Women Street Photographers

by Gulnara Samoilova

With a rising number of women throughout the world picking up their cameras and capturing their surroundings, this book explores the work of 100 women and the experiences behind their greatest images.

Traditionally a male-dominated field, street photography is increasingly becoming the domain of women. This fantastic collection of images reflects that shift, showcasing 100 contemporary women street photographers working around the world today, accompanied by personal statements about their work. Variously joyful, unsettling and unexpected, the photographs capture a wide range of extraordinary moments. The volume is curated by Gulnara Samoilova, founder of the Women Street Photographers a website, social media platform and annual exhibition. Photographer Melissa Breyer's introductory essay explores how the genre has intersected with gender throughout history, looking at how cultural changes in gender roles have overlapped with technological developments in the camera to allow key historical figures to emerge. Her text is complemented by a foreword by renowned photojournalist Ami Vitale, whose career as a war photographer and, later, global travels with National Geographic have allowed a unique insight into the realities of working as a woman photographer in different countries. In turns intimate and candid, the photographs featured in this book offer a kaleidoscopic glimpse of what happens when women across the world are behind the camera.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Julia Luckett · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best street photography books I’ve ever read!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Women Street Photographers" es más que un libro de fotografías. Es una celebración del talento y la diversidad de las mujeres en el ámbito de la fotografía callejera, un campo que ha sido tradicionalmente dominado por hombres. El libro es un testimonio del poder de la mirada femenina, que captura la vida cotidiana con una sensibilidad y una empatía únicas.

Aspectos destacados del libro:

Variedad de estilos y perspectivas: Las 100 fotógrafas incluidas en el libro representan una amplia gama de estilos y enfoques. Algunas se centran en la belleza de lo ordinario, mientras que otras exploran temas sociales y políticos. Algunas capturan momentos fugaces, mientras que otras construyen narraciones a través de series de imágenes.

Historias personales: Cada fotógrafa está acompañada de una breve biografía y declaración artística, lo que permite a los lectores conocer a las mujeres detrás de la cámara y comprender su visión del mundo.

Calidad de las fotografías: Las fotografías son impresionantes en su ejecución técnica y artística. Cada imagen es una pequeña obra maestra, que atrapa la atención del espectador y le invita a detenerse y observar el mundo que le rodea con nuevos ojos.

Importancia histórica: "Women Street Photographers" es un documento importante que ayuda a corregir el desequilibrio de género en la historia de la fotografía callejera. Al presentar el trabajo de estas talentosas artistas, el libro amplía nuestra comprensión de este género y anima a las futuras generaciones de fotógrafas a perseguir sus sueños.

Frases del libro:

"La fotografía callejera es una conversación con la vida, un diálogo continuo con la ciudad y sus habitantes." - Melissa Breyer, co-editora del libro.

"La calle es mi estudio, y la gente que pasa por ella son mis modelos." - Julia Nosé, fotógrafa brasileña.

"No hay nada más hermoso que capturar la esencia de un momento, una emoción, una historia, en una sola imagen." - Li Wei, fotógrafa china.

[Teddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Street photography benefits from the perspective of this book. It is so centered on American white guys through 1950-2000. It's good to see that this art is being practiced still, in more places than just New York, by non-white, non-American, non-European, non-male people, too. And with more cameras as well, there are a couple smartphone pictures in here that are quite good actually, just one of them stands out as obviously smartphone, by Florence Oliver, where I can only sit there and wish she'd had a better camera, but it illustrates the point that even though the photo should've been technically better, nothing is stopping anyone from seeing with brilliance.

Something took note of is that many photographers bear other titles too, they'll be a doctor or something, and an award winning photographer. Maybe it's a point of it being difficult to sustain yourself as a photographer, perhaps especially as a woman, but I find it inspiring that ordinary people from all walks of life find their passion and create something great, merely as part of their life. Photography doesn't have to extend to identity or career, it's simply a human pursuit. Sandra Cattaneo Adorno in particular is inspiring, she discovered photography at age sixty, and has published two books and been exhibited and awarded several times.

Bottom line is, it's a decent and diverse collection of work, and it's important and inspiring to offer different views to the typical canon of street photography history that was written about, for and by men in a very specific slice of time and space - Winogrand, Meyerowitz, etc. This book lifts both the role women have played in the history of photography and brings out the history that's being made today.

That being said, not all of the work is all that good. Some photos are outstanding, too, but some kind of make me scratch my head as to why they were put in a book. It could be a misalignment of my tastes and the broad and ''slice of life'' approach the book has, I guess it depends on your expectations.

I strongly dislike that Israeli photographers are being platformed here. I think it's wildly distasteful and immoral to lift the art of those supporting (in some cases making an active choice to move to, rather than being born in) an inherently genocidal, colonial ethnostate project, especially in a book highlighting the unseen and the disadvantaged. It aids in justifying its existence, and it's especially stupid after highlighting photojournalism in Palestine in the beginning of the book. Art is always political and this supports the slaughter of millions of people and the stealing of an entire nation.

[A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great variety and inspiring. Helps you see the beauty everywhere. I like the blurb that explain the context of each photo -- makes me want to go out and just snap some pics since a lot of them were pure luck! Coney Island surprisingly well-represented.

[Marlene Cheng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye candy superb. A go to for image inspiration.

[Rob Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Would have loved more images from every photographer.

[Beth]

Successful SFP

[Bili Keogh · Rating 4 out of 5]

While very good - I feel this book is very lacklustre - it’s not so much an in depth look at each photographer featured but it’s a good starting point on which to look into specific further.