Women Street Photographers by Tara Campling
“Perhaps due to the safety issue. Women should feel safe on the streets but unfortunately, we have some way to go to get there.”
© Tara Campling - Taken on the Women Photographers Day Out
As somebody who has been involved in the genre of street photography for going on three years now, I’ve always noticed quite how male dominated this world can be. This is in no way a bad thing, as, of course, there are many talented photographers who are male. In fact, the first two photographers I came across that truly inspired me to get involved within the genre were both male. One of those being the great Martin Parr, and the other being a photographer I found on Instagram, being Christian Cross, who happened to pop up on my Instagram feed in 2020, and whose work I have loved ever since. However, I have found coming across fellow female street photographers slightly more difficult, though they’re out there, and they’re also producing great stuff.
After attending a photo walk in celebration of International Women’s Day, with some of the wonderful ladies that are also a part of the Urban Photographer’s Club, it got me thinking further about this topic. Being a part of UPC for only around six months now, this was my second photo walk I had attended. The first thing I noticed, was in comparison to my first photo walk, where there were easily forty people in attendance, there were only about ten of us for the women’s specific walk. I thought I’d explore this a little further, to see what other people thought about the topic of women in street photography, by hosting an anonymous questionnaire.
Interestingly, out of 12 street photographers asked, 11 shares the view that street photography is dominated by men. When asked why they believe this is, there were mixed responses, including the following:
‘Perhaps due to the safety issue. Women should feel safe on the streets but unfortunately, we have some way to go to get there.’
‘Women are likely to feel less safe working solo.’
© Katie Sivier - Taken on the Women Photographers Day Out
These responses particularly struck me. Unfortunately, the harsh reality of the situation is indeed that women tend to feel less safe on the streets and according to YouGov, ‘only 7% of the public say women and girls’ experience of crime is on a par with men, while 52% say equality in this area is not close to being achieved – 20%, however, believe equality is close.’ These kinds of statistics could prevent many great women photographers from trialling street photography and even prevent some from getting their camera out on the streets full stop. I’ll admit, as somebody who often shoots in London, I stick to the areas I feel most comfortable and safe to try and prevent the worst from happening, and I would be intrigued to know if male photographers do similar or not.
When asked whether they believe there should be more women’s only photo walks, like the one mentioned above, most responses highlighted the importance of inclusivity, however, 91.7% also suggested that creating a safe place for women photographers is vital to ensure women from all walks of life can share the joy of wondering the streets, with camera in hand. There was also the concern raised that hosting these events could create a further divide, as they exclude men completely. My personal experience of attending a women’s only photo walk was positive, being that it was nice to not only be in a smaller group when photographing around Soho and China Town, but it was also a great excuse to network with some fellow women street photographers. However, I would not say I preferred it because it was women only, but more because of having a smaller group.
I also noticed whilst collating responses that some believed women were actually at an advantage when shooting on the streets, as people may not be ‘as suspicious of them’ and that ‘women can get away with photographing situations that may be sensitive and people don’t take any notice of a woman waving a camera around.’ I found this particularly interesting. I have only ever been stopped twice, once whilst shooting with fellow UPC photographer Gail Macindoe, where Canary Wharf security asked what we were up to, and another by somebody wanting to make sure they weren’t in my frame, whereas many of the male photographers I have spoken to have been stopped on the street’s countless times, and questioned what they are doing and why. Therefore, I’d be inclined to agree with this fact.
© Jovis Leigh Howieson - Taken on the Women Photographers Day Out
Sadly, there is no black-and-white solution to this topic, however celebrating women in photography is such an important element of continuing to build on an inclusive community, and highlighting the great work that has been produced by women both within the UPC community and outside of it will hopefully continue to expand the street photography community!