Women Who Changed Photography

Gemma Padley is a writer and editor on photography. Her writing has been published by The Telegraph, Foam, Photomonitor, LensCulture, AnOther, Elephant, British Journal of Photography and 1000 Words magazine.

• Anna Atkins I English I 1799-1871 I Cyanotypes I Botanist Who Merged Science and ArtJulia Margaret Cameron I British I 1815-1879 I Portraiture I Romantic Portraitist Who Was Ahead of Her TimeLady Clementina Hawarden I British I 1822-65 I Portraiture I Pioneering Amateur Photographer Who Made Enigmatic Portraits of her Daughters Using Mirrors / Victorian Photographer Fascinated by Double ImagesCatharine Weed Barnes Ward I American I 1851-1913 I Documentary I Champion of Women PhotographersGertrude Ka¨sebier I American I 1852-1934 I Portraiture I Advocate of PictorialismFrances Benjamin Johnston I American I 1864-1952 I Press Photography I Pioneer for Women in PhotographyAlice Austen I American I 1866-1952 I Documentary/Portraiture I Challenger of Victorian Convention / Early Photography TrailblazerAnne Brigman I American I 1869-1950 I Nude Self-Portraits I Boundary Pusher and Early FeministImogen Cunningham I American I 1883-1976 I Portraiture/Still Life I Giant of Twentieth Century Art PhotographyKarimeh Abbud I Palestinian I 1893-1955 I Portraiture I First Professional Arab and Palestinian Female PhotographerMadame Yevonde I English I 1893-1975 I Portraiture/Still Life I Embraced Colour Photography When Others Thought it FrivolousFlorence Henri I American-born Swiss I 1893-1982 I Abstract I Bauhaus Queen with an Eye for the Surreal [Who Ushered Conceptual Photography in New Directions]Claude Cahun I French I 1894-1954 I Self-Portraiture I Masterful Surrealist Photographer and Explorer of Gender IdentityConsuelo Kanaga I American I 1894-1978 I Documentary/Portraiture I Advocate for the Rights of African Americans Who Saw Beauty in the EverydayBerenice Abbott I American I 1898-1991 I Documentary/ [Portraiture/Architecture/Scientific Photography] I Forward-thinking Photographer Who Captured the Changing Character of Twentieth Century New YorkIlse Bing I German I 1899-1998 I Avant-Garde I Queen of the Leica and Leading Modernist PhotographerBarbara MorganI American I 1900-1992 I Dance Photography/Abstract I Recorder of Movement in PhotographyZofia Rydet I Polish I 1911-1997 I Portraiture I Sought to Photograph Every Household in PolandHomai Vyarawalla I Indian I 1913-2012 I Photojournalism I India's First Woman PhotojournalistTsuneko Sasamoto I Japanese I 1914-2022 I Photojournalism I Japan's First Female PhotojournalistDiane Arbus I American I 1923-1971 I Documentary/Portraiture I Photographer Whose Bold Approach Helped Elevate Photography to the Realm of ArtSabine Weiss I Swiss-French I 1924-2021 I Documentary I Captured Humanity on the Streets of ParisVivian Maier I American I 1926-2009 I Street Photography I Prolific Street Photographer Whose Work was Discovered After Her DeathDoris Derby I American I 1939-2022 I Documentary I Civil Rights Chronicler and ActivistPaz Errázuriz I Chilean I Born 1944 I 78 at the time of writing [Born 2/2/44] I Documentary I Photographer Who Used Her Camera to Defy a DictatorshipMing Smith I American I Born 1950 I Age [check DoB] I Documentary/Portraiture I Photographer Who Shone a Light on the Humanity of African AmericansSally Mann I American I Born 1951 I 71 at the time of writing [Born 1/5/51] I Portraiture I Photographer of the American South Best Known for Photographing Her ChildrenCarrie Mae Weems I American I Born 1953 I 69 at the time of writing [Born 20/4/53] I Art Photography/Mixed Media I Artist Who Looks Back to Look ForwardIngrid Pollard I British I Born 1953 I Age [check DoB] I Art Photography/Mixed Media [Portraiture/Landscape] I Artist Who Challenges Notions of Englishness and Social ConstructsCindy Sherman I American I Born 1954 I 69 at the time of writing [Born 19/1/54] I Self-Portraiture I Grande Dame of Self-Portraiture Who Turned the Genre on Its HeadPushpamala N. I Indian I Born 1956 I Age [check DoB] I Performance/Art Photography I Pioneer of Conceptual Art in IndiaShirin Neshat I Iranian I Born 1957 I 65 at the time of writing [Born 26/3/57] I Art Photography/Mixed Media I Freedom Fighter Who Uses Art as a Weapon [Against the Oppression of Islamic Women]Francesca Woodman I American I 1958-1981 I Self-Portraiture I Genius Whose Life and Work is Shrouded in MysteryMaud Sulter I Scottish I 1960-2008 I Portraiture/Mixed Media/Art Photography I Artist Who Put Black Women Back in the Centre of the FrameLorna Simpson I American I Born 1960 I 62 at the time of writing [Born 13/8/60] I Art Photography/Mixed Media I Artist Who Explores What It Means to be Black and FemaleVera Lutter I German I Born 1960 I Age [check DoB] I Architecture/Landscape/Art Photography I Camera Obscura DoyenneLiz Johnson Artur I Ghanaian-Russian I Born 1964 I Age [check DoB] I Documentary/Portraiture / Photographer Who Trains Her Lens on Daily Life in the African DiasporaAnja Niedringhaus I German I 1965-2014 I Photojournalism I Photographer Who Captured the Humanity in AtrocityAmi Vitale I American I Born 1971 I Age [check DoB] I Documentary I Influential Conservation PhotographerZanele Muholi I South African I Born 1972 I 50 at the time of writing [Born 19/8/72] I Documentary/Portraiture I Activist Putting South Africa's LGBTQIA+ Communities in the History Books Viviane Sassen I Dutch I Born 1972 I 50 at the time of writing [Born 5/7/72] I Fashion/Art I Master of Shadow, Form and Colour Whose Work has Surreal UndertonesLynsey Addario I American I Born 1973 I 49 at the time of writing [Born 13/11/73] I Photojournalism I Force of Nature Who Photographs Conflict and Humanitarian CrisesAïda Muluneh I Ethiopian I Born 1974 I Age [check DoB] I Portraiture/Art I Champion of Photography as a Tool for ChangeJoana Choumali I Ivorian I Born 1974 I Age [check DoB] I Conceptual Portraits/Mixed Media/Documentary/Art I Embroiderer of PhotographsLaToya Ruby Frazier I American I Born 1982 I Age [check DoB] I Portraiture/Documentary I Photographer Who Blurs the Line Between Social Document and Self-PortraitPoulomi Basu I Indian I Born 1983 I Age [check DoB] I Documentary/Mixed Media/Art I Transmedia Artist and Activist Pushing the Boundaries of Visual StorytellingLaia Abril I Spanish I Born 1986 I Age [check DoB] I Documentary/Mixed Media I Ground-breaking Multiplatform Storyteller Challenging Conversations Around MisogynyRahima Gambo I Nigerian I Born 1986 I Age [check DoB] I Mixed Media/Documentary/Art Photography I Multimedia Artist Shaking Up Traditional Approaches to StorytellingNadine Ijewere I British I 1992 I Age [check DoB] I Fashion I First Black Female Photographer to Shoot a Vogue CoverSarah Waiswa I Ugandan I Born ? I Age [check DoB] I Documentary/Portraiture I Photographer Championing the Voices of African Women Photographers