Women in Photography Clubs and Forums?

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Eltheza

Eltheza

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Elizabeth
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Hi All :)!
This is a question purely for my own interest. I've been taking photos for most of my life, starting with grandad's Box Brownie when I was 9 (never had a film in it!) and then I had a Kodak Instamatic for my 11th birthday.
I've been a member here for some time and would like to thank you all for the instructive information, the tutorials and the (sometimes!) interesting discussions. I read a lot here; I don't post pics because I'm not up to the high standard that I see in the different categories.
I'm a member of another online forum where I participate more. There are more 'amateurs' there.
Both in this forum and the other one, there are only a handful of women members. I'm a member of a great local photography group; we meet twice a month. This all stopped during the lockdowns but we continued via Zoom. We are 30 members, 6 of whom are women.
I have my own ideas but would anyone like to comment as to why women don't tend to get involved so much in photography forums and groups?
Thank you for any responses and thanks again for this forum in general:ty: !
 
I just think that generally, and I stress that word, photography itself is a field that attracts more blokes than women. I know a number of fine female photographers and have seen the work of many more, so this isn't a sexist slant.

Again generally, many blokes like to think about equipment - they like to shop for it it, admire it, fiddle with it ... and in short, owning equipment seems to be a thing amongst them. And I suspect that this translates into membership of groups, clubs, forums.

It's often been traditionally held that techy pursuits attract a core of male adherents who can appear quite competitive which can put women off joining in through feeling that they are likely to be patronised. But times may be changing ...
 
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Eltheza said:
Hi All :)!
This is a question purely for my own interest. I've been taking photos for most of my life, starting with grandad's Box Brownie when I was 9 (never had a film in it!) and then I had a Kodak Instamatic for my 11th birthday.
I've been a member here for some time and would like to thank you all for the instructive information, the tutorials and the (sometimes!) interesting discussions. I read a lot here; I don't post pics because I'm not up to the high standard that I see in the different categories.
I'm a member of another online forum where I participate more. There are more 'amateurs' there.
Both in this forum and the other one, there are only a handful of women members. I'm a member of a great local photography group; we meet twice a month. This all stopped during the lockdowns but we continued via Zoom. We are 30 members, 6 of whom are women.
I have my own ideas but would anyone like to comment as to why women don't tend to get involved so much in photography forums and groups?
Thank you for any responses and thanks again for this forum in general:ty: !
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Women like taking photos, men like talking about cameras? :LOL:

Joking but there’s more than a grain of truth so far, things may change … as @droj wrote. Any thread about gear choice here is liable to run & run.
 
Hi , That's a difficult question for a man to answer , The club I belonged to 20 od years ago did have 2 lady members that sat in the corner chatting most nights , One had a good eye for a photo when we went out , They did not attend if we had a lady model for the night ?
 
I think the vast majority of members here are most definitely amateur, and probably like me pretty mediocre in standard but gaining inspiration and guidance from the site. It’s easy to be discouraged when you see fantastic shots so often from a number of people but in every case they offer something to learn from.
I can’t say that I ever pay any attention to whether contributors are male or female, although I would imagine a majority are men at present. I do think the demographic is changing though, in photography in general and I’ve noticed many more women making photography their business and creative outlet, influenced by some amazing work that has been done in the past.
 
I think because various hobbies pursuits have traditionally been done by men it almost puts women off before they have even started, they would have to compete in a male dominated hobby and possibly be the only one or a very small minority and in all honesty would be treated differently by men than they would treat each other in all different ways . I personally think women most likely have a lot to give to photography see things from a female eye and it's a real shame there are not more that are interested.
 
My club has 140 members of which 35 are female; we also have 3 females on the Committee. Some of our most successful photographers in competitions are also female. It is unusual for anyone to talk about equipment but more likely discussions are about images and locations. We do also have members under 40 though not many.

I cannot say that it is easy to see which photographs are taken by females or males at the Club. However, we can see clear differences in the photographs taken by children in our Schools competition. The children (at least the Primary/infant levels) do not know about guidelines etc. so do their own thing. When they photograph their friends they are usually at the same level; a mistake adults often make is to point the camera down to children.

Dave
 
I met my wife at our then local photographic society. We were both well under 40 at the time. She has a better photographic 'eye' than I do but her lack of interest in the technical side prevented her from getting better results.
 
The club that I belong to has over 700 members, and normally there are many photo related events scheduled every year. This year, I believe mostly due to COVID, nothing is happening, except for a once a month get together of up to a dozen for an open chat at a coffee house. We eat, drink coffee, and talk about photography as well as just about any other subject that someone brings up. In this past year, the women attending have out numbered the men at most of these meetings

Charley.
 
I follow loads of great female photographers across both wedding and motorsport photography (in terms of weddings, more women than men) and having just given it some thought, I don't think I've ever seen a single one of them refer to the kit they use in any context. That would be in fairly stark contrast to the male photographers.

I know this is 'Talk Photography', not 'Talk Photography Gear' but conversation would, in my perception, heavily orientate towards gear around these parts.
 
I may be a little too late for this but exactly what droj said. In our local camera club there aren't many women either and while some of my irl female friends do photography, they do it on the amateur basis and do not aim at making it to the professional level, it's just a hobby. However, all the male photographers I know irl do photography for living.
I, personally, have never aimed at being professional photographer. I like taking pictures and doing edits, I like take photos of my friends and family and I occasionally do work as an assistant photographer for some of my friends but I just don't want to dive deeper, it doesn't feel like something I'd enjoy doing full time.
 
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I have never noticed any difference between men and women photographers. However there are more men who aspire to call themselves photographers. But that does not make them any better.
There seems to be a growing number of women sports and news photographers.
 
Dave Canon said:
My club has 140 members of which 35 are female; we also have 3 females on the Committee. Some of our most successful photographers in competitions are also female. It is unusual for anyone to talk about equipment but more likely discussions are about images and locations. We do also have members under 40 though not many.

I cannot say that it is easy to see which photographs are taken by females or males at the Club. However, we can see clear differences in the photographs taken by children in our Schools competition. The children (at least the Primary/infant levels) do not know about guidelines etc. so do their own thing. When they photograph their friends they are usually at the same level; a mistake adults often make is to point the camera down to children.

Dave
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Everyone sees the world from their own level most of the time.

I N the days of the Rolleiflex belly level shots became the rule.
 
ukaskew said:
I follow loads of great female photographers across both wedding and motorsport photography (in terms of weddings, more women than men) and having just given it some thought, I don't think I've ever seen a single one of them refer to the kit they use in any context. That would be in fairly stark contrast to the male photographers.

I know this is 'Talk Photography', not 'Talk Photography Gear' but conversation would, in my perception, heavily orientate towards gear around these parts.
Click to expand...
During my working life as a photographer I rarely talked about Photography at all. neither photography nor Gear.. When photographers met up,' the day job' was the last thing on our minds. Gear was what you used, not talked about. How many doctors or carpenters would talk about the tools of their trade, unless something was absolutely ground breaking, For the most part tools are boring.
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
How many … carpenters would talk about the tools of their trade
Click to expand...

www.lumberjocks.com

What is a California Framing Hammer?

www.lumberjocks.com www.lumberjocks.com

Hammer Time

groups.google.com groups.google.com

Estwing 26oz framing hammer review

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sourced via:

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Hammertime

Photographers are fond of saying that painters don't argue about brushes (not entirely true) and that carpenters don't argue about hammers. But what if they did? Mike (Thanks to numerous tipsters) P.S. Seems like something I might have written. P.P.S....
theonlinephotographer.typepad.com

and

wordpress.lensrentals.com

Hammerforum.com

With the recent camera releases (or maybe Spring fever) I've been rather amazed watching various photography forums have major melt downs during the last few weeks. I said something about cameras and lenses just being tools, not life and death, and got immediately annihilated. They aren't just...
wordpress.lensrentals.com
 
ukaskew said:
I follow loads of great female photographers across both wedding and motorsport photography (in terms of weddings, more women than men) and having just given it some thought, I don't think I've ever seen a single one of them refer to the kit they use in any context. That would be in fairly stark contrast to the male photographers.
Click to expand...
I don't meet many photographers in the real world, but one woman photographer I know changes her gear and talks about it more than I do.
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
During my working life as a photographer I rarely talked about Photography at all. neither photography nor Gear..
Click to expand...
Other camera operators I met when working in the 1960s and 1970s were known to discuss suppliers, equipment or materials - usually to complain! The press staff blokes, on the other hand, were usually moaning about their bosses... :wideyed:
 
sphexx said:
www.lumberjocks.com

What is a California Framing Hammer?

www.lumberjocks.com www.lumberjocks.com

Hammer Time

groups.google.com groups.google.com

Estwing 26oz framing hammer review

groups.google.com groups.google.com

sourced via:

theonlinephotographer.typepad.com

Hammertime

Photographers are fond of saying that painters don't argue about brushes (not entirely true) and that carpenters don't argue about hammers. But what if they did? Mike (Thanks to numerous tipsters) P.S. Seems like something I might have written. P.P.S....
theonlinephotographer.typepad.com

and

wordpress.lensrentals.com

Hammerforum.com

With the recent camera releases (or maybe Spring fever) I've been rather amazed watching various photography forums have major melt downs during the last few weeks. I said something about cameras and lenses just being tools, not life and death, and got immediately annihilated. They aren't just...
wordpress.lensrentals.com
Click to expand...
Amateur woodworkers talk as much about their tools as do amateur Photographers
YouTube covers both with astonishing detail.

(Hammers cover an astonishing wide field. I have a leather workers hammer that has no handle at all it is all head.)
 
I've tried to get former GF's interested in photography, ditto Mrs WW, as it'd make me feel better about faffing on with a camera if they were doing the same but none have been even remotely interested. Some have wanted their picture taken or wanted me to take a picture of something more than others but none have really been interested in taking pictures. I do have sister who was interested for a while but she very largely stopped now and just uses her phone, never afaik going out specifically to take pictures like she once did.

I suppose one question for the female members is why do you think forums and maybe even photography in general is more likely to be a man thing?
 
Just to show Hammers might be interesting even different.
The middle grip is hand sized.
It would be a lethal weapon.
Weighs 10 1/4 oz
Can be used for rubbing, burnishing, plannishing and hammering. seams etc.

This is a Victorian one but they are still made today and cost around £25 +
T30X2222web.jpg
 
I joined a local photography club six years ago and the membership has changed over that period, with the number of females increasing from about a third to almost half, with the committee changing from four men and three women to two men and four women including me. The average age has probably dropped a little but there is nobody younger than their mid-40s.

Over that time, some of the more gear-orientated and competitive male members have left to join a club more to their liking while ours has seen an increase in members (both male and female) who are less interested in gear and less bullish about their abilities, so our ethos is now more about learning than winning and the equipment, which seems to suit the people who have come for a look and become members. We still have excellent photographers and the same amount of competitions and awards etc but the atmosphere seems more inclusive and supportive than when I first joined. I hope it stays that way throughout the usual membership and committee cycles.

To address the OP's question, I wonder if it is because - generally speaking - photography has been seen as a predominantly male hobby through the years, going back to the scantily-clad models on the front of most photography magazines and posing at club meetings, whereas for the last few years most people can take a decent photo with their phone and people of all ages and interests are buying cameras and taking up photography. Of the local professional photographers, I would say the male/female percentage has increased over the last 20-30 years from almost exclusively male to probably 50/50.

Also, females can tend to have less confidence in their ability and be less interested in the gear, so if they join a club or forum where the majority of members or chat seems to be about the gear or competition or not good at offering constructive help, they will not stick around or will stay on the sidelines and not join in. This could apply to males too and I do not include TP in that sweeping statement as although chat about equipment outweighs everything else, whenever I have asked for help or been involved in threads and projects here the guys have been just as or more helpful than the gals.

And to the OP Elizabeth @Eltheza please don't feel you have to reach some invisible 'standard' before you feel able to share your images here! Put a toe in the water by sharing images in some of the informal "Show us..." threads for boats or dogs or sunsets or black & white or whatever. They are just threads for sharing images with no critique unless you ask. There is also the 52 project with a weekly theme. I have fallen way behind again with mine but it is a friendly community and you can join in and start at any time:
www.talkphotography.co.uk

365's, 52's & 12's

For all those daily weekly and monthly projects.
www.talkphotography.co.uk www.talkphotography.co.uk
 
Regarding age (under 40s) I think it’s because younger people are less likely to use forums or visit photography clubs. Technology plays its part as they are more likely to use Instagram, Facebook, YouTube etc. Disposable income also plays a part too. Photography isn’t a cheap hobby. The price of kit can be huge if you go down that rabbit hole but generally you’re looking a hundreds of pounds minimum and young people may not have the time or money available to them.

edit:

having a 50/50 split male to female along with a variety of ages (not the children of older members) would be great. I’ve not found a club or forum that’s like that yet.

I think photography club and societies have a reputation for being made up of older men and a formal hierarchy that puts some off (having people walking about calling themselves the chairman and only answering to that instead of their actual name puts me off). I’m sure not all are like that now as things change over time but most I’ve visited were sadly like that so I never joined.

A few years back I joined Andy Rouses online group. That was a good mix of male and female (nice to see and a better dynamic) but age wise there were very few my age. It was a nice friendly group but I didn’t have that much in common with most people and instead of gear it was what trips you were going on.
 
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They are also likely to be using phones, rather than cameras.
 
I know quite a fewer surfer girls, mostly based in Cornwall, who are very good photographers and they range in age from 19 to 34. Two of them are professionals. All of them are on Instagram and have their own websites linked to buy prints and or be hired for commercial work.

Also, via Facebook and Flickr, I know other female photographers - Some of them are very good indeed.

When I have gone on workshop trips abroad with professional Guy Edwardes, there are usually about 3 in each group of 8 who are female but older.

Gender, or age, has nothing to do with how good a photographer is.

[I don't belong to any amateur camera clubs - I don't like their typical attitudes]
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
Just to show Hammers might be interesting even different.
The middle grip is hand sized.
It would be a lethal weapon.
Click to expand...
1-ff5627876e.jpg
 
Dave Canon said:
What attitudes? Why is it on this forum a large number are members of Clubs but many of the rest seem to enjoy bad mouthing camera clubs without facts.
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.... I wasn't "bad mouthing camera clubs", I said that I [personally] don't like their typical attitudes - They are not my scene. Other people may enjoy being members of a photography club. I don't enjoy being a member of any kind of formal club which expects regular attendance and social interaction in person. Online social media is far more convenient for my lifestyle.

The typical factual reasons why many don't want to be photo club members are numerous and are written about all over the internet, but each to their own.
 
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People are people ,both men and women photographers may enjoy camera clubs or not, depending if they are club types. I have been involved a couple of times with clubs the first as a late teenager, when I found that I had nothing in common with the other members. Then later in life when they met on my premesis. But other wise again I had nothing in common with them.
Many were nice enough, and some were very competent photographers. But the whole club scene was not my thing. Nor do I see photography as a competitive sport. Though I once won a Christmas slide competition that was voted on by the members not a judge. Only the projectionist might have known who had entered what.

How well women fit into a club scene I am sure is down to their individual personality. But I am certain it has little to do how good a photographer they are.
 
Dave Canon said:
but many of the rest seem to enjoy bad mouthing camera clubs without facts.
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My guess is that many have tried them and formed their opinions on that basis, just as I have.

My experience is that the people I met in photo clubs were seldom welcoming and inclined to status games, based on a sample of half a dozen over 55 years. As always: everyones experience will vary,
 
The whole club scene feels like it's own sub-culture that almost feels separate to photography, there is a genuine disconnect there I think.. it is a bit strange

I actually joined my local club during lockdown for a bit of social interaction and connect with other local photographers. I've enjoyed it so far, everyone has been nice and I might possibly be the youngster there, with mostly everyone else being way older! As much as I enjoy it, I have to remind myself not to let it influence my photography too much, if at all..
 
benc98 said:
The whole club scene feels like it's own sub-culture that almost feels separate to photography, there is a genuine disconnect there I think.. it is a bit strange

I actually joined my local club during lockdown for a bit of social interaction and connect with other local photographers. I've enjoyed it so far, everyone has been nice and I might possibly be the youngster there, with mostly everyone else being way older! As much as I enjoy it, I have to remind myself not to let it influence my photography too much, if at all..
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.... :agree: Most of the photo clubs are definitely a bit 'strange'!

Whoah!!! Your work is fabulous! I say that with my 'retired-but-hardwired' professional Art Director's hat on. Seriously, great compositions and use of colour. Check it out, peeps! :

Ben Cremin

Ben Cremin is a south west UK based urban and street photographer.
www.bencremin.co.uk www.bencremin.co.uk

(y)
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
Many were nice enough, and some were very competent photographers. But the whole club scene was not my thing. Nor do I see photography as a competitive sport.
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.... :agree: The only photographer I want to compete with is myself!

I enjoy and admire the work of some other photographers and aspire to match the standard of some.
 
I can't comment on clubs, but in general over the years, my male friends have been more interested in photography than my female friends/girlfriends.

I don't mix in photography circles, so these were purely general interest types of people, not any who took it super seriously.

It may just be one of those biological differences, and yes, despite what the mentally challenged are trying to convince everyone of, they absolutely exist.

My 16 year old daughter however has a great eye, and an artistic mindset that allows her to get shots I would never even see with my more scientific brain.
 
Nytol said:
I can't comment on clubs, but in general over the years, my male friends have been more interested in photography than my female friends/girlfriends.

I don't mix in photography circles, so these were purely general interest types of people, not any who took it super seriously.

It may just be one of those biological differences, and yes, despite what the mentally challenged are trying to convince everyone of, they absolutely exist.

My 16 year old daughter however has a great eye, and an artistic mindset that allows her to get shots I would never even see with my more scientific brain.
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.... Whereas I agree that there are biological differences between males and females which I have noticed, afterall they are from different planets - Men from Mars and Women from Venus, I do not believe or accept that either men or women (and boys or girls) are any less interested in photography, nor are either less capable than the other.

In my opinion there currently exists far too much focus on female versus male comparisons in all walks of and aspects of life. Sure, we can generalise or even stereotype (nothing wrong with observational stereotyping!) but each one of us is an individual with our own individual male-female mix.
 
RedRobin said:
.... Whereas I agree that there are biological differences between males and females which I have noticed, afterall they are from different planets - Men from Mars and Women from Venus, I do not believe or accept that either men or women (and boys or girls) are any less interested in photography, nor are either less capable than the other.

In my opinion there currently exists far too much focus on female versus male comparisons in all walks of and aspects of life. Sure, we can generalise or even stereotype (nothing wrong with observational stereotyping!) but each one of us is an individual with our own individual male-female mix.
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I agree 100%, the male/female/race/gender/sexual preference etc stuff is a very small minority with nothing better to shout about, and should be an absolute non issue in the vast majority of things.

I was purely sharing my own thoughts and experience, which seem to be confirmed by many of the other posts in the thread.

It's not a stereotype if it is true, and not one I've ever heard mentioned with regards to photography.

"Women drivers", "Women take forever to get ready" etc, yes.

"Women are not interested in photography", no.

Men and women have different interests, and men seem to be more interested in photography, unless there are millions of women in the photographers closet, too afraid to come out?
 
Stereotyping definitely has an effect. and not always a desirable one.

It is not the genetic make up or biology of men and women that drives their interests
but it is the "expectation" of their Peers. that drives men an women to follow particular paths.

When I was young, British fighting soldiers were all men. this followed the male stereotype.
Today Many military personnel of all types and at all ranks are women. They have shown themselves to be able to excell in all these roles.

In the 18th century all secretaries were men.
By the twentieth century they were all women, and it was considered women's work. To day few people have secretaries and most managers input their own letters etc.
The post of Secretary has been replaced by the personal assistant, of either sex.
When I retired in 2000 my secretaries job had morphed into one of departmental administrator. and in most regards my deputy.

The Greatest and longest serving portrait Photographer that the Guardian ever employed was Jane Bown. Undoubtedly a leading artist of here age.
 
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