If you follow Mashable, The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic and CNN religiously like I do, chances are you’ve probably seen Daniella Zacman’s work. I absolutely love the way she captures the world. I recently read an article on Wired where it says that ‘she’s long since lost count of how many times she’s heard a photo editor explain how he’d hire women if he knew where to find them.’
“We need to tell stories about diverse people from diverse perspectives—from a female perspective, people of color, and the LGBTQ community.”
- Daniella Zacman
This, inspired me to create a list of revolutionary female photographers for you to enjoy.
These strong visually inspired women hail from across the globe. Who knows? They might just be having an exhibition near your home today!
Saudi Tales of Love is Tasneem’s exploration of love. Her lens follows the stories of widows, the happily married, and divorced women. And, this is a country where divorce is still stigmatised. Through photography of her young daughter and grandmother, she was able to discover the intricate woven details of construction and expectation of marriage that is usually celebrated via an elaborate wedding ceremony and its rituals. What she managed to capture in these women of different generations is the fact that they’ve all ‘managed to overcome the many hurdles that was put by society and/or state’.
Merely two months after her graduation, Adriane was the proud recipient of the National Geographic Young Explorers Grant who then ventured to South Sudan. There, she recalls meeting photographer Goran Tomavesic where she showed him some of her work sitting under a tree. It was this event that led her to string for Reuters. She’s currently based in Nairobi but is looking to branch out to more continents. Watch her space for meaningful ideas and photography.
I absolutely love her bright, airy portrait photography. Anastasiia captures nothing but beauty in her subjects. This woman was named Emerging Photographer and has won The Center for Fine Art Photography Black and White Competition, and International Art Competition. She lets her imagery speak for themselves. Look out for Anastasiia in photography contests all around the globe.
Christina took her time in finding her voice, just like all perfectionists do. She’s done a lot of food photography in the likes of Martha Stewart, Whole Foods and Bon Appetite (my food bibles). Christina works wonderfully well in studio shoots. Now, though her work outside studios come to life. She’s constantly evolving as she perfects her craft.
Fools and Follies remain one of the most fascinating collection from Vanja. Taken in the ADM, one of Amsterdam’s last remaining squats situated in the industrial port of the state. There’s a thing of spirit in very individual at this side of Europe.
She captures spaces like no other photographer I’ve followed. She started her career as a conviction lawyer for 12 years before she decided to become a conceptual documentary artist in 2014. It was her values for advocacy and being a trained mediator that fills in the gaps with her work. Her images are a lot darker with its messages but there’s something about the way she captures spaces. It feels as though you can almost see what its past and present are.
She’s travelled to the ends of the earth producing both personal and editorial work. I came across her incredible images flipping through the pages of National Geographic Magazine. This Armenian-American artist explores the relationship between memory and place. The photo above is my favourite among the collection published in the magazine.
Have these pictures inspired you to look at the world in a whole new light?