Women Photographers

Saturday, Mar 13th, 2010 in The IPWS Blog by Dominic Lee | 4 Comments

Shakira Lee who is making waves at Priory Studios, Stillorgan.

A few years ago, if you met a girl at a Photography Trade Show, you would be safe in assuming that she was the Studio Receptionist and that THE PHOTOGRAPHER was the man next to her.

This years ‘WPPI photographers convention’ in Las Vegas, ‘Focus on Imaging’ in Birmingham and the ‘Pro Photo Show’ in Dublin has shown very strong evidence that the portrait & wedding photographer is no longer a middle aged man in a suit & tie.

Now these shows are attended by an overwhelming number of young Lady photographers and the sales pitch from the suppliers is clearly targeting that new female audience, (Canon wont have to work hard, we all know that’s a girls camera!).

Balding salesmen have been replaced by stunning ladies in fishnet tights selling elegant albums boxed in fancy ribbon & lace and portraits mounted in jewellery. Black studio seats are now covered in Polka Dots. Prettily designed backgrounds replace the old plain ones. Even many of the speakers are women as are most of the audience with their multi coloured camera straps matching their designer camera bags.

So where did it all go wrong? Clearly digital played a part because girls just couldn’t be trusted to load film! And teaching them to drive was another mistake!

Just kidding, actually it’s down to the fact that women are the ones who do most of the purchasing. I recently had a Bride book me for her wedding but insisted that I do not contact the Groom till after the New Year as she was making plans based on “a rumour” that he had bought the ring!

Women also tend to have a better understanding of children and are generally more emotional about photos of their family than men are.

We all know that Parent Albums are really for the Mammy and the Granny. And extra portraits of babies are ordered for the Godmother and Auntie Betty. The Dad, the Godfather or Uncle Tom rarely get a look-in.

Of course there have been plenty of female photographers all along from Julia Margaret Cameron who in 1865 held her 1st photo exhibition in Ireland right up to my own daughter Shakira who at the age of 20 is already making waves at Priory Studios.

Girls have been nibbling away at this sector for long enough, it’s about time they made their mark. So move over Gentlemen, time to don your Receptionist Hat, the Ladies have well and truly arrived and they are taking the photographs!