Behind the Veil of Appearance…

Elephants, Monkeys, Cows and Crows, oh My

Bathing elephant at  Elephant Freedom Project and, in the wild, as I ride the bus to Trincomalee in Sri Lanka;  chased a monkey out of my bathroom and another stole my mango slices as I walked up to the Golden Temple; Cows on the beach, roaming the range… and finally a crow steals my chicken bone… what next? Sri Lanka,  a natural habitat experience hmmm… I did not plan for this!

Reverie

Lost

Where do we come from?   Where are we going?

A special Moment

Something is about to happen.

Pregnancy, a special time when a woman discovers the magic of the infant growing within.

She is beautiful and at ease with herself and who she is about to become.

We wait and watch….soon a new life will come to this world.

World War I – Selling cameras

With time on my hands for research and writing, a stack of old books in my collection  and a real interest in sharing some of the curiosities I encounter, I hope to uncover little nuggets, treasures, to include in my blog and share with my readers.   As Europe commemorates the First World War during the four years of 2014 to 2018,  there is an abundance of media coverage  marking its 100th anniversary.  Most of it geared towards the events  of the era, the suffering encountered by the men at war and families who stayed behind. My generation knows little about the Great War, myself included, so I started by looking through period newspapers and journals and was astonished by the number of photographs taken and published already 100 years ago.

In the August 9th, 1917 issue of Le Pays de France, a weekly published by Le Matin, Photo-Plait a photography shop (look out for a subsequent article) located in Paris places an advertisement in the weekly. Anticipating the days when millions of visitors travel to see the ‘glorious’ ruins of their bombarded cities, it suggests all will want to bring back a lasting memory, which only photography can provide.

“We strongly advise school children and all Frenchmen engaged in tourism to learn the art of photography, available to everyone at little expense.”  Cameras can be purchased at a starting price of 13 francs or the equivalent of US$2.73 at the time.

Photo-Plait was even capable of shipping cameras to the war front and the colonies, and would open accounts for clients with a advance payments!  It is no surprise then to find that soldiers on the front were already taking photographs during World War I.

‘Vivian Maier’ Brings Nanny-Photographer’s Life Into Focus

For those of you who have read my earlier blogs, you will know that I discovered Vivian Maier by chance in 2012. Akin to John Maloof who stumbled on her negatives at a flea market in 2007 `and purchased them, I fell upon an article about his discovery and have been smitten since.   So my latest discovery centers around The ‘Vivian Maier’ documentary.

Here we find ourselves, with an unknown photographer, discovered ‘Post Mortem’ and now several books later ‘Vivian Maier Street Photographer’ and ‘Out of the Shadows’ , Maloof and his co-director Charlie Siskel set about discovering who and what was behind the personage of Vivian Maier.

Web research and interviews with former charges and employers result in the image of a nanny devoted to the children she cared, for yet strict. A woman influenced by her French heritage, a pack rat growing more secretive as she grew older.   All of the makings for an elusive character wandering in the Chicago slums with children in tow, looking for the next subject to be captured with her Rolleiflex.

I have not seen the documentary film but a preview is available at Finding Vivian Maier.   Hoping to find out where and when we can view the documentary.

Landscapes

A time for contemplation, appreciation – a time to marvel at the world’s beauty.   These photos are all that remains of the fruits of my labour, the souvenirs of my travels!

The Still Unfolding Legend of Vivian Maier

If you want, like to discover new photographers this one is a must see article An Outsider’s Life in Pictures and Boxes

I referred to Vivian Maier in an earlier blog. when John Maloof, a collector, purchased over 100,000 negatives at auction.  She was then an unknown New York street photographer who had spent her life working in obscurity as a nanny.

The still unfolding legend of Vivian Maier has been one of photographic genius discovered only after a lifetime of shooting. Now hailed as a master of street photography, she spent most of her working life in obscurity as a nanny in New York, where she was born, and Chicago, where she died in 2009 at age 83.

In her later years, her oeuvre – more than 100,000 images – sat unseen in storage, along with much of her earthly possessions. When she was unable to keep up with the storage fees, they were auctioned off in 2007. After her death two years later, a collector who had bought one of the lots began to put her images online. Within weeks, she had a global following.

The latest chapter in this endlessly fascinating tale is the publication this year of  “Vivian Maier: Out of the Shadows,” by Richard Cahan and Michael Williams (CityFiles Press). The following essay is excerpted from that book.

Sandy Assessment with All Hands Volunteers

Sandy Assessment , a set by All Hands Volunteers Photobank on Flickr.

All Hands Volunteers arrived on the seen in New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island prepared to conduct assessments.

RCC coordination is now in place in New Jersey and RhodeIsland and volunteers are currently being recruited to clean up damage caused by Hurricane Sandy

Via Flickr:
Volunteers, donors, and staff share their pictures of how Sandy has affected communities across the northeast.