This 1957 photo provided by the Estate of Vivian Maier and John Maloof Collection a woman in a party dress walking towards a car in Miami. New research about Maier shows the enigmatic Chicago nanny was obsessive about honing her skills as a photographer starting in 1950. (Vivian Maier/Estate of Vivian Maier and John Maloof Collection via AP)
The Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) - New research about Vivian Maier shows the enigmatic Chicago nanny was obsessive about honing her skills as a photographer starting in 1950.
Yawning gaps in her life story led to early depictions of her as someone who may not have fully grasped nor cultivated her raw talent. Maier's photography became a sensation only after she died penniless and living alone in 2009.
But research shown to The Associated Press in advance of a new book "Vivian Maier Developed: The Real Story of the Photographer Nanny" shows she devoted years to experimenting with lighting and angles.
Author Ann Marks found that within a few years, Maier had so mastered photography that she often took just one shot to capture streetscape images heralded by critics decades later.
This 1933 photo provided by Sylvain Jaussaud, shows Vivian Maier at around age 7 with her mother in Haute-Alpes, France, where she spent much of her childhood. New research about Vivian Maier shows the enigmatic Chicago nanny was obsessive about honing her skills as a photographer starting in 1950. (Courtesy of Sylvain Jaussaud via AP)
The Associated Press
This circa 1950 photo provided by the Estate of Vivian Maier shows one of the first photographs Maier took as she began to teach herself photography while visiting France. New research about Maier shows the enigmatic Chicago nanny was obsessive about honing her skills as a photographer starting in 1950. (Vivian Maier/Estate of Vivian Maier via AP)
The Associated Press
This 1954 photo provided by the Estate of Vivian Maier and John Maloof Collection shows Maier in a self-portrait on a beach in New York's Staten Island. New research about Maier shows the enigmatic Chicago nanny was obsessive about honing her skills as a photographer starting in 1950. (Vivian Maier/Estate of Vivian Maier and John Maloof Collection via AP)
The Associated Press
This 1960s photo provided by the Estate of Vivian Maier and John Maloof Collection shows nuns on New York's Fifth Avenue. New research about Maier shows the enigmatic Chicago nanny was obsessive about honing her skills as a photographer starting in 1950. (Vivian Maier/Estate of Vivian Maier and John Maloof Collection via AP)
The Associated Press
This 1953 photo provided by the Estate of Vivian Maier and John Maloof Collection shows a police officer arresting two suspects on Christmas Eve in New York. New research about Maier shows the enigmatic Chicago nanny was obsessive about honing her skills as a photographer starting in 1950. (Vivian Maier/Estate of Vivian Maier and John Maloof Collection via AP)
The Associated Press