Le Click

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The photography community over the past few weeks has been abuzz about a newly discovered stash of breathtaking street photographs from the '50s. If you haven't heard of her already, its my pleasure to introduce you to Vivian Maier. Ask anyone and they will tell you that street photography is no walk in the park. Capturing candid scenes while not scaring off (or worse) your subject are but one of the factors that you have to take into account with each shot you take. And then we have Vivian Maier, who until of recent, was an enigma. She has captivated the world with her unique brand of photography which was full of unfathomable depth. And no, she wasn’t a professional photojournalist or a member of Magnum. She was a nanny.

Not much is known about Vivian Maier. But the story starts off with John Maloof, a real estate agent, chanced uponed Vivians’s treasure trove while at a furniture and antique auction. Little did he know what was in store for him inside a tiny little box and what this chance encounter would lead him to. As Maloof pored over the Vivian’s 100,000 negatives, he realized just how talented and gifted she was. He picked up photography and was completely floored when he started comparing his shots to hers. “Throughout that time, I’d compare my work to Vivian’s and think, ‘Wow, this isn’t good for me.’ She was teaching me photography. I bought some books by street photographers such as Harry Callahan, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Lee Friedlander. I thought, she’s special – doesn’t anybody know?” At that time, googling her name only led to 1 hit – an obituary.

The burning desire to know Vivian’s past paved to way for her work and subsequently, her story, to reach the world. John, through the help of the internet and keen sleuthing on his part, was able to piece together a small glimpse of her life, which is detailed here. Some of the info are conflicting. Some are solid leads. There are dozens of questions that are begging to be asked but sadly, we will never have the chance to ask them. So let’s just appreciate and remain spellbound by her photos and consider ourselves lucky that we’ve discovered mid-century America through her eyes.

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After 75 years of delivering eye-popping color to professional and amateur photographers alike, Kodachrome is finally taking a bow.

The iconic film was officially discontinued by Kodak in 2009 but Dwayne's Photoin Parsons, Kansas, the only lab in the world that still processes K14, still accepted rolls for development. On December 30, 2010 however, Dwaynes Photo officially announced the end their Kodachrome processing, effectively ending Kodachrome's storied 75-year-long career.

Steve McCurry, one of the photographers who popularized Kodachrome with his famous portrait of the Afghan refugee girl, was entrusted by Kodak with the last roll ever of the emulsion. He took his precious cargo to New York and India, where he was quoted saying: “I photographed a tribe that is actually on the verge of extinction. It’s actually disappearing, the same way as Kodachrome.” Right now, the last roll is being processed in Parsons, which is the only lab that processes Kodachrome in the world. All 36 of the shots taken by Steve will be sent to the Eastman House in Rochester, New York, where Kodak is based. Rest in peace, Kodachrome. You’ve lived a long and colorful life.

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