Women in Photography

Photography is very different between men and women but during our class discussion, we saw the works of many influential women photographers. It was most fascinating to see what these women photographed. When women photographed other women, there was a sense of comfort and ease in the models. I do not believe that women could have taken the same pictures or come up with the same ideas for pictures that women have. In addition to viewing famous women photographers pictures, we read articles on what it’s like to be a woman photographer. Art journalist, Charlotte Jansen, made a book that looks at the growing number of female photographers who are using their skills to shape how society looks at women. “Many of the women Jansen interviewed knew their subjects well—or made a point of getting to know them before taking their photograph.” Women photographers get to know their subjects well so they can be at ease when being photographs. The second article depicts the difficulty women face in photojournalism. More men are are credited for their work and have more opportunity to work in dangerous situations because they do not have to worry about the family they are leaving behind, unlike women. Sara Krulwich noticed that from the time she began working as a photojournalist, in 1970s and 80s, to now, less women are in the business. During the presentation and in an article, we learned about photographer Berenice Abbott who changed the photography world with science. She created pictures that no one had done before and helped society understand more about how science works through her photography. The last article and female photographer we discussed was Rania Matar. Matar uses her photography to reveal what it is like to be a woman today. She photographed women from all over the world and tries to depict their story through a single image. Each woman photographer has a different style of work but each is making a name for themselves in the industry and is extremely successful. After the presentation I was left wondering what angles women used to take pictures of men and what angles men used to take pictures of women. This is important because if men only take pictures of women from high angles and women only take pictures of men from low angles, that shows that women and men perceive men to be above women. I hope that no matter the gender, pictures are taken from all angles to create the best piece possible.