Famous Female Photographers Who Have Changed The World
Who run the world?
We all know it's true - and if we’re talking about the photography world - I can’t wait to introduce you to some of my favourite, famous, female photographers. It’s going to be a challenge to keep this list from becoming as long as the yellow pages (that one is for my South African people) but, as always, I shall try my best.
1. Anne Atkins
Would it be cheeky to call Anne Atkins our photo mom? Seeing as she is widely considered one of the first female photographers, a botanist, an illustrator and published the first illustrated book that showcased her photographic process - I think I’ll keep going until it catches on. Her first book was published in 1841, when Anne was 42.
2. Julia Margaret Cameron
I couldn’t possibly make this list without mentioning Julia. She led a bourgeois life as a housewife and mother until she began taking photographs of the British upper class. She became one of the most iconic photographers of the Victorian era and her work is totally recognizable thanks to the soft focus which makes it seem like there is a mystical veil over her subjects.
3. Frances Benjamin Johnston
Let’s talk paparazzi - or rather, let’s talk about one of the first female press photographers in the US. Frances documented big and small events in Washington at the end of the 19th Century, as well as the most important personalities of the city for about five decades. This icon gave the following statement in an interview with a reporter in 1893 about her position as a role model for other women: “It is another pet theory with me that there are great possibilities in photography as a profitable and pleasant occupation for women, and I feel that my success helps to demonstrate this, and it is for this reason that I am glad to have other women know of my work”.
4. Imogen Cunningham
Imogen is considered one of the most important photographers of the 20th Century. She became pretty well-known in 1915, while she was still quite young, for her nudes and her botanical work; however, today she is most well-known for her floral motifs and closeups of lilies and other flowers.
5. Claude Cahun
Claude is an androgynous portrait artist, sculptor and author of Surrealism. She always made herself the motif in her works and slipped into new roles, portraying herself as an androgynous person and testing gender boundaries as far back as 1914. She explored the boundaries of the body, identity and gender in her photographs, and I can only stand in awe of her work and the way she used her art to push the limits of the time.
Like I said, I really could keep writing this list for a very long time, but I’d rather hear from you! Who are your favourite contributors to photography her-story?