Women combat photographers talk gender

image of Lynsey Addario courtesy of Lynsey Addario

This is an extremely thought provoking article in the New York Times, thank you David Dare Parker for sharing it on Facebook.

I had been thinking about many of the things discussed in this article since I was asked to be on a panel about Women in Media recently.

One of the questions I was asked ( and I’m always asked ) was “do women photograph differently to men”? My immediate response had to do with access, we get more access in those areas where women and men live quiet separate lives like in the middle east….where to do our job, local men, will often afford women photographers a third sex. But the question is always more about are women more sensitive than men …. do we see the more human story.

My answer is that we all bring whoever we are to the job, everyone has baggage a point of view that will determine very much how we will frame and see the developing story. Every photographer, regardless of gender, will shoot the story that speaks to them. The job is dangerous, all of our training is to walk toward the action not away from it, its what YOU see when you get there that is the point.

The question should be … why are there still so few women working in the field? These young women are an inspiration.

LINK

http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2016/04/05/courageous-photographers-shed-light-on-their-industrys-glaring-gender-disparity/