M9 - Women Photojournalists - Trials and Triumphs

             There are many great female photojournalists that I found while doing my research. I chose to take a closer look at Eman Mohammed. Eman Mohammed is a photojournalist in Gaza. “She is the only female Gazan photojournalist operating out of Gaza and has been since she was 19.”  She is now 26 and still a great photojournalist. She has even spoke at the United Nations Geneva Peace Talks. It was not easy for her to get where she is today, she had to overcome a lot get to where she is. There are really no female photojournalists in Gaza. When she first started when she was 19 she was given a broken camera and was told that if she could fix then she could keep it. People would ask her boss "How could you hire a girl, she's wearing jeans and look how she holds her camera." 

            Lots of people criticized her because she was a female photojournalist. This is very similar to the what Lynsey Addario discussed in her video in the course module. Her boss ended up taking her camera away from her and saying she could only be an English/Arabic editor. She ended up resigning after a big fight with her boss where she was given the option to either resign or be fired. She was able to get enough money together to buy a camera a and two lenses. She then started covering the war that had just started. Her friends “thought I had thrown away a great opportunity to work behind a desk, because that's where women belong.”   She was even sexually harassed and left behind while photographing the war. She said “ I'm not the only woman left in the profession because I'm so good at it—it's just really hard to survive in that field.” Eman still covered the while she was pregnant.  She is now a very talented photojournalist but struggles with the way people look at her in Gaza.


               Workplace discrimination is still a huge problem today. This happens in all sorts of industries. A family friend worked for a company for a longtime did and was great at her job. It was very hard for her to move up in the company because she was a women. After years of working hard she was finally promoted to a higher level position in the company. However she did not make as much as the man that got promoted to the same position as a her. She also had to deal with men in the office not really respecting her authority. The men would not always listen to her and did not treat the same way they treated the male bosses. There were even comments made about how they would not take orders from a women. It took a very long time to get respect from her colleagues and still struggles with it today. There are many other examples of women being harassed and being treated differently in the module. The module talks about how there are inappropriate comments made by male employees to female employees.

             The corporate world has a lot of workplace discrimination. There are still big businesses that do not treat women the same as they treat men. In some corporations they do not pay women the same amount as they pay the men. Even when women are just as qualified as men some companies do not pay them the same as men.  Some people in corporations still think that women do not belong in high level positions in corporations which as most of us know is not true at all. This happens in all fields and the module talks about how women are looked down upon in some fields. This discrimination happens all the time in corporations all the time and it needs to stop. There are even cases where women are not hired because they are women even though this is illegal. This is something that goes on in all industries and it is not fair at all. It should not matter what gender, race, or religious beliefs are everyone should be treated equally.

Photo By- Grey Hutton
Year-2014
Image Source- http://www.vice.com/read/eman-mohammed-interview-129
This is a photo of Eman Mohammed

Principle 1- Subjects Expression

     The subjects expression is very posed. Her smile and body language fit her pose perfectly. She is looking at the camera and is not blinking. This most definitely is not a candid photo she is posing for the photographer.

Principle 2- Keep it Simple

    This is a very simple photo. It is a posed photo with no clutter at all. There is a very simple and plain background behind her. It is just her and what looks like a simple wall behind her in the photo.

Principle 3- Is the image black white or color
    This photo is a black and white photo. This was most definitely the photojournalists choice because it was taken in 2014. I think that the photo being black and white it adds character to the photo.

Why I chose this Image.

       I chose this image because it is a very nice photo. I really like the simplicity of the photo. It shows Eman Mohammed posing for a photo when she is usually the one taking he photographs. This photo really grabbed my eye when I saw the photo. Making the photo black and white was a great touch and it made me look at the photo.

Photo By- Shutterstock
Year-2013
Image Source- http://madamenoire.com/279178/minorities-and-racial-discrimination-in-the-workplace-are-we-exaggerating/


Principle 1- Abstraction

     This photo has some abstract qualities. To me it shows a women leading the meeting and being in charge. This shows that it does not matter your gender and anyone can be in charge. It shows that a women can be a boss.

Principle 2-Quality of Light

       The quality of light is good in my opinion. The light enhances the photo and draws attention to the women in charge. It is not distracting or to much it adds to the photo and makes the photo really pop. The natural light from the window is very nice and it adds to the photo.

Principle 3- Depth of Field
        This photo has a perfect depth of field. When looking at the photo the depth of field draws your eye to the women in charge. The depth of field really helps to show all the people but highlight the women standing.



Why I chose this Image.

       I chose this image because I really liked it. The photo spoke to me and caught my eye. I thought that the photo really showcased that women can and should have high power jobs. It shows that they are just a capable as men. this photo caught my because it had a message.

Photo By- Jacquelyn Martin
Year-2013
Image Source- http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/04/a-simple-legal-way-to-help-stop-employment-discrimination/274519/


Principle 1- In or out of focus

     This photo is in focus. This photo is very sharp and clear. The photo being in focus helps so it is easy to read the words on the signs the people are holding. It helped it to really bring the feeling out of the photo.

Principle 2-Exposure Time

       The exposure time is very important in how a photo ends up looking. This photo had a fast shutter speed. This is because it captured people moving around. This was important to make sure that the photo came out clearly. If the photojournalist had used a slow shutter speed the photo would have most likely been blurry.


Principle 3-What feeling does the image create


      The draws a feeling from you. The photo makes you feel for the people holding the signs. It makes you feel the passion that they have for there cause. It makes you want to join them. It makes you sympathetic to there cause.


Why I chose this Image.

       I chose this image because I agree completely with what they are saying.  I agree that everyone should be treated the same way regardless of there gender or anything else. This photo caught my eye because if this is going on in a large corporation like Walmart imagine how many other companies are doing the same thing.