Male Domination in Photography

This has been a subject that I have been watching in Flickr recently and it's interesting to read the different points of view from both male and female photographers.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/ocarts/discuss/72157624647324931/

I was a commercial photographer at Heathrow Airport in the late 1980s/90s when there weren't too many photographers around and the work was spread around quite nicely, thank you. I worked for several airlines around the airport doing mainly 'grip and grins' and feature pictures for their publications. There were three airport photographers (not press photographers as you see in TV programmes such as Airport) and the ratio of male to female was one male to two females (me included). Each of us specialised in a different area and if you wanted a particular type of picture you went to one person.


Later on more photographers came on the scene but these were mainly men who specialised in aircraft photographs rather than people which meant that my area of expertise remained fairly available. There was no fighting, no commercial rivalry and when we met up, as we did occasionally, we chatted as friends. If we needed help or couldn't meet an obligation, a quick phone call to one of the others made sure the job was covered.

I really don't think it matters what sex a true photographer is, what matters is their work and their competence. If you have any skills in your area of expertise being male or female shouldn't come into the equation. A woman driving HGV lorries is accepted for what she does, not that she is, I think it is the same in photography, show you can do the job and you are accepted in the industry.