To all the ladies out there...

Mojo Jojo

Mojo Jojo

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Joanne Christian
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hey there, i'm writing an article on women in photography. I have a few questions for the ladies on here. The gentlemen are welcome to present thier opinions. All of them are photography related.

So here are my questions:

Do you feel women are less respected as photographers?

Have you ever had an experience when you feel you would have been treated differently if you were a male?


Also on the flip side, do you feel that being a woman might have helped? especially with candid photography etc?

Thanks in advance for any replies.
x
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Aren't cameras a bit complicated for mere girlies? :naughty: :exit:
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At least I can read the manual, something that lots of men on here can't seem to do.:D

To be fair though most men on TP are very helpful and give good feedback. I don't really feel that we are treated any differently. If you take a good photo you get praise and if it's not good then most helpful people will try to explain where you go wrong.
 
hillwalkinggirl said:
At least I can read the manual, something that lots of men on here can't seem to do.:D

To be fair though most men on TP are very helpful and give good feedback. I don't really feel that we are treated any differently. If you take a good photo you get praise and if it's not good then most helpful people will try to explain where you go wrong.
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yeah but im talking about in the outside world. rather than just in the forum
 
Seriously though, I think females get an easier time from non-photographers. A lone female with a camera is just that, a lone male with a camera must be a paedophile :shrug:
 
There are are some very brave men on here! Speaking personally, I wouldn't treat a lady photographer any differently. At the end of the day, a good photo is a good photo, regardless of who it's been taken by. I shoot mainly motorsport, and I've seen lots of women with media passes at the events I go to. It doesn't matter really.
 
Question 1.... no

Question 2.... women get away with buying the next round...:lol:

Question 3.... been mentioned before by FLASH, men would be confronted, called or even in court, where as a woman would not be bothered as all they would be doing is taking pictures.

Dave
 
it is annoying sometimes, when shooting a job withthe mrs. people assume i'm the no.1 tog. not the mrs.
i quite enjoy putting them right.
she can get the ladies to be more cooperative than i can.
but i can be more bossy with the groups.
other togs readily respect the wifes work(shes good).
but you do sometimes fell that some male customers think my work should be betterthan hers cos shes female. plonkers.
 
To be honest I haven't thought about it that much, but I tend to think a photographer is a photographer. I suppose in the professional arena photography, like most things, has been male dominated in the past but I tyhink that's changing. I noticed at the Superleague Grand Final at Old Trafford that 2 of the 5 official photographers at our end of the stadium were female, that can only be a good thing.

Just so long as they're home in time to cook dinner and do the housework! :rules: :exit:
 
From a male perspective.

Do you feel women are less respected as photographers?
No, Some people would prefer to have a female photographer, (new nude models, some brides etc - female to female company will make some people more comfortable) I met a photographer who works for a magazine, and she is brilliant at her job, I respected her and so did my friend who got shot for the magazine.
So I feel there is an even balance of respect for male & female photographers.


Have you ever had an experience when you feel you would have been treated differently if you were a male?
N/A

Also on the flip side, do you feel that being a woman might have helped? especially with candid photography etc?
N/A
 
Mojo Jojo said:
Do you feel women are less respected as photographers?

No, not in my experience, either here on the forum amongst other photographers, or in the big wide world of non togs. I do occasionally get some strange looks when out on my own with a big camera slung over my shoulder but thats about it.

Have you ever had an experience when you feel you would have been treated differently if you were a male?

again, no. Possibly I havent yet been in a position photographically where that could have been the case anyway, but I haven't 'suffered' for being a woman - on th eotherahnd, my answer to the next question does partially apply to this one in as much as being treated differently.....
Also on the flip side, do you feel that being a woman might have helped? especially with candid photography etc?

I DO honestly feel that I get away with a lot more when out on the streets with the camera, especially if there are kids around. Parents don't seem to take any notice of me and indeed have been known to deliberately walk into shot. Maybe men get the same thing, but I don't hear/see many of them saying so - they are of course all paedos and perverts, I know, this, I have been out snapping with a lot of them :nuts:
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Do you feel women are less respected as photographers?

Sometimes, especially young women like me. I'm 21 but people seem to think I'm more interested in gossip and shopping than being a photographer and don't take me seriously.

Have you ever had an experience when you feel you would have been treated differently if you were a male?

Yeah, I had an interview for a job and there were two people applying, me, and some guy. My work was way, way better than his but he got hired, not me. They hurried through my interview and pretty much took what I said with a pinch of salt.

Also on the flip side, do you feel that being a woman might have helped? especially with candid photography etc

I suppose we don't get called a paedophile as much as men.
 
IMO photography cannot be helped by gender... Like some sports where prodomenantly a male is "stronger" and therefore seen to have an unfair advntage, Photography is more about learning and settings as well as MONEY!

I Feel the women in photography has a fair shot at making it pro with the same difficulties a male would.
 
Do you feel women are less respected as photographers?

Hmmm that's a really difficult one to answer. Sometimes I do especially with the more technical stuff. But then I see Annie Liebowitz and Emma Delves Broughton and I realise it's all about the final product anyway.


Have you ever had an experience when you feel you would have been treated differently if you were a male?
I get the **** taken all the time! I'm quite small so if I stick a 100-400mm on a 1Ds then I look like a tripod. But I do have a sense of humour so I'm fine with it :)

Also on the flip side, do you feel that being a woman might have helped? especially with candid photography etc?
Absolutely! My fave model only started to work with me because I'm female. It's a huge barrier for young women to go off on their own to a studio with a bloke they barely know and get their kit off? Also, as you mentioned candids and kids. I got some cracking pics of two kids playing in a fountain in Manchester with the permission of their parents, probably because I'm female and asked nicely.
 
I find it interesting that women are aware that men could be called a paedophile so easily by having a camera in a public place close to children, but i have witnessed that women do their fruit more than a man when it comes up in papers.

So do women have to take some of blame for the popularity of wrongful accusations?
 
I must say that when I was assisting Colin (Hacker) with a wedding some folk assumed we were husband and wife!

I couldnt POSSIBLY be a photographer in my own right of course!! ;) :D

No I didnt get miffed by it.. .just an observation. :)

But I HAVE given an answer to a question on here many a tiime and no one has answered and when a male has said the exact same reply further down everyone says "ooh well done, good answer!"

I just smile ;)
 
Janice said:
But I HAVE given an answer to a question on here many a tiime and no one has answered and when a male has said the exact same reply further down everyone says "ooh well done, good answer!"

I just smile ;)
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I've written about that too Janice. It's that sketch from the fast show! :naughty::naughty:
 
hillwalkinggirl said:
Can't say I've noticed any difference. :thinking:
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excellent :)

Flash In The Pan said:
Seriously though, I think females get an easier time from non-photographers. A lone female with a camera is just that, a lone male with a camera must be a paedophile :shrug:
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True, But there is a flip side to this. For example when i am out shooting on my own i tend to get alot of comments and intimidation from groups of men. Young ones (eg 16) who tend to think its amusing to keep walking past the camera, and older ones (30/40s?) who think its comical to make crude comments about things i can take a picture off....

inaneredstripe said:
it is annoying sometimes, when shooting a job withthe mrs. people assume i'm the no.1 tog. not the mrs.
i quite enjoy putting them right.
she can get the ladies to be more cooperative than i can.
but i can be more bossy with the groups.
other togs readily respect the wifes work(shes good).
but you do sometimes fell that some male customers think my work should be betterthan hers cos shes female. plonkers.
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Wonderful responce. Thank you :)


hellogoodbye said:
Do you feel women are less respected as photographers?

Sometimes, especially young women like me. I'm 21 but people seem to think I'm more interested in gossip and shopping than being a photographer and don't take me seriously.

Have you ever had an experience when you feel you would have been treated differently if you were a male?

Yeah, I had an interview for a job and there were two people applying, me, and some guy. My work was way, way better than his but he got hired, not me. They hurried through my interview and pretty much took what I said with a pinch of salt.

Also on the flip side, do you feel that being a woman might have helped? especially with candid photography etc

I suppose we don't get called a paedophile as much as men.
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Yeah i'm 20, and when people ask me what i do and i say 'i'm training to be a photographer' they always seem surprised. they assume just because i am a young blonde woman with a midlands accent i am studing H&B lol.



Janice said:
I must say that when I was assisting Colin (Hacker) with a wedding some folk assumed we were husband and wife!

I couldnt POSSIBLY be a photographer in my own right of course!! ;) :D

No I didnt get miffed by it.. .just an observation. :)

But I HAVE given an answer to a question on here many a tiime and no one has answered and when a male has said the exact same reply further down everyone says "ooh well done, good answer!"

I just smile ;)
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ooooh well done, good answer! lol ;)
yeah i understand alot of the preconceptions come from people outside of the business. i think im going to look into this a bit more. thanks. :)

Feel free to keep posting responses especially:

How do u think attidutes to womens photography has changed in the last 50(ish) years?

and

Do you believe that class is a factor in photography?
 
How do u think attidutes to womens photography has changed in the last 50(ish) years?
Yes, I do. I think it has changed in the last 20 years. I do think it is far more accessible to women but so are a lot of other career choices. There is still a glass ceiling in a lot of professions in that you do need to be exceptional as a woman to be accepted.

and

Do you believe that class is a factor in photography?
I'm not sure that it is but then again if you don't have to work for a living and can still afford good equipment you are going to have an awful lot more freedom to develop than someone with those restrictions. I think it can give you a platform that is denied to most.
 
AliB said:
I've written about that too Janice. It's that sketch from the fast show! :naughty::naughty:
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oh yes.........I shouldve started talking about cutie wooty kittens and puppies!! :love: :love:

:D :lol:
 
In answer to your questions
No.
No.
Not yet
~~

I was by the side of the A23 earlier today taking pictures of the London to Brighton Veteran car run and got chatting to one of the support vehicle teams when they asked which paper I was working for. They automatically assumed I was a professional photographer (2 cameras and a high-visibility vest could have had something to do with that)
 
Do you feel women are less respected as photographers?

People earn respect from what they do and how they do it. I don't see any I know being less well respected where their attitude or work is good enough

Have you ever had an experience when you feel you would have been treated differently if you were a male?

Now this I have seen. People in general seem to assume women don't 'do' technical things all that well, so, as inaredstripe says, when a couple are out together the principal tog will most likely be assumed to be the male. This male/female technology divide is pretty well ingrained in society, though I've no idea what it could be based upon :shrug:

Also on the flip side, do you feel that being a woman might have helped? especially with candid photography etc?

I'm sure being a women helps in some forms of photography, and certainly you're less likely to be assumed to be a perv. I get on really well with most kids I Shoot, usually as we act the same mental age! But there have been a few where they just don't like men and Adele has had to Shoot them instead

DD
 
hillwalkinggirl said:
At least I can read the manual, something that lots of men on here can't seem to do.:D
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Now now Babs, that’s a bit of a sexist remark there :thumbsdown:

We men like to have a good bash at first, completely mess it up, reset to factory settings, then read the manual :razz:



Most of the time I don’t know when commenting on shots here if the photographer is male or female. Should I subsequently find out that it was a female that took the shots I certainly don’t think ‘ooooh, didn’t the little lady do well’



When I first joined TP I read on here a debate about women taking better flower shots, (girlie thing I suppose). I too gained an interest in this field of photography and so decided, for the sake of my art, to be castrated. I really do think this has improved my technique in this field.
 
Baz777 said:
When I first joined TP I read on here a debate about women taking better flower shots, (girlie thing I suppose). I too gained an interest in this field of photography and so decided, for the sake of my art, to be castrated. I really do think this has improved my technique in this field.
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I admire your commitment m8 (or should that now be m8ess? :thinking:)

DD
 
Mojo Jojo said:
hey there, i'm writing an article on women in photography.
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Who for, if you don't mind me asking?

I think photography is one of those areas where gender plays a very insignificant part in whether somebody is accepted or not. I think percentage-wise this artform has a greater number of accepted women 'masters' than any other ... Lee Miller and Annie Liebowitz have both had major London retrospectives this year and I don't recall either having to overcome any gender bias to achieve anything. There's possibly a male-bias in terms of writing for the main photo publications but my personal favourite read - Black & White Photography - is now back to having a woman editor and is all the better for it.
 
I've felt really awkward before as a lone male with a camera, had more than a few undeserved dirty looks for doing nothing wrong :(
 
Mojo Jojo said:
Do you feel women are less respected as photographers?
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I am sure that, at the lower end of photography, there is discrimination. Over the years I employed two female staff who deserved a better job at much higher pay than I could afford, but they worked for me because they couldn't get a job anywhere else.


Once a photographer gets to the level where its the work that matters then women are not usually discriminated against, although I suspect there are few employers still living in the middle ages.

Cristina Rodero, Marylin Silverstone, Lise Sarfati, Inge Morath and Susan Meisalas all became members of Magnum. Being female didn't stop them being accepted into the worlds most famous photographic partnership. Being male didn't me get in. Their work was up to standard, mine wasn't.

Lee Miller, Toni Frissell and Clare Booth Luce all did very well indeed in the most macho of all photographic arenas - war photography.
 
Q1 No
Q2 Suggests you want a negative answer when viewed against Q3, I think you could combine the two questions to avoid the bias implied if this is a serious piece of work

I think it is easier for me in some situations, for example taking candids or asking strangers if I can photograph them.

When I was out with steveinspain a couple of weeks ago we were on a pretty deserted beach in a fishing village where there were a lot of small fishing boats beached up. After a few minutes this old man arrived and started 'tidying' the pebbles around his boat. Steve went over and said good morning, how are you - in his best Spanish and got totally ignored. I went over a few minutes later and said pretty much the same thing and had a chat about the weather and fishing and I asked if I could take his picture and he was happy to let me do this


IMG_2421_edit_sm.jpg


However, I'd feel nervous out on my own in some places, like backstreets or deserted locations (even in Spain). As for my work being treated differently, I only started in January and I've been asked to have my first exhibition in December, so I've no complaints. It's swings and roundabouts I guess. Ultimately a photograph stands on its merits regardless of who has taken it.

As for 50 years ago, there has been a whole swathe of economic, social and political changes that have, at the very least, given us women more access to photography, more time to do it, more money to do it with and more freedom and independence to pursue 'hobbies' in general, not just in photography so it's inevitable that we are also more visible.

If you want a further talk about this feel free to pm me.

Oops, went on a bit didn't I? :schtum:
 
The famous and prestigious portrait photographer Mary Ellen Mark believed that she was granted certain valuable oppurtunities due to being female.

A case in particular, a child prostitue by the name of Tiny had allowed Mary to take pictures through out her life.
A male photographer would most likely not have had these oppurtunities.

More reading here
 
Mojo Jojo said:
How do u think attidutes to womens photography has changed in the last 50(ish) years?

and

Do you believe that class is a factor in photography?
Click to expand...

I think attitudes to women in general have changed the last 50 years. Without wishing to start a flame war or risk being called a sexist, whether this is wholly a good thing (and I mean this in the context of what is good for women) is debateable.

Class is gray area, if you really mean "class" in it's truest sense then we are talking about social values and such like, but if you mean it in a socio-economic way, related to one's income or financial standing, then, no it doesn't appear to have have any bearing on whether an individual pursues photography as a hobby or not.

There do, however, appear to be (from what I've observed) psychological reasons why some people take up photography.
 
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