Women in photography

Let’s start off with a link to 12 leading UK female photographers, as this is my home country. Similar lists can be searched for your own country of interest.

Apparently almost half of photography graduates in the USA are women, yet they are under-represented and paid less than their male counterparts, particularly in commercial work.

Our sales statistics show a large number of women purchasing our photography products, but we have no way of knowing how many are gift items for a loved one, although comments in the reviews suggest some are. Statistics only show the numbers, not the underlying reasons.

I don’t want to get bogged down in politics, but rarely do headline statistics reveal the truth and layered nature of the underlying causes. For instance, the statistics won’t account for the type of photography, age and experience, and many other factors that could be at play, including personal choices that are often very different for men, women, and cultures.

Anecdotally, which limits what most of us can state with accuracy, the women I know who take brilliant photos with apparent ease have no interest in the mechanics or features of the camera beyond what is needed to capture the image, and many are partners of the men in the group.

Men generally group in a hobby and obsess over gear, be it cars, computers, fishing, or a host of others. Many women don’t appear to want to do this, and prefer the social and artistic nature of the hobby, again my anecdotal experience in amateur photography groups in the past.

However, given the history of women in photography and their undoubted quality and volume of output, there is no doubt that societal and cultural forces come into play to make it tougher for a woman to succeed, and these need to be addressed. Lack of female brand ambassadors, for example, are one obvious failing that almost certainly indicates a problem.

Searching for a photograph to headline this article, I had to sift through a huge amount of young and glamorous looking females with cameras, often laughing and/or looking into the camera, before finding a more mature and natural image, but Ialso had a similar problem finding a mature male photographer; and I can’t comment on whether the men in the results were “Glamorous”.

Like any potential career, or in life generally, people need to see good role models to inspire them to follow their lead. More female brand ambassadors and articles highlighting their work would be a great start.

I’ll be featuring a female influencer or photographer in an upcoming article.

So, let’s hear from our female subscribers, or your links to female photographers you know through family, clubs, or work - let’s see their images!

Please comment below. 

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