The purpose of this study is to get a deeper understanding of the art form that is street photograhpy. Once this has been achieved the text will delve deeper into the life and works of American street photographer Vivian Maier. Three of Maier's photographs have been analysed through a hermeneutic approach. This includes a basic formal analysis and a more in-depth semiotic analysis. The results show that Maier was a multifaceted photographer with an interesting worldview and a penchant for the less fortunate. Maier's works evoke feelings of nostalgia, but they also bring up important themes like gender, class, life and death.