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Women portraying women: three female photographers to zoom in on

Since the invention of photography, countless images have been taken with women as the subject. Most of these have historically been taken by men. As more women are carving out a space for themselves in the industry, the way women on both sides of the camera are represented is changing. We asked three female photographers about the depiction of women in their work and their thoughts on what the future looks like for women in photography. Note: This article was originally published in March 2022. Eva Sitko Through her colorful style of photography, German photographer and former graphic designer Eva Sitko works to bring out emotions in her subjects to show the interpersonal dynamics of our feelings. Sitko takes a keen interest in her subjects’ emotional display, in particular when shooting women. “A self-confident, strong woman who deals openly with her emotions is the incarnation of beauty for me.” Her interest in the emotional life of her subjects has led her to notice differences in how men and women are represented. “Women are often portrayed …

Centering people of color in her work, Daniella Almona works to promote blackness in all its forms. In the photo: Black model wearing a green shirt and white pants in front of a purple backdrop. Photos edited in Capture One 23.

Dive into color with Daniella Almona

Photography is all about telling stories from a new perspective. Or at least it is for Daniella Almona. Not seeing people like her represented in front of or behind the camera, the Nigerian-born fashion and portrait photographer has made it her mission to be a voice of change by centering blackness and color in all its forms in her work. Using Capture One Pro 23, the up-and-coming photographer has been playing around with the new features to find out how they help her better bring untold stories to life. Daniella Almona has always been surrounded by bright colors. Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, she recalls going to the market; the fruit and trees intermingled with the elaborate colors and patterns worn by the people around her creating vibrant scenes that still stand out in her mind. “I think that subconsciously inspired my love for color, which is a big part of my photography and the work I create.” With lush greens, warm oranges, velvety blues, and more hypnotizing colors drawing the viewer into the frame, …

Reimagening Sicilian stories with fashion photographer MOJA

In the wake of the #MeToo revelations, Luxembourg-based fashion photographer MOJA wanted a way to engage in the conversation, show support, and celebrate the strength of women. The result was a photo series he named “Women and Cinema”, which, for the fourth year in a row, will be featured at the Cannes film festival. This year he is putting the spotlight on Sicilian scenery, cinema, and femininity. “We love to go to Sicily because Sicily, contrary to what everybody thinks, is a matriarchal society,” says MOJA referencing the historical associations many have between Sicily and a macho Mafia culture. He points out that the image of a macho Sicilian society has been reinforced by how the island has been represented in film. In his upcoming portrait series, MOJA and his team will be using many of the unique locations on the Italian island as a backdrop to reinterpret iconic scenes from 12 classic and modern movies set in Sicily putting female roles at the center. “The problem we had when selecting films to reinterpret …

Polly Irungu on creating a space for Black women photographers

As a young Kenyan girl growing up in the United States, a career in photography was not on multimedia journalist and photographer Polly Irungu’s radar. Today, she is on a mission to make the photography industry a more inclusive and diverse place. In 2020, Polly started Black Women Photographers – a global community of over 1000 members that aims to put Black creatives in the line of sight of gatekeepers of the industry and getting Black women and non-binary photographers hired. The road to inclusivity Working her way through the ranks and finding her footing in the photography industry was far from an easy, straightforward path for Polly. The industry was (and still is to a large extent) dominated by white men, and opportunities for Black photographers were often limited to Black History Month or to what happened to be a timely social uprising. “I didn’t see myself in this industry. I didn’t see other people who look like me being celebrated in the same way as their counterparts. And when it comes down to …