By LEANNE COLE
This is not a discussion about whether men or women are better photographers, I think we have proven time and time again that gender has nothing to do with it. I am more interested in the bigger picture and how the world perceives women photographers and men photographers.
They have been saying for a very long time it is a man’s world, and I thought things had changed, but I keep hearing how women still aren’t paid the same, that women still get treated differently. I don’t know how true it is, I have always gone through life thinking I can do anything if I really want to, well almost anything. Of course I can’t be the queen of England, I will never be a famous movie star and I will never fly to the moon, they are just not something that is possible. Instead I concentrate on realistic goals, those for me are being the best photographer I can be. I don’t think being a woman stops me from that.
Recently I heard that there are more women doing photography than men, especially new people coming into photography. Yet, when you look at the world of professional photography it is still very much dominated by men. Part of the thinking behind this post came when I was going through Nikon’s website and I found a page of photographers, Professional Insights, and they list a whole heap of photographers, but out of the 20 listed only two of them are women — and both are listed near the bottom of the page
I was shocked. I thought if there are more women doing photography now, then why do Nikon only represent it like it is 10%? Of course, that could just be Nikon and maybe that is how they think about the world.
Then I saw this from Canon and their European and Philippine ambassadors, see if you can spot the women in the big picture.
It seems that there is a perception that men do all the really cool stuff, you know like Landscape photography, architecture, while the women do all the portraits, babies and weddings. You really don’t hear of men photographing babies, unless it is their own. So while I think there is a place for women in photography, have we been pigeon-holed as only able to do certain things?
My questions today are more about perceptions. When you think of women photography, what sort of photography comes to mind? Why do you think professional organizations still have more men represented than women?
Tell me your gender and what sort of photography you like doing? Do you find it a struggle to achieve what you want?