, jazz, art rock, all rolled into a lush and beautiful sound. If you could only buy one song, check out “No Future Shock”, “Killer Crane” or “Forgotten”. Of course, I’d recommend the whole album again.

“Middle Brother” by Middle Brother.  Sometimes it hard to say exactly why you like an album, but I can’t stop listening to this album.  Must be chemistry, I guess, which these guys have.  Middle Brother is the confluence of Matthew Vasquez from Delta Spirit, John McCauley of Deer Tick, and Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes.  The music is straight forward, harmony laced alt-country.  If you want a good sampling, download their cover of the Replacement’s “Portland”.

“King of Limbs” by Radiohead. Radiohead purists might like other albums more, but for those of us who have wanted to join Radiohead’s legions of fans, this album is the one. It’s dreamy, dense, but accessible. There is so much to like here from one of the most artist bands of their generation. If you could only buy one song, “Lotus Flower” is it, although “Separator” is an equally good choice. I think “Lotus Flower” is one of the best songs of the year.

“The Harrow & The Harvest” by Gillian Welch. Gillian Welch and David Rawlings are national folk art treasures. It’s been eight years since their last album, and the more you listen to this ten songs of despair and sorrow, the more you’ll like it. If you’re looking for uptempo, it won’t be found here. If you’re looking for original Americana folk music craftsmanship, you’ll be rewarded. And if you have the opportunity to see them live, whether a fan or not, go! If you could only buy one song, check out “Tennessee” or “The Way It Will Be”.

“Helplessness Blue” by Fleet Foxes. Maybe not as good as their last (debut) album, but still special. Their originality reminds me of early REM, but with a different sound. If you could buy only one song, I’d recommend “Helplessness Blue”. It’s not the best music on the album, but definitely the best lyrics. “I was raised up believing I was somehow unique. Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes, unique in each way you can see. And now after some thinking, I’d say I’d rather be a functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me.”

“Revelator” by Tedeschi Trucks Band.  Seems like a simple formula for success.  Find an nine-piece band, mix with guitar virtuoso Derek Trucks (Allman Brothers) and blues singer Susan Tedeschi, and you’ve got some tasty tunes that range from blues rock to Memphis soul to 1970′s funk.  Trucks and Tedeschi are husband and wife and lets hope for a long marriage.  If you could only listen to one song, definitely make it “Until You Remember”.

“The Whole Love” by Wilco.  Best Wilco album in a while.  There will never be another “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” but this album has some of that spirit.  This album seems to cover a lot of Wilco musical ground from the art rock of “Art of Almost” to the calm of “Black Moon” to classic Wilco in “Born Alone” or “I Might”.  If you bought the album and only listened to “Art Of Almost” and “One Sunday Morning”, you’d be rewarded.

FAVORITE SINGLES OF 2011 ON NEXT PAGE.

FAVORITE SINGLES OF 2011

“The Wilhelm Scream” by James Blake. Play this loud and it’ll take over your room. There’s so much space in this song, check it out and you’ll know what I mean.

“Supercollider” by Radiohead. If you like “King of Limbs” this would be a good complement. I think I listened to this song six times in a row the first time I heard it.  It’s seven minutes long!

“Circuital” by My Morning Jacket.  Awesome!

“Getting Ready For Christmas Day” by Paul Simon.  This is a great album that I overplayed, but probably should have put on my album list.  His best since “Graceland”.

“Ocean” by the John Butler Trio. One of the most amazing, one-man, one-acoustic-guitar solos I’ve heard in years.

“Valley Of The Silver Moon” by Jonathan Wilson.  A song that ranges from lazy Neil Young guitar (ala “Cortez The Killer”) to Pink Floyd.  A good album also.

“Holocene” or “Wash.” by Bon Iver.  I never fully warmed up to the album, but still found some nice singles.

“Written On The Forhead” by PJ Harvey.  An original.  I keep buying songs from this album, and if I keep that up, it might become one of my favorite albums of the year.  ”Bitter Branches” is another song I like.

“Ritual Union” by Little Dragon.  I really enjoyed the entire album from this Swedish electronic band.

“Toward The Sun” by Alexi Murdoch.  Five years after the great album, “Time Without Consequences”, Murdoch releases an album of only seven songs.  The good news is that he hasn’t strayed too far.  If you like Nick Drake, you’d like Murdoch.

“Rain On Tin” by Sonic Youth from The Bridge School Concerts, 25th Anniversary. This whole album is great, but this song really stands out for me.

“Lie Down in Darkness” by Moby. Classic Moby.

“Yerba Buena Bump” by Tommy Guerrero.  Cool Latin jazz sound from a former professional skateboarder.  If you like this sound, there’s plenty more on the album.

“Machu Piccu” by The Strokes.  If The Police kept making music, it might sound like this.

“Moonbeam” by John Doe. Made me think of Art Garfunkel’s “I Only Have Eyes For You”.

“The Waking Sleep” by Katie Herzig.  Really like her voice.

“What The Water Gave Me” by Forence + The Machine. I didn’t like this album as much as her last, but this a great song (the longer version).

“Tongue Tied” by Grouplove.  A nod to a fun pop song.

“The Wind” by Alela Diane.  Beautifully sad.

“Coney Island Winter” or “Rock On” by Garland Jeffreys.  A black Bruce Springsteen, but much older…if that can be.

“Take It All” by Adele.  The album is my pop music guilty pleasure.  This song is pure soul.

“Stone Rollin” by Raphael Saadiq.  It’s worth it just for the harmonica.

“Our Hearts Are Wrong” by Jessica Lea Mayfield.  A languid neo-country voice.  Produced by the Black Keys Dan Auerbach.

“She’s So Scandalous” by Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears.  Dripping in reved-up funky soul sounds.

“Bright Lights” by Gary Clark Jr.  A great blues EP.

“City of Refuge” by Abigail Washburn.  I’m a huge fan.  You might also like “Bring Me My Queen”.

“Haller Lake” or “Clever Creatures” by The Cave Singers.  Love this band.  A little Lou Reed in there somewhere.

A few pictures, while on assignment for the New York Times…from the black glitterati at the Soul Trail Music Awards to Atlanta’s funky and artistic neighborhood, the Old Fourth Ward, where Martin Luther King Jr. was born.  NYT Reporter Kim Severson reports on Atlanta’s black glitterati and NYT reporter Robbie Brown picks five places in the Old Fourth Ward worth checking out.

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Some videos wow you with imagery, while others grab you with what is said.  This video is the latter.

After having done two other videos for Moondance Adventures, an adventure-travel company for teenagers, I pitched the idea of doing one on it’s leaders, the young adults that have a major impact on the teenagers they take into the wilderness.

I spent three days interviewing and getting to know some of the finest young adults you’ll meet anywhere at their leadership training outside Asheville, NC last spring.  What they shared with me was their passion for taking teenagers into the backcountry, their love of Moondance Adventures, and in the process they revealed their genuine character and sincerity.

This video is a departure from my normal style, and is what I call a “talker”, an interview-based video that holds your attention by what is said, not what you see.  If you have the time, be sure and watch to the last segment, called “Saying Goodbye”.  It’s quite moving. Enjoy!

Note: The intended audience for this video are the parents who want to know who will be guiding their children into the outdoors for up to three weeks.

Technical note: This video was shot on Panasonic’s new AF100 at 1920 x 1080.

A scene from a pow-wow on the Ft. Peck Indian Reservation.

Greetings from Montana.

Although video has occupied most of my time this summer, I was still able to keep the Nikon from gathering dust while on assignment for the New York Times.

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   The old joke is that driving distances in the West are measured in six packs.  In Montana, kegs would be more appropriate.

Northeast Montana, a place you’ll never see in a travel brochure and a long, long way from anywhere, was where I caught up with NYT writer Bruce Weber in August, who was writing and cycling across the U.S. from Oregon to New York City.

For two days, I followed Bruce as he made his way in slow motion from Wolf Point, on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, to Glendive, not far from the North Dakota border.  We went from cowboys and Indians to dinosaurs.

Following cyclists across the U.S. was familiar ground.  In 1994, I documented one of the teams racing across the country in the Bicycle Race Across America.  I spent almost as much time with Bruce as I did documenting that race.  In 1994, the coast-to-coast race was covered in five days, ten hours, and 15 minutes, at the time an American record.  Bruce should see the Atlantic around mid-October!

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The first night I met-up with Bruce, we were lucky enough to catch a pow-wow on the “rez”, a very bright moment for those who struggle with life far from the mainstream.

Story, blog and gallery links.

  At Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park, I joined long-time NYT reporter Kirk Johnson, who was writing about how the National Park Service was killing one fish to save another.

The invasive lake trout had found its way into the lake in the early 1990′s, and since then, they have been trying to eradicate it in an effort to save the native Yellowstone cutthroat trout.  Lake trout like eating cutthroat trout.

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The Park Service predicts they will kill nearly 250,000 lake trout this summer in their effort, using mostly gill nets to capture the villains, which are then killed and thrown back into the lake.

We went out on a boat that was also netting fish, but instead of killing them, crews were inserting sonic transmitters that would lead them to more fish, especially spawning beds.  They were calling these fish “Judas Fish”.

On my drive out of the park, I took the long way, where I ran into buffalo, elk, osprey, and Yellowstone’s infamous wildlife-induced traffic jams.  In his story, Kirk posed a very thought-provoking question.  Can a system be called natural if humans must remain at the helm to make it work?  Natural or not, Yellowstone is always a great place to visit and photograph.

Story and gallery links.

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  The people of North Dakota might be some of the friendliest, and most humble, people I’ve met to date.

On my first day in Minot, N.D., where I was sent to cover the tragic flooding there in June, I met a local who took me in for three days, feeding me, guiding me around the city, and sharing his internet connection.  I’ve never been treated so well on such a sad assignment.  We check in with each other often.

Once the emergency levees gave way to the rising Souris River, quickly flooding the town, the result was hard to watch.  I remember on my second day of flying over flooded areas, where rising waters were starting to touch roofs, a dark cloud of sadness swept through me.

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Watching from afar, as most of us do, via the internet, newspapers, or television, is not the same.  When you’re there, you can’t help but be moved by it all.  I have covered more than my share of disasters over the past 30 years, and it doesn’t get any easier.  In fact, it continues to get harder and more emotional.

After three days of watching this tragedy slowly unfold, I left town, heading back to Montana.

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As I was driving out of town, I got a call from NYT reporter A.J. Sulzberger, who said the local radio station was giving thanks and that they included me for my photograph of a woman praying for her friends and family on a bridge above the river, inches away from overtaking its banks.  The voice on the radio said “thanks” for showing the world how much we care.  Since then, several locals have told me that picture has become one of the iconic images from their historic flood.

Links to stories on city braces, no flood insurance, and zoo animals escape to higher ground.

  Fall is in the air around here.  Soon the elk will be bugling.  Ah September!

A peek into the life of one soldier and his dramatic struggle with life at home after serving in Iraq, told visually using a mix of video and photography. (I was asked by the editors at CNN.com to produce a video that would accompany an equally dramatic three-part story by CNN staffer Moni Basu.)

I’m attracted to those who want to do good, especially when the environment is concerned. Mark Harbaugh is definitely one of those people. His “small” contribution to the environment (in the Rocky Mountains) is a little different than most, but after watching this video, I’m sure you’ll appreciate Mark’s environmental commitment.

As Mark says, “My goal is to make a difference on how people look and think about weeds, and goats, and sustainability, instead of all relying on the chemical companies to produce poison for us to put into the environment.”

Hopefully I now have your curiosity and you’ll check out Mark’s story.

NOTE: I did this as a personal project, hoping it might find a home. In the end, I licensed it to Patagonia. It’s nice when your instincts pay off.

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Lately, most of my time has been spent working on video projects, but here are a few favorite edits from recent work done for the Associated Press, New York Times, and Ebony magazine.

1. Portraits of comedian Bill Cosby, and Mark Rosenberg, head of the Task Force for Global Health.
2. Thousands gather at the Georgia capitol to protest Arizona-style immigration legislation.
3. American-Egyptian protestors show their displeasure with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and their support for the country’s popular uprising, in downtown Atlanta.
3. A hearse awaits the arrival of a fallen Marine at Dobbins Air Base in Marietta, GA.
4. Joe Patten, 83, known as the “Phantom of the Fox”, who has lived above the historic Fox Theatre in Atlanta for the past 32 years, walks down a flight of stairs from his apartment. Patton has a lease for life, but board members wanted him out. Patton won his case in court.
5. Former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes brings out his cows for a campaign press conference in his bid for re-election. He lost.

Last pictures of the year.  After three days of technical issues and blown fuses, we finally got the lights to work.  Even though we got them up in time for Santa, the clear skies didn’t come until after Christmas.  Santa, though, still found us.

Happy Holidays from MT!

Rich