one of the most rewarding things for me to come out of the Magnum meeting now going on in London is the inclusion of Spanish photographer Cristina Garcia Rodero as the newest full member of our agency….out of the approximately fifty members of our agency , only eight of them are women…..this is a painful reality…..no matter where i travel and am faced with an audience of photographers, the question is always asked of me “why are there not more women in Magnum?”…..indeed….perhaps more importantly, the question should be, why aren’t there more women in our craft in general???
i am now sitting in the back of a room in London where the male dominant crowd is palpable….i can see Cristina now sitting smiling at the other end of a long table….but between Cristina and where i now sit is Larry Towell, Martin Parr, Bruno Barbey, Costa Manos, Peter Marlow, and Richard Kalvar….over to the left i see Lise Sarfati sitting next to Alex Webb, Eli Reed, Joseph Koudelka, Elliott Erwitt and Steve McCurry….right next to me is Alessandra Sanguinetti who is standing next to Jim Goldberg , Trent Parke, Mikail Subotsky , Alec Soth and Jonas Bendikson….you get the picture….
Magnum members took an initiative about 10 years ago to help change this equation….the Inge Morath grant was initiated by Larry Towell, and all Magnum members contribute from their own pockets to give out the annual $5,000 grant to an emerging woman photographer….this year we gave the award to Emily Schiffer to continue her work with Native Americans, ” Cheyenne River”….we collectively juried this award two days ago from four finalists….congratulations Emily….
we also have a first runner up….this year it was Jenn Ackerman, whose work most of you know here as an EPF finalist with her work “Trapped: Mental Illness in America’s Prisons”….there is no money in our Inge Morath account to give anything more than the one $5,000. grant…..since the vote was so close, and since i feel that Jenn could use some funding to continue her work, i have decided to move some funding from the EPF account in the direction of Jenn…..
BURN will now give $2,000. to the first runner up of the Inge Morath award….Jenn Ackerman
to be clear…this is BURN funding, not Magnum funding….i am assuming Jenn will use the money wisely on her important effort….in my opinion, both Emily and Jenn deserve this support….i do not know Emily and only met once Jenn briefly, so i am making this contribution simply based on the work in front of me….all of you are part of this , since unlike the Inge Morath grant, the financing for the EPF part of this equation comes from you…yes, it is generous donors here on BURN who provide the funding for EPF….i have never asked for any of this funding, so this comes to us out of the sheer generousity of the readers here….many many thanks….
none of this will change the balance of women to men in our business….but, as most of you know, i am a “brick in the wall” philosopher….in the workshops i teach it is almost always a woman whose work rises to the top of the class…usually out on the edge, sensitive and non-linear work….why we do not see these women with cameras later on in the craft is something i cannot explain…..maybe some of you can….
in any case, keep an eye out in the future for both Emily and Jenn….i do hope they will be around for the long haul….Cristina needs company….
-dah
David,
I think you comment was to Martin not to me. Am I right?
Andrea, I’m totally with what you said.
I think generally speaking the whole children question is something we women put on ourselves…and this applies not just to photographers but to any woman who is quite career-minded. Yes it probably comes from the wider society but I think women tend to put a lot of pressure on themselves. Maybe to excel in a lot of fields we need to be control-freaks and this is an extension of that characteristic? I dunno.
From a personal perspective it’s an issue/concern/question that I have thought about quite a lot. My background is newspapers (writer) and it’s a fact that in the UK very few female reporters return to their previous staff jobs after having children…some of those I know who did try to return soon left. The hours and unpredictability of the job isn’t really conducive to having a young family. Maybe freelancing is more sympathetic to those who want/need to juggle those kinds of responsibilities.
As someone who is now at the age and point in life when this whole subject is becoming scarily real – but who has also recently discovered photography and hopes to go more down that path – I recognise my own feelings when you say
“You think: Shit, I have to hurry up to make a carrier, because the day I want children everything will be difficult.”
It certainly turns the whole process into more of a rush for some of us than it does for guys who want to develop their photography or indeed change career
Just dropping by, I just wanted to go back to x’s post, the asian woman about to give up (hopefully not on photography entirely).
Of course, we can think of Kyunghee Lee, but can anyone give the name of an asian or african female photographer of note, employed in the profession in these continents? I hope some names will come up, but these are the toughest culture and societies for women to have their art sustained, employed and recognized, even with the best social backgrounds. Ditto for photographers
Frankly, I see that some festivals there in Asia, that wish to help local photographers with free workshops. I think to even narrow it to women photographers would really be where it is worth making a difference. Maybe there are none, and x might nust tell us, yes, there are.
Talk about male-dominated societies, the differnce with the West is not even funny.
David :-)
I had unfortunately to give up the Compton project… the producer with who I started it actually is now working on holliwood movies and staff like that so dropped me, the police departement was not happy with my pictures, cause they think they don’t bring any “good image” to them, so denied me the permit to work with tham anymore; I tried to arrange it by myself but, as it require a complicate organization, is too expensive (I’m nearly brooke!) and anycase I think that this work was special for the access I had, without the access is going to be just an other story on this subject. I am now focused on the tibetan refugees project… actually is so many years I am working on it, I started it even before becoming a photographer, it is worth it to finish it!
For the rest things quite sucks… in Italy things works differently than in the US… I recently did some portfolio review at the NY festival (emailed you but you didn’t answer!) and I was amazed by how open are the editors, even if no one sended me to them and no one knowed me, they invited me to see the offices, to met the other editors of the magazne, ecc… here such things never happen! Things are smaller, closer, and magazines do not even recive you, if you are not sended by someone that they want to please. But I don’t complaine cause this is a “general” problem, there is not discrimination, it happens to every one, also to photographers who are male, more talented and more experienced than me…
Anycase, even if business is what it is, I am doing interesting things… my Haiti work (who all the magazines rejected or didn’t even want to see) will be published by “contrasto books” for the NGO with who I did it; it is grate cause at the end magazines are sooner or later trashed, books stay ;-)
And also I have a lot of ideas for stories here in Italy. I may just have to find a “side job” to survive but I don’t think I will give up, I want to resist till this “crisis” will finish, make my portfolio stronger and stronger and see what will go on.
Will love to come and visit when you are teaching @ TPW… I know you will be so busy but it will be so nice to show you something about the Tibetan project!
If there is a day when you think I will not boder anyone (don’t know maybe the first or one in the middle of the week) just let me know and I will drop by…
For the Maya Goded question: I don’t know her at all, I will ask you about her when I will have the chance… I always had the idea that she gave up magnum cause she couldn’t handle too much pressure. But of course, no clue… I don’t know anything about her, not even how old is she, just know her work. But IMO this is the reason why many women at a certain point decide that they don’t want to push them selfes anymore… we are not weaker in talent nor physicaly but we are just psicologicaly… that’s why we don’t rule in photography and in many other fields. But maybe at the end we are happy anycase ;-)
To come back to “x” post… she linked her website… actually she is very good! She doesn’t have to give up!
In Asia is probably difficol for her, but she can always try to make some business abroad!
Thanks for your answer Mr.DAH. And your added touch Miss Erica McDonald.
Hopefully I am someone who bloomed young but will flower late…
Now let’s get back to regular programming, women!
Cheers.
hi all… just got home from a talk/discussion on the cancelation of the Robert Mapplethorpe exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, here in DC. the protest to the gallery canceling the show was 20 years ago tonight. fascinating discussion about censorship, what is pornography, etc.
Check out cool “woman” photographer Karen McKinnon
http://mckinnonphoto.squarespace.com/
” what is pornography, etc.”
gina.:)
pornography???????/
celebrating thanks giving…. thats pornography……
eating beef and shooting long canon zooms……
thats pornography…..
ALL…
in a few minutes, we will implement a new comment system…you will have to register…but, only once….if you are a UFO we know like Civilian or Stoop, no problem…this way we eliminate the problem of serious negative trolls etc etc…nasty or irrelevant comments will be deleted….
many thanks for your patience…
cheers, david
MARCIN…
yes, to Martin…sorry, my mistake….
eating beef and shooting long canon zooms……that’s pornography
Well, if you stop and actually give that imagery a thought, it is, isnt it?
David,
No problem :)
Log in system is good idea, but will will see how it will be in a battle. :)
oh this is so refreshing. thanks david and anton…
It’s a great idea to use burn to patch up some needs in funding and 2k sounds like a good little boost for a project. Hopefully enough funds keep on rolling in to match the needs… I guess that that gallery has to get going to get something from sales!
test
there are PLENTY of great Asian Women photographers…..and plenty that are well known….and plenty that are working, exhibiting, producing great and substantial work….homework Herve…..
by the way, X’s work is strong, driven, meticulous and wonderful….I HOPE you do not give up….
there are a lot of great great Asian women photographers, and it’s shameful to write “but can anyone give the name of an asian or african female photographer of note, employed in the profession in these continents?”….that really is revealing….
I’ll give you 4 GREAT female, asian photographers of note who are working and producing exciting work…and i wont even mention all the women now working in China or Japan. In fact, for certain, JAPANESE CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY which has been defined by the last 15 years by Women!!……
1. Award Winning Yunghi Kim
2. Award Winning Agnes Dherbeys
3. Award Winning Xian Danwen (now a superstar in the Art World, had the fortune of being in 2 shows with her)
4. Award Winning Asako Narahashi
etc….
running
b
I also got ayoung chinese photographer to submit a singles picture here….the work is being done…if we dont know about them, it is OUR fault, our problem, and we should do better to educate ourselves…
David,
You didn’t mention Susan Meiselas as being at the meeting. Where was she?
Another Magnum “woman with camera.”
She’ll be giving a talk here in Santa Fe next week…along with Fusco and Manos.
Unfortunately I’ll be shooting in Taos so will have to miss the Magnum opening and some of their talks.
I sent you an email earlier today. Hope you got it.
David,
turns out I’ve been emailing the wrong David. Must be the heat.
Nevermind, I made a new friend and this time I hope I got you at the right address!
“The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.”
I’ve never doubted it.
CATHY…
oh my oh my…yes, of course Susan was there…the most activist of all Magnum photographers…she was just not in my line of sight when i wrote that story..Martine Franck was also there but not in the room at the time….shhhhhh, do not tell them i did not mention their names…oh yes Olivia Arthur too……i have enough problems as it is…as i said i wrote that story from the back of the room like a kid in school and i just was not seeing those other women from my line of sight…
DUCKRABBIT…
laughing…pleased you met a new friend……will check my email
Thanks, Bob.
By the way, I recommend the ASIAN PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG at:
http://www.chngyaohong.com/blog/
It’s on top of my favorite websites, with plenty of men and women featured, almost daily. A labor of love from the website owner.
Is that homework enough, Bob? :-))))
OK, Bob, about these 4 photographers, as I just looked up their work, not exactly what I meant. As:
1)Agnes is a western woman, from France, seriously educated at La Sorbonne, euro-asian if you will.
2)Yunghi is asian american, or in any case, working/settled in the USA.
3) and 4), Xian and Asako are artists strictly (It would never occur to me to think there are no asian women artists of renown). A together different realm than representation in the photographic profession, either as staff P. or freelancer, which IMO, is the topic, mainly based on women and APPLYING/SUBMITTING FOR THE SAME JOB.
Now, the search can begin… ;-)
PS: I made a mistake by mentionning Khyunghee, as she is also an artist, but it was more for paying homage to our almost unique asian woman photographer, on BURN (that we know of). She actually outdid anyone of us, in terms of being lavishly published.
Hi David, I’ve tried a new email address for you … maybe I just keep ending up in your spam box!
I’m benjamin@duckrabbit.info
THANKS
Hola David, it’s been great to see all the changes and growth of your blog and the work being created.
I wanted to thank you for the opportunity to share my work when I made the cut from your first EPF which led to this assignment that got published recently. I look forward to engage with the community here. I am grateful that my participation here has helped me to share my work of Chihuahua, Mexico to a whole other culture on the other side of the world. Thanks again,
Vision China; The Largest Publication in China The circulation of Vision is 228,000
Raechel’s photography and story profiles the Casas Grandes region in a 30 page story.Published in May 2009
http://www.youthvision.cn
http://www.raechelrunning.com/ftphome/CHIHUAHUA-7.pdf
well i’m coming to all this very late but it was really interesting to hear all your experiences.
my situation is probably like alot of women’s whereby i came to photography late (about 5 years ago when i was in my early forties) and already had my family and obviously the children will always come first until they’re all at college…4 years to go :)
until then i try to learn and experiment as much as i can, but it is frustrating not having the time i’d like to shoot and it can feel very selfish to spend all my time thinking about making pictures and spend all my money on film but that’s probably true for everyone with children regardless of sex. just life i guess.
You make your choices and you pay your price. :)
My wife and I decided 31 years ago when we married that we couldn’t reach our career goals if we had children, so opted not to. It has made everything so much easier, and is a decision we have never regretted. But for most people, children are more important than careers, and wouldn’t be happy making the same choice we did.
i wouldn’t change my choice, i’m just greedy :)
Most of the couples I’ve known over the years who’ve tried to do what we’ve done (I’m a newspaper PJ and now editor) and have children have ended up divorced. There are just some careers where it is difficult to “have it all,” and not kill relationships in the process. :)
And pinch hitting for Panos tonight, let me leave you with this deeply interesting website:
http://www.godhatesshrimp.com/
Sorry, don’t know why that appeared both here in the the cutouts thread. Was only supposed to be there only. Weird.
sadly about half of couples get divorced regardless of type of career.
i’m sure the statistics are just as bad for stay at home mums or IT professionals or working in the local library.