February 23rd, 2004

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Photography
9 Comments »

Are All Wedding Photographers Male?

This occurred to me in the shower this morning. I’ve been to maybe 20 weddings in my life. In every case, the wedding photographer has been male. All three of the wedding photographers that I know are also male. Surely there are plenty of female photographers out there–maybe it’s just a statistical blip.

After all, pretty much every other part of the wedding planning/implementation seems dominated by female owned and operated businesses (florists, dress shops, caterers, wedding planners, mothers-in-law). Why are the photographers different?

[UPDATE] I went looking for some hard numbers on this question. I didn’t find any, but I did find the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA–sounds like a Java spec), which features a great photo of the bride literally taking the plunge. Well, the composition and lighting in the photo are very average, but the subject is great.

Comments: 9 Responses so far

Matt Clements
February 23rd, 2004
2:49 pm

I think it is definitely a male-dominated field but photography in general I think is predominantly populated by males. I went to a wedding last summer and the photographer was female so they do exist. I think equality is slowly but surely stepping into this field like the others.

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donna
February 23rd, 2004
2:58 pm

well, you know, us girls can’t quite figure out how to work complicated electronic equipment like a camera…

grr. don’t mind me, I’m pissed off at people taking a good minute or two to get it through their heads that *I’m* the tech person they’re looking for when they call. grumble, snark.

incidentally — I was the photographer at my moms wedding. :)

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AhBook
February 23rd, 2004
3:23 pm

FWIW, the photographer at my wedding was female, though she does have kind of a masculine voice. Hmm..

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Donna
February 23rd, 2004
3:36 pm

Hi! My mom is a photographer…so I know many females in the business. But whenever I attend a state level function with her, it’s mostly males who look down upon the females for getting in their way. Now that I think about it, they’re all white, too. Even the females. And this is in NY.

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Sue
February 23rd, 2004
3:40 pm

My wedding photographer was female!

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Mel
February 23rd, 2004
8:12 pm

Wow…if you look real close, you can see Matthew Good’s wedding pictures. (Go to International -> B.C. -> Barbara Casey -> Jenny and Matt (14 June 2003).

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Painkiller
February 24th, 2004
12:31 pm

My photographer was female… and the odd thing is she was MUCH cheaper than anyone else.. and she did a kick ass job too, she resides in Victoria and I will say… I would go back to her if I had to get married again….

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Jeff
February 24th, 2004
3:29 pm

My sister is does photography in Red Deer, including weddings. In Saskatoon, it’s hard to find a male photographer. Most (at least the ones who advertise) are women.

I know one personally who is very good, and and another one who takes god-awful pictures. I honestly pity the people who go to her for portraits or special occasions.

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Margaret
May 24th, 2006
12:00 pm

I guess we figured out that woman do occupy a spot in this genre (I’m a wedding photographer…and “yes” female the last time I checked). I was never aware that this occupation was predominently secured by the male population…hmmmmm…interesting…

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