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5 women photographers who made an impact that you might not have heard of

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Ever since Anna Atkins‘ first experiments in botanical cyanotypes in the late 1700s, women have been involved in photography. It’s easy to name several influential women who unarguably had a big impact on the photography industry, Annie Liebovitz, Dorothea Lange, Sally Mann, and Tina Modotti, amongst others.

They are the rockstar photographers who we all know and love. But we mustn’t forget that there were many influential women photographers working throughout the years who have all contributed to changing the way we see the world and interact within it. Here are a handful of those women photographers who you may not have heard of.

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Photographer shares sexist things men do to her at weddings

Wedding photographer Kim Williams recently stirred up the community after she shared what she’s gone through at work. Being a woman in the “man’s man’s man’s world,” is difficult as it is, and Kim shared all the sexist things men do to her while she is doing her job.

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If only I were a male photographer

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I consider myself a reasonably good photographer. Of course, that’s subjective, and some may disagree with me. But when I look at my photographs, I’m filled with immense pride. They continue to move me and touch the part of my brain where art translates to goose-bumps and emotion.

They say if you want to be a good writer, you must write, read, and practice over and over. The same is true for photography. I’ve spent almost a decade clicking the shutter, editing my work, and admiring thousands of other photographs.

The learning never ends, and that’s the fun part. I know my work will continue to improve, and it’s exciting to think that there’s still room for me to surprise myself with new work.

A sa woman, I’m aware that I possess the exact same brain, heart, and creativity as any man. This should mean that the photographs I create would be of the same artistic quality as my male counterparts. But sadly, this is not the case.

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Life and work of Diane Arbus, one of the most inspirational and controversial American photographers

Diane Arbus was one of the most inspirational, but also most controversial American photographers of the 20th century. If you’d like to learn more about her, Martin Kaninsky of All About Street Photography has an amazing video for you. In about 15 minutes, he’ll introduce you to the fascinating life and work of this famous 20th-century photographer.

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Female photographers, you can now apply for Sony’s Alpha Female Program. And it’s free

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If you’re a female photographer or filmmaker, Sony is currently offering a fantastic opportunity for you to advance your career. Its Alpha Female Program is now open for submissions and Sony will choose five professional creators who will win plenty of valuable prizes. And what’s more: application is completely free.

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Want to Break the Glass Ceiling as a Female photographer? First, believe you’re capable

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Often times, when I walk on set to begin a photoshoot, I’m mistaken for a makeup artist. Other times, I’ll have a male assistant with me on set, and our client will assume I’m his assistant. This is no surprise to me—across the photography industry there is a massive underrepresentation of women. It’s simply less common for our clients to see females as lead photographers. And for the women who do rise to the top, we’re much less likely to be employed by large media companies (7% compared to 22% of men). Plus, according to the State of News Photography Study, not only do women hold less photography jobs, but we’re paid less than men for the same work.

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Sexual harassment in the wedding industry

This week our news feeds were flooded with two simple words: #MeToo.

This trending hashtag has raised awareness regarding how devastatingly widespread sexual harassment and assault are in today’s society. The campaign began after activist Tarana Burke launched metoo.support, a website that supported and amplified the voices of survivors of sexual abuse, assault, and exploitation, and Alyssa Milano later shared the following: If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet. (@AlyssaMilano)

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Re-Search fights gender stereotypes in job image search

I’m sure you’ve encountered with gender stereotypes at some point of your life, one way or another. Unfortunately, they are all around us, even in the image search engine results. International technology company Semcon Global has recognized this and decided to do something about it. They wanted to draw attention to gender inequality and existing stereotypes in job image search. So they’ve created Re-Search, an extension that automatically makes your image searches of different professions more gender balanced.

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Fathers and daughters: why do 2/3 of the population prefer that dads will take family photos?

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It’s Father’s Day today and accordingly, my email inbox has been deluged with gift ideas for fathers. Even if they are photographically inclined (you might not believe how many press releases I receive that aren’t even in my preferred ball-park) the chances are that they won’t present me with many opportunities to feature them. I was surprised then when something did catch my eye.

The press release in question concerned the results of a survey conducted by the photo-printing company Photobox that focused on the habits of picture-taking within families. Admittedly it was only a small survey, conducted on 2,000 people, but it threw up some interesting results—namely that almost two thirds of fathers (61%) believe that they take better photos than their other halves, and that 68% of mothers prefer that their families’ fathers take the photos. For me, this was especially noteworthy because it vindicated the conclusion of a discussion that I’ve been having since at least 2011.

The question that has been under discussion: ‘Where are all the women photographers?’ The conclusion? That girls being photographed by their fathers has a lot to do with it.

These are incredibly broad statements, with some far-reaching implications, so perhaps we should unpick them a little.

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