Women photographers are are vastly under-represented within the photographic industries.
Whilst the gender balance within university courses and fine art photography is much more even, within the commercial & professional landscape, we still see a huge disparity between the practicing number of men and women. Just 2% of photographers on the books at major commercial agencies are women. Only 5% of the images used by leading photography publishers are from the lenses of female photographers. For every woman ambassador working for the major camera brands, there are 6 men.
Picfair was formed to make stock photography fairer, and more representative. By opening our doors to every type of photographer, from every type of background, we believe we can give image buyers more authentic, lesser-seen perspectives of the world. But, frustratingly, we suffer from the same gender disparity. Among our 28,000 photographers from across the globe, women are a clear minority. It’s troubled us since we launched.
In launching the Women Behind The Lens competition, we hope to start addressing this disparity, while showcasing the exceptional quality of female photography across the world.
Women photographers of any age, any geographic location, and any level of experience are invited to submit their images across four categories - Nature, Street Level, Architecture, and Portrait. Shortlisted images will be eligible for a range of prizes, promoted to Picfair’s pool of global publishers and agencies, and will also be showcased at an exhibition running at the The Guardian in London this December. Winners will be announced on December 11th.
As with every image uploaded to Picfair, full copyright will remain with the photographers, and entrants will be in full control of the fees they require should one of our customers wish to license their work. (That’s the “fair” bit in Picfair - unlike the large agencies who take 74% of royalties away from the photographers, we let you choose your own license prices, and add only 20% on top).
We’re incredibly excited to see your work. Enter the competition here.
