Framing

During Mr. Oxton's class, we discussed the influence of context on an artistic statement, specifically how the meaning of a photograph might be interpreted differently depending on whether the photographer is a man or a woman. Maggie Steber, first female photo editor of the New York bureau of The Associated press, has "no patience being described as a woman photographer." She feels it
"[diminishes]" her accomplishments and sets up a dangerous "them and us" dynamic, although she concedes that "how [her] gender shapes [her] views is important and cannot be denied".

The 2017 book Girl on Girl: Art and Photography in the Age of the Female Gaze by art journalist Charlotte Jansen, as well as our conversation with Mr. Oxton, seems to suggest, however, that the "female gaze", as represented by "women image makers" is a powerful artistic tool that can be used to change the narrative of femininity for women and men alike. Photography, and specifically photojournalism is, to me, interesting as an artistic medium because it is by nature limited to reality. Unlike painting or music, unlike novel-writing or architecture, photography strictly concerns what already exists rather than what might be created. The picture is already out there; the art, then, lies in how you frame it. 

Photographers often work with the same source material, holding up different frames to the same picture. To illustrate these differences, Mr. Oxton explained how male versus female image makers chose to photograph the famous model Isabelle Huppert. The differences were what I expected - although far more overt. The question that I had to ask myself, however, was that if Mr. Oxton had lied and told me that the photographs taken by men were actually taken by women, would that have changed how I interpreted them?

I had to admit that it would.

I am conflicted on whether gender "should" influence my interpretations, whether I "should" look at a photograph taken by a man differently than one taken by a woman, but I have to admit that it does and I do. This sentiment, which I believe I share with many of my peers, shows that, at least for now, gender remains an important part of the framing.