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Maier. The mystery woman, the photographer…. a one shot wonder. As a dear friend and I settled in to watch the documentary, her lovable doggie rested his head on my arm…. monotone voices and non-descript music….. and soon I heard her ask, should we watch this another time? In this life where we go, go, go until we can’t go any more, a moment of quiet often brings uninvited sleep. myDarlin’ would often wake me under the same circumstances and chuckle at the fact that I rarely watch any movie all of the way through. The irony in all of this is that exhaustion is necessary for sleep…
Vivian has caught the imagination of a world obsessed with taking photos; both for photographers and the rest of the world. But in this day of smart phones & devices, does the rest of the world consider themselves photographers too? To the photographers who are always framing the environment, it is amazing that she was able to capture her moments in a single shot - as we often shoot many just to get the ‘money shot’. One of the interviewees said that people often mistook her vintage Rolleiflex camera as part of her quirky persona, which allowed her in part to blend in. And I think of today’s time, where the iPhone has much the same effect as no one raises an eyebrow to the person taking the photo, but the moment one raises a DSLR to their eye all heads turn. One must wonder what would be if Vivian had a digital camera…
And she documented the times with her street photography and environmental shots, so much so that one is able to recreate her life via the photographs and collections of notes, tickets, etc. The ‘selfies’ in her collection make me pause to wonder if she was taking them, knowing that no one else would. And they say she didn’t want attention, but perhaps she was crying out for it.
A roll of film, twelve precious shots, documented her ordinary day dropping the kids off for school, then riding the train downtown to walk into other’s lives, finding art in the process. To do this we must carry our cameras everywhere…. Wait! We all do with our smart phones….. and I can look back at any given day on my phone, and let you know what I was doing as it is very well documented with photos. They (you know, the proverbial ‘they’) say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and I must agree. For it is by these photos, that precious moments are captured like splashes of raindrops caught at a high shutter speed as they hit the puddle. While no one is exactly sure ‘how’ Vivian learned the technical aspects of photography, we do know that she ‘had an eye’ for composition. And in our own lives, we must learn the ‘technicalities’ so that they are second nature and we can focus on framing our lives, living our lives, being in the moment.
Today I am filled with gratitude that Vivian has been discovered, and her life and talents shared with the world. And as well, I am grateful that I was able to document my precious time with myDarlin’ Robert Kenui Pope through photographs not only for me, but others who loved him too. I challenge you; my friends, my Ohana, to walk into life, then pause to look up and you will be amazed at the art of everyday life. Take what you want, it’s already yours.
#KeepLookingUp #WalkIntoLife
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