In photography, the traditional place for women is in front of the lens. Visit a modern photography tradeshow and most of the visitors you see swarming past are male, with their photography gadgets slung round their necks; whilst the models posing at each booth waiting for you to take their picture, are predominantly young and female. You could say this is a picture of photography convention: as it has always been, and as it still is now.
30 under 30 woman photographers is an ongoing project that exhibits (on- and offline) work of 30 female photographers each year. Positive discrimination? Maybe. A statement? Definately.
Photography, whether we like to admit it or not, is a male-dominated world, where the ‘looking’ is a masculine act, and the subject is feminine, playing the role of ‘looked-at’ and admired mainly for their outward appearance. A bit outdated these days, as feminism is a on going hot topic and women taking over the world? Well, decide for yourself. How many female photographers do you know in compared to male ones?
Imagine back in the day… What is it like, then, to be a female photographer, to be a woman who has seized hold of an instrument of which she traditionally remains in front, and to use her eye to view the world, rather than use it to throw back a soft, muted glance into the receiving end of a male gaze? It may sound primitive to talk of the female photographer in such a way, but as the photographers of Photoboite’s 30 under 30 women will undoubtedly profess, resistance – or discrimination, even subtle – can be common even today. We will each have our own stories of how being a woman has hindered, or even unfairly aided, our pursuit of this profession.
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