Marisa Panetti produced more than a hundred and fifty thousand negatives between 1965 and her death in 2010. Most of them are quite good, professional quality photography, the standard of art that makes the photographer famous and earns Pulitzers. Marisa had talent and an eye for light and framing, and for capturing the humanity of her subjects.
She rarely appeared without her camera, did not process prints, and she certainly didn’t exhibit her work. She went to great lengths to avoid the accolades that would surely make her famous and wealthy during her lifetime.
Only one self-portrait image exists that’s almost certainly unintentional. The single black and white frame, a blurry and off-center reflection in a photography studio window, may explain Marisa’s extreme isolation. A rather plainly dressed woman holding a camera might seem unremarkable, but the six-foot prehensile tail holding the flash unit aloft is not.
145 words, for this week’s FFfAW photo prompt. Based on the life and work of Vivian Maier (with some obvious differences).
ParkInkSpot 
That one will probably explain her isolation more! Very good story with a surprising twist at the end.
Could put a dent in her social schedule.
That explains why Marisa didn’t want to become famous – she had a 6 ft. tail. Unlike other people. Great story with a surprise twist at the end!
Thanks Joy.
Oh, very nice twist at the end. The almost documentary style of the story led me to believe you were going in a different direction so the swerve at the end was powerful. Nicely done.
Documentary style wasn’t intentional, it just wrote itself that way.
A six foot long tail would be definitely be enough to stop her from wanting to make public appearances! Great story with a brilliantly unexpected twist. 🙂
Clumsy for ballgowns, too!
A magical story!! Love the twist.
Danke, thanks for reading.
Wonderful story. Lovely material and information. Great twist!
Vivian Maier was a cool lady. I dig most of the B&W era photographers.
I loved the historical take on the plot until…. Great! Enjoyed!
I wondered why she was crowd shy and the end explained her hiding.