15 Female Photographers Killing The Game

Greetings and salutations! (shoutout to the homie Randy aka “The Milkshake Scholar” for that trademark intro ✊🏿) It’s been a while … honestly, I’m surprised Squarespace hasn’t hit me with a “You Good?” e-mail since my last blog post back in September, but here we are. Fast forward a couple of months and we’re right smack in the middle of Women’s History Month although the #CoronaVirus has done everything in its power to steal the shine. As you all (should) know Women’s History Month highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. While it’s great to show love to all the historical figures and moments that have given us the ground we stand on today, I’ve always felt that it’s important to remember that history and HERstory are being written and created around us every day.

“Men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at. This determines not only most relations between men and women but also the relation of women to themselves. The surveyor of woman in herself is male: the surveyed is female. Thus she turns herself into an object of vision: a sight.”
— John Berger, "Ways of Seeing"

Sexism—from paternalism to discrimination to outright harassment—is a problem in just about every work setting, and the photo industry is no exception. (1) From equipment ‘designed by men for men’ to clients assuming they’re the makeup artist or stylist, female photographers are constantly fighting against the tide of sexism. It is for neither lack of interest nor talent that the photography industry is so imbalanced. According to Female in Focus, while just 15% of professional photographers are women, 80% of photography graduates are female. This directly affects what we see on our front pages and billboards. In the US, as revealed in a TEDx talk by the celebrated photographer Jill Greenberg, 92% of advertisements are shot by men, as are 85% of magazine covers. Despite the fact that 85% of consumer purchases are made by women. (2) Needless to say, sexism, and all other forms of bigotry as a corollary, are issues the photography industry and society at large need to actively work to address and mitigate.

Noémie Marguerite

Noémie Marguerite

Self Portrait, 2020

But what does that look like? Personally, that’s meant passing up on certain opportunities offered to me and referring them to female photographers in my network who are better suited for the job. As much as I’d love to photograph a women’s retreat or a wellness space geared towards women it would be hard for me to take that type of gig in good conscious knowing how often my sister photographers are overlooked. If a sometimes struggling artist like myself, who could certainly use the check, can recognize my own privilege then there’s nothing stopping more established photographers higher up on the ladder from doing the same.

Listed below, in no particular order, are 15 female photographers who I either know personally or whose work has continued to be a source of inspiration for me. I am inspired not only by the caliber of their photography but by the fact that the majority of their subjects are either fellow women, minorities, or members of often underrepresented and maligned segments of society. Each photographer's name is a direct link to their Instagram page, clicking on the picture will take you to the original Instagram post. See a photographer you like? Dive deeper into their work and process by reading their accompanying article. 📰

Who should be on my radar that I might have missed? I always love being introduced to new and talented creatives so if there’s a female photographer I should know about put me on to game in the comment section below! 👇🏿

5. Makeda Sandford (@ohmakeda)

“Makeda Sanford" - The Photographic Journal

12. Laylah Amatullah Barrayn (@laylahb)

"How a Book about Black Women Photographers was Created, Funded and Published" - Photo District News

15. Stacy-Ann Ellis (@stassi_x)

* #ShamelessPlug to the homie Stacy who is just as equally talented with the pen as she is behind the lens. You might even see me floating around somewhere on her page 👀 *