We don’t know who decided that August 19th is World Photography Day, but are we ones to argue with the Internet gods? No we are not! So please enjoy our wanton capitulation in the form of these juicy lil’ documentaries that turned the lens on those that focused their lenses upon our everyday lives.
FINDING VIVIAN MAIER
Vivian Maier was a photog on the DL. For years the unassuming nanny walked city streets, dragging along her unwilling young charges, and capturing thousands of images of the people and life that bustled around her. Wildly private and intentionally covert, she kept her photography to herself, choosing instead to be seen as simply an enigmatic career babysitter.
In 2007, two years before her death, she fell behind on payments for the storage unit where boxes of her film were stored. They found their way to an auction with one box falling into the hands of the documentary’s director, John Maloof. What followed was an astounding achievement of investigation into the life of the puzzling shutterbug and a documentary that lifts the shroud from around the details of her work and past.
The late Maier has now gained global recognition for her photography. Would she be happy or thoroughly annoyed by that fact? Decide for yourself.
EVERYBODY STREET
Street photographers are a rare breed and no two are exactly alike, yet they do share one common trait: fearlessness in pursuit of the shot.
The 2013 documentary, Everybody Street, puts that grit and variety on full display by featuring superstars of the street like Bruce Davidson, Elliott Erwitt, Bruce Gilden, Joel Meyerowitz, Jeff Mermelstein, Clayton Patterson, Jamel Shabazz, Martha Cooper and now legends like the late Jill Freedman, Rebecca Lepkoff, Mary Ellen Mark and Ricky Powell. A talented photographer in her own right, director Cheryl Dunn takes us along for the ride as her subjects snap pics in public spaces, often in places that most people avoid; drug dens, train cars and dicey neighborhoods. The result is a voyeuristic view that’s well worth your 90 minutes and the free YouTube price tag!
GARRY WINOGRAND: ALL THINGS ARE PHOTOGRAPHABLE
Unless you’re Ansel Adams or Annie Liebowitz, being a famous photographer often means your renown exists exclusively within the world of photography itself. For Garry Winogrand, who took more than a million pictures during his career and died with almost 250,000 rolls of undeveloped film in his studio, that was certainly true.
That changed when this documentary, which originally aired on PBS as a part of the acclaimed American Masters series, came along. A film in which Director Sasha Waters Freyer chronicles the complex life and incredible work of the person that some consider the greatest American street photographer.
Have we missed your favorite doc on this subject? Drop us a message and let us know which one we should include next time!
