ФОТО: digitalrev.com

When I started working professionally in photography, I couldn't help but shake the feeling that it felt like a man’s world. Whether that feeling was justified or not - it's easy for young women breaking into the photographic world to get bogged down in the perception that it's a male industry.

Rather than let that feeling be a hindrance, I decided to research and look for inspiration in the fantastic women who have had such a huge influence on this art form. Here are just a few of the incredible women who have been game-changers throughout photographic history.

Diane Arbus

An American-born photographer who was a pioneer for portraits of individuals, that were on the margins of society at the time. For example, nudists, transgender people, carnival performers. Her images are raw, emotional and her work challenged lots of ideas and concepts in her time, and therefore was often considered quite controversial. In particular, her approach to the fluidity of gender was staggering at the time and still remains important with issues that we face today.

A female impersonator. Image credit: Diane Arbus

This incredible lady is most known for her work for Life magazine - she was their first ever female staff photographer. She was also the first female photographer accredited to cover World War II combat zones. Her career took her to the world's most extreme places, and during some of the world's most turbulent, significant and influential times. She produced an astounding number of iconic images as a result of her bravery and talent.

Mahatma Gandhi. Image credit: Margaret Bourke-White

No article about female photography heroes would be complete without this name. The list of work to her name is astounding: Rolling Stone’s chief photographer in 1973, shooting 142 covers over 10 years. Staff at Vanity Fair, and in 1998, regular work for Vogue, several award-winning advertising campaigns, collaborations American Ballet Theatre, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Mark Morris Dance Group - to name a few, plus numerous books.

Her portraiture is striking and has such a distinctive style. She has an ability to craft memorable, quirky and iconic images of her subjects that will show them in a light that nobody has ever imagined before. Whenever I see her name I'm so excited to see what she dreams and produces next.

Meryl Streep. Image credit: Annie Leibovitz

A photographer who was never appreciated during her time, with lots of her work put down to 'mistakes' and 'bad photography', has turned out to be one of the greatest portrait photographers in photographic history. Her unorthodox technique gives her a distinctive style and artistic flair. She completely broke the rules of photography during the Victorian era in Britain and pioneered her own visions through to reality.

Charles Darwin. Image credit: Julia Margaret Cameron

Now, one of the most significant influencers in documentary photography, her work is iconic of the depression era in the USA. She worked for the Farm Security Administration to show the conditions workers were subject to in rural areas. It is one of the first examples of photography being used to drive Government policy, as her images were used as a way to communicate a need for change.

Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California. Image credit: Dorothea Lange

I would encourage anyone - not just women - to do further research on all of these pioneers. They all have fascinating stories, personal lives and tales behind their imges. Plus, find out about some of the many that I haven't mentioned here. This industry is full of phenomenal, females - past and present - and their work should continue to inspire all. I can't wait to see where the up-and-coming women in the industry will take photography next.

2018-1-10 03:00