The oversight of women in the history of photography comes from a long tradition of undermining their status. They were acknowledged as models or assistants, not so much as talented artists.
Even the 'Kodak Girl' commercials confined women's use of a camera to a hobby as it was their duty to be the memory keepers of the family. They were not to experiment with photography as a tool of documentation or a space of self-expression.
The perception of women as a subject has also changed over time. Up until the 1960s and '70s, society saw women only as mothers and wives, confined to a very specific role.
Yet, since the dawn of time, they never ceased to transfigure - through their actions or words - our society. From the very beginning of photography, they never relented escaping from the societal norms to question and document the world.
This 23rd edition of AAP Magazine sought not only to acknowledge the strength, beauty, and resilience of women around the world, but also their artistic poetry and talent as demonstrated by the 19 women photographers selected.
The 25 artists chosen for this edition, regardless of gender, gave us - through their different approaches and techniques - a powerful tribute to women.
Selecting the winners was certainly not an easy task, but overall, we hope you will all enjoy this beautiful collection of amazing images of women.
Also, if you'd like to see the previous post featuring our 25 best street photos then think no further and click here.
More info: all-about-photo.com | Instagram
#1 American Beauty From The Series 'Nod Of Recognition' By Jane Levine
#2 Babushka From The Series 'Russian Fairy Tales' By Frank Herfort
Babushka Aleksandra, at the home of her daughter Elena at a village between Saint Petersburg and Moscow, near the city of Bologoye. Aleksandra warms up and wears the famous or typical Russian Valenki, felt boots.
#3 Makiko Sugawa From The Series 'Maze Of Metamorphosis' By Silvia Alessi
Makiko Sugawa is an artist, an illustrator. Because of a cancer, she lost her left leg completely, well above the knee. And in fact, her prosthesis must be tied to her waist with a belt. She knows that clothes and fashion can have a big impact on how a woman feels about herself. So if a woman with a disability can be "stylish", other girls in the same condition can follow her example. This conviction led her to parade on the catwalks using Fumio Usui's splendid creations.
#4 Sophia With Roses From The Series 'Ode To Beauty' By Pat Rose
Studio portrait with natural light.
#5 3rd Place Winner: Ranch Sage From The Series 'Natural Order' By Maura Allen
#6 Lost In Thought From The Series 'About Women' By Andrea Torrei
Dire Dawa, Ethiopia 2019.
#7 June At Hasenheide From The Series 'German Youth' By Aaron Deppe
#8 1st Place Winner: Susanne From The Series Daylight By Susanne Middelberg
Dancer, actress, photographer. In my portraits, I am looking for honesty and vulnerability. I believe that vulnerability makes us nicer human beings and that this makes the world a little more friendly and more understanding. People who show themselves vulnerable give the other the confidence that they themselves may be who they are. I am most fascinated when I can see opposite qualities of a person at the same moment.
#9 2nd Place Winner: Arrangement In Green And Black #10 From The Series 'Arrangement In Green And Black,' Portrait Of The Photographer's Mother By Aline Smithson
This series had serendipitous beginnings. I found a print of Whistler’s painting, and it started me thinking about the genre of portraiture, the strong compositional relationships going on within Whistler’s painting, and the evocative nature of unassuming details. The series is printed in silver gelatin yet becomes richer with the treatment of hand painting. My patient 85-year-old mother posed in over 20 ensembles, but unfortunately passed away before seeing the finished series.
#10 Hands On Chest From The Series 'Growing Old' By Marna Clarke
#11 Shima From The Series 'Neopictorialist ' By Francis Willey
#12 Reindeer Moss, Cumberland Island From The Series 'Land Of The Yaupon Holly' By Anne Berry
Cumberland Island, 2019, from Land of the Yaupon Holly.
#13 Paris 2021 From The Series 'Women Are Still Beautiful' By Giuseppe Cardoni
Tribute to Gary Winogrand.
#14 Sister Maria Grazia From The Series 'Habito' By Monica Testa
#15 Black Goggles From The Series 'Domesticated Animals' By Prescott Lassman
#16 Star From The Series 'The Devils' By Constance Jaeggi
Colette performs a Star during a training session at The Devils Horsemen.
#17 Self Portrait 8 From The Series 'Without A Map' By Marsha Guggenheim
From my series, "Without a Map" How does one move through life with the scars of the past? When I was ten, my mother died unexpectedly from a heart attack. I couldn’t understand where she went or when she would return. Just as I began to comprehend this loss, my father died. I was without support from my family and community. I was lost.
#18 ISIS Mother From The Series 'Women Of Islamic State' By Lenka Klicperová
When the Kurdish troops liberated the capital of Caliphate Raqqa, I finally met them - women who in a special way frightened and fascinated the world. Women of Islamic State fighters, the wives of the most dangerous men on this planet. They crossed the front lines, some died also with their children. Some of them survived. They were detained in camp Ain Issa near Raqqa, Syria's. Surrounded by their enemies – Kurds.
#19 Ruby Red From The Series 'Selfhood' By Vicky Martin
Ruby Red is taken from the series Selfhood, The female characters in this series search for a sense of independent identity crafted through outward appearance and signalled through dress and posture, challenging the traditional assessment of character made via eye contact. Each image contains its own distinctive narrative, separate from the other photographs in the series, connected only through the motif of disguised eyes.
#20 Julie T’s Feet From The Series 'Embrasure' By Julie Fowells
Julie Tolentino is a modern dancer/performance artist. These are her feet.
#21 Creative Growth From The Series 'Noisy Brain' By Sandra Klein
I consider this diptych a portrait of how I create my imagery. I begin with a spark of an idea and obsessively develop it.
#22 Milla From The Series 'Women In The Flow' By Lisen Stibeck
#23 Green Dress From The Series 'Conversations With Myself' By Jo Ann Chaus
#24 Metaphysical Body Landscapes By Anna Lazareva
Part 2: All being is something whole, indivisible. Earth, sky, plants, fruits, mountains, rivers, men, women, day, night- all merged together and flows into each other. This process is infinite and harmonious. Men came from the earth, live on earth, and will return to earth. And landscapes of the earth are seen in body curves.
#25 Passers-By From The Series 'At The Bus Stop' By Joan-Ramon Manchado
Toned cyanotype, 30 x 37 cm.
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