Think About Working with Women Photographers

One of the things that I’ve noticed in some of the photography groups where I am a member is that some of the images posted by male photographers have the female models in very sexualized positions.  These women are barely clothed, and are posed in extremely suggestive poses. It can be very discouraging and upsetting as well.  I really see this in some of my Facebook groups.  A model or photographer will post images from a recent session, and the images aren’t too far removed from erotica.   It’s quite interesting when a model posts a request for a Time for Print (TFP) session, and the feed is full of responses from male photographers.  You can count on one hand the number of women photographers that express an interest in working with the model. Although I haven’t completed a full count, it seems that the models elect to work with the male photographers.

I often wonder if any of the female models have ever worked with a woman photographer in the past.  If they haven’t, why didn’t the model select a woman photographer for the session? Each photographer brings his/her eye to a session.  We all have a different approach in how we will execute the final product. However, women bring a little something extra to a session.  We tend to highlight the beauty of a woman without over sexualizing her.  We don’t pander to mainstream thoughts that only focus on a woman’s body parts.

When I lived in Arizona, I belonged to a Facebook group that consisted only of women photographers, models, stylists, and makeup artists.  The group was formed by a model who had bad experiences with male photographers.  She wanted a safe space for women to create without fear.  I found the group the year before we left Arizona, and I wish that I had known about it a lot sooner.  I was able to capture some of my best and most favorite images with women from that group.

I just want female models to take a chance on a woman photographer.  Too often, we aren’t seen as knowing as much about the science of photography.  For some inane reason, there’s a belief that we aren’t as knowledgeable about photography as our male counterparts.  Let me tell you a little secret.  We know our gear just as well as a male photographer!  We’re gear heads just like male photographers, and enjoy the art of photography like our male counterparts.   Women tend to shoot with their hearts.  Trust me, you won’t be disappointed if you schedule a photo session with a woman.