Chapter 6 -Women Photojournalists - Trials and Triumphs

     Jessie Tarbox Beals was the first female night photographer and American photojournalist. She broke many social norms for women of her time. Her career excelled when she won a camera from a magazine subscription. According to an article by The Library of Congress, Jessie said, "I began when I was a teacher in Massachusetts, with a small camera that cost me $1.75 for the whole outfit. In a week I had discarded it for a larger one and in five weeks that one had earned me $10." During this time it was uncommon for women to work and have jobs in fields like photojournalism or to obtain jobs in general. She is known as an urban photographer. She tried capturing the beauty of New York through her photography. In the last in her career she photographed wealthy peoples homes and gardens. Women in photojournalism create and show the opportunities for other women.

Jessie Tarbox Beals

     As most women in photojournalism did, Jessie faced trials and triumphs throughout her career. Women throughout the history of photojournalism have constantly tried to overcome gender and race based discrimination in the workplace. This may be due to the competitiveness of the career, everyone is trying to get the best jobs and most recognition possible. One trial in particular occurred when Jessie was sent by the Buffalo newspaper to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and was denied entry. An Article by The Library of Congress states, "As a latecomer, Jessie was denied an exhibition press pass, but, relying on her ability to hustle, she persuaded the exhibition office to grant her a permit to photograph at the fairgrounds before the exposition opened." Despite the obstacles she faced, she was resilient and continued to advance in her photojournalism career.

     Not only does sexism occur in photojournalism, but it also occurs in other professions. Sometimes sexism can be based on physical abilities. Sometimes workplaces discriminate against women because they think they do not have the strength required to complete the task. Women sometimes experience discrimination within their wages. According to an article by Career Trend, "a wage-gap study by the U.S. Department of Labor, women earn on average 79 percent of what men earn." This is extremely moving considering women are no different than men in terms of their capabilities. An article by US News states, "Four female photo journalists have filed a pay discrimination lawsuit in federal court against the Detroit Free Press and parent company Gannett." They saw that median salaries were significantly more for men with the same skills as women. Despite equal pay laws, there is still varying pay between people of opposite sexes. Women of color experience discrimination because of their race and gender which creates a barrier between other sexes and races. An article by Marilyn Nance explains her experience with racial barriers, "I have never felt a sense of inclusion in these award ceremonies–even in 1991 when I was a finalist." Being an African American in such a competitive industry create racial stigma. Often, women can perform the same tasks as men but are discouraged because of society's ongoing stigma against women in the workplace. 

     As a woman, I have experienced a lot of discrimination in my workplace. I work at Homegoods and there is a lot of furniture and heavy objects that need to be loaded into customers cars. Management typically enforces that the men at  must do all of the labor intensive work. The women are required to ask the men for assistance for everything, even if they are capable of the task. Recently, we were low staffed and needed to bring an item out for a customer. I told the customer that I would bring it to her car and she replied, "You should call one of the guys instead." I was shocked that this mindset still exists in this generation. I have witnessed discrimination based on appearance as well. The male manager who is responsible for hiring associates typically hires attractive woman. Sometimes attractiveness may impact sales but have no relation to your job performance. Marion Post Walcott experienced a tremendous amount of discrimination from her male colleagues. According to the video Women Photojournalists by Professor Nordell, "They urinated in her photography chemicals, threw spit balls at her and extinguished their cigarettes in her photography treys." Women in any career should not be discriminated against because of their gender since they are capable of the same tasks as men. 

By: Rebecca Onion

Year Created: 1970

Obvious main subject: The main subject takes up the majority of the photo. It is important that the photo includes all of the aspects to help people understand what is happening. I believe the photographer did this to make the subject clear and visible enough.

Black & white: The image is in black in white. Black and white adds more emotion to photos and is more aesthetically pleasing. It draws our eyes to the lack of color and allows us to appreciate the photo more. It creates a softer appearance to this major event. The photo was taken during a time where color photos were an option but the photographer aimed for a different appeal.

Subject’s Expression The people in the photo look like they are adamant and demanding rights. They photo looks like was taken without them knowing. They look natural and not overly posed. The subject contains many people.   

Why? I chose this image because it displays a women's rights protest. One of the signs reads, "equal pay for equal jobs". This is still a common problem in modern society. Women are not receiving the same pay for the same job and this needs reform. 

By: Heidi Levine

Year Created: 2017

Quality of Light The quality of light is engaging and dramatic. The brightness of the fire, emphasizes the heat and severity of the fire. The lighting makes you feel like you are the the scene of this accident.

In or out of focus The photo is in focus and blurs the background. This emphasizes the importance of the main subject and what she is actually doing. She is at the scene of a fire, risking her life for photojournalism. She is trying to capture the perfect shot. 

Depth of field 

The photographer choses to focus mainly on the woman. The depth of field is at the perfect distance to visualize the car on fire and the photojournalist at the scene. Although the background is out of focus, it still shows the importance of both aspects.

Why? I chose this image because it demonstrates that women are active in the workplace. Women are capable of labor intensive jobs. They are not fragile and I think this photo perfectly captures this. This image captures how brave women are.

By: Jackie Mansky

Year Created: 1963

Background The background compliments the photo because it shows that there are a lot of people protesting the same things. But it also distracts us from the main two subject, the man and woman. Other aspects of this photo compete for your attention because there is so much happening.

Feelings 

This image gives me feelings of hope for reform. The amount of people who are protesting gives hope that the protest will work. The subjects seem to working together with the people in the background. The black and white edit provides a softer feel.

Rule of third

The photographer placed the subject in the right 1/3 of the frame. This makes the viewer focus more on the subject the man and the woman than other aspects of the photo. The subject in the 1/3 is the main focus, other people are less noticeable.

Why? I chose this image because it demonstrates the struggles woman face in society. It also demonstrates the hardships of being African American. They must fight and advocate for themselves, if they seek any racial or gender reforms.