Female Photographers Forging Ahead
Today marks the last day of National Women’s History Month. This is a month that commemorates all of the women who forged ahead, who fought the societal and legal barriers to allow future generations an easier road to empowerment.
And while today marks the last day of National Women’s History Month, it does not mark the last day we should honor, explore, and admire the strength of the women who have come before us, who are our peers, and who are our future.
“Photograph the world as it is. Nothing’s more interesting than reality.”
As a female photographer, I wanted to commemorate those professional and astounding women behind the camera who came before me and helped to pave the way.
Imogen Cunningham
Imogen Cunningham is a favorite of mine. She was a tireless defender of women’s rights. She even wrote a book encouraging women to work in photography! She is a photography titan.
And as a flower photographer, I absolutely love her flower photographs. My favorites include her magnolia blossoms, which are both soft and sensuous.
ARTnews beautifully commemorated Cunningham as follows: “By the time she was 90, Cunningham was considered an iconic artist in feminist circles. Having had retrospectives and books devoted to her, she was admired for having ascended to a rank historically reserved for straight white men. Yet Cunningham often expressed hesitancy about the feminist movement during the 1970s, even though she knew, as she once put it in an interview with Ms. Magazine, that she ‘always belonged’ to it.”
Mary Ellen Mark
Mary Ellen Mark was inspirational to me because she had the guts to go photograph where other women photographers didn’t dare go. I remember a circus series which illuminated all of the behind the scenes moments and was incredibly raw. She captured the real business of working in a circus family.
I took a class from her and still have her handwritten notes on my work. I treasure those notes! When I took her class (years and years ago), she sent us into the streets of NY to photograph. Those memories are priceless.
Mary taught over 70 workshops and has too many awards to name. She is my favorite, gritty woman and an inspiration.
Laura Letinsky
Six years ago, before I had ever photographed a flower, I took a class at Georgia State University: Photography 101. I had to take that introductory class to be eligible for any of the other photography classes offered at the university.
In this Photography 101 class, we were supposed to select one photographer and give a presentation of our chosen artist and their work. I chose Laura Letinsky, an artist of whom I knew nothing about.
Laura had earned an MFA from Yale and that was enough to intrigue and impress me. Her still-life work, however, inspired me. Laura' photographed in natural light and all of her food images were both inviting and a little disorienting. Her work made me think. Her artistry still inspires me now as I shoot my flowers. I hope to one day own one of her photographs.