Does it matter that I am a female photographer?
Well, yes, yes it does. Not in the images I produce or the way I take
pictures. But it matters in how I
approach everything. I have decided to focus my blog on what it is
like to be female in pursuit of nature photography and my place in the
photographic community.
I first learned there was a difference between what
was expected of girls and boys in elementary school. My older brother had been involved in an
organization that taught him how to camp, tie knots, and pack a backpack. His group events involved cookouts, weekend
backpacking trips, and time spent at camps in wild places. When I joined a similar girl organization, I
was ready to learn all about survival in the out of doors, but instead we
perfected making brownies at our first meeting.
I was devastated. My mother
convinced me to give it another chance so I went back and learned how to
decorate a paperweight. That was the
last straw! I wanted to go outside! I wanted to filter water, cook over a
campfire, and live in the wild!
I did not know it then, but that whole experience
changed how I approached the outdoors. I
learned I should not go far from civilization (someone may need me to cook
brownies) and I should leave all those wild places to the boys. Since entering into the world of nature
photography, I know that I am as entitled to a wild experience as the guys
are. Now I just have to figure out what
to do when I get there. Join me in my
journey into the wild and the not-so-wild world of nature photography.
