As professor Nordell Introduced this chapter.. "Some may argue that there be no need to classify photojournalists by race or gender, but I believe that women photojournalists along with women and many different professions have encountered barriers unlike any of their male counterparts have endured." Is this something that is true when it comes to seeing women in the photojournalist world?
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| Photo Source: http://www.georgetowner.com/articles/2011/nov/21/re-vewing-documentary-photographic-life-louise-rosskam/ Year: UNKNOWN Principle 1: Use of Shadows: The shadowing affect of both Louise and her Husband really added to the feel of the photograph, also adding to the contrasting makeup. Principle 2: Subjects expression: They obviously seem professional, yet poised and the expression of her husband left me with the question, what was he so focused on? Principle 3: Use of Lines: It was interesting to see how the lines all came together in this photograph. How both are sitting on the edge of the wall, and the lines from the brick are acting almost as a center of attention surrounding the subject. I thought it was unique how each brick outline had a different line makeup to them, in addition to different coloring. I chose this picture because Louise is seen here with her husband, whom she spent most of her career with, as well as the picture itself. I love old pictures and this photograph really had the entire style you would expect from the 1930-1940 time era. |
Rosskman expanded her career through her experiences with the FSA, the Office of War Information, the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, the Puerto Rico Office of Information, and the New Jersey Department of Education. Her photographs that she took of the agencies can now be found in the Library of Congress. Her photographs are simple, yet intriguing when it comes to understanding the life during and around the time of the Great Depression.
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| Photo by: Louise Rosskman source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15866752 Year: 1945 Principle 1: Subjects Expression: As you can see the subjects emotion was clearly displayed, creating a powerful connection with the viewers. Principle 2: Use of Light: Although this principle may be contradicting, I see the light from the background really amplifying the main focus of the women, it clearly reflects off her face and eyes bringing them to focus. Principle 3: In or Out of Focus: Thinking off of what I originally said above in principle 2, the foreground of the photo with the main focus on the woman's expression was clear and crisp in focus- the other woman with the trees and lights in the background are out of focus; drawing the eye in the main train of attention. I choose this photograph becuase I'm a strong believer in emotion, and with photographs that have a story behind it. The powerful image of this woman began to make me think just what the underlying story is, or may be. Any photograph that has the power to make you think is the photograph that has the power to connect with people. |
In 1937, Louise traveled to Puerto Rico to cover the nationalist movement and Harvard-educated leader, Pedro Albizu Campos. This massacre was gruesome and bloody, police open fired on peaceful protesters which killed 18 innocent people. "Nothing they saw in the states compared with what they saw in 1937 and 1938 on the island," said Laura Katzman, an associate professor of art history at James Madison University. "They had seen unemployment and poverty, but not like this. It was one of the most shocking encounters with poverty and the United States relations to one of the territories. They were absolutely shocked. i feel it sealed their commitment to the island, certainly their commitment to photography and documentary photography in the service of social reform."
Like many photojournalists at this time, her career faced discrimination around the means of gender. Perhaps this may be why history claims Luise paired up with her husband, Edwin, for moments in her career, becoming the 'Rosskman duo.' Although this has never been clarified, through my research and after reading about her experiences while in Puerto Rico, her emotional tug was something that was difficult to handle on her own.
Just as Lynsey Addario explained in her reasoning as to why women reporting in areas of violence can be difficult, "It was an abusive throughout, both psychologically and physically. It was very chaotic and very aggressive."
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| SHULMANS MARKET Photo by: Louise Rosskman source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Rosskam Year: 1941 Principle 1: Rule of Thirds: Immediately my eyes were drawn to the middle of the photograph, the main subjects are clearly placed in the center of the photo that makes the appearance much more easier to interpret. Principle 2: Background Compliments Composition: The building in the background really compliments this photograph, the Shulman's market sign, and coloring really brings out the photograph and the entire makeup of the composition. Principle 3: Texture: I thought this principle was unique because there was so much texture going on in this picture. The texture from the ground, the building, the windows, the architectural design, etc. and I think it really all comes together perfectly. I choose this photograph because of the coloring initially, the colors of the building along with the clothing that the people are wearing really tied together and was eye catching. The time period being around 1940-45 tells you a little about the era in history the U.S was in and I think captures, in a subtle way, just what was witnessed during that time. |
Workplace inequality has been faced by millions of women and discrimination in the work force seems to be an issue. According to a study done almost a fifth of women surveyed say that their careers have suffered because managers fail to promote their positions. According to Daisy Sands, policy and campaign manager at the Fawcett Society said, "Today’s findings present a stark reminder of the raft of deep inequalities that women continue to face in the labor market, well into the 21st century. Women continue to dominate in low-paid and undervalued work – two-thirds of those in minimum-wage jobs are women.”
As Paul Mercher described in his blog Why is a Photojournalists Gender Relevant in Their Work? He mentioned, "I’ve never been able to identify a photojournalist’s gender from the photos she takes. Have you? When Margaret Bourke-White photographed the Nazi death camps for Life magazine, no one cared if she was a woman or not. Her images told the story and that was that."
So maybe this topic may strictly lie in the controversial ideas of those who strive to dictate the sole reasoning behind just what it's like to be a women photojournalist; or maybe it be just a thought that can be freely argued between those it matters most too. Regardless of the reasoning behind it, there has been sold facts behind the truth of it all.
A recent controversial argument remains in gender pay, according to EUC Secretary Frances O'Grady, "The battle for equality in the workplace is far from over. The gender pay gap got worse this year for the first time in many years, and spending cuts have hit women hard as many work in the public sector."
Hopefully in years to come, we no longer see discrimination based on gender or sex, hopefully we are able to see one person striving to achieve the same goals as everyone else. And hopefully the world will be able to see that woman are just as capable to be just as strong as man are in anything they put their mind too.
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