Each of the women in this series stepped out of the bounds of physical and social expectations to pursue her personal vision through photography. Some were fortunate to have come from wealthy families who fostered their interests. Others had to make their way by supporting themselves, or they found encouragement from other, more established photographers.

Many chose to avoid or leave behind the comforts of married life at a time when marriage provided the primary source of financial security for a woman. Each of them surmounted the challenges they encountered in order to pursue their dreams. I hope their true stories inspire you, and I invite you to continue documenting and recording whatever is most important in your life through the ever-evolving tool of photography, just as these women did before you.

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHERS:
Gertrude Kasebier (1852-1934)
Frances Benjamin Johnston (1864-1952)
Alice Austen (1866-1952)
Zaida Ben-Yusuf (1869-1933)
Anne Brigman (1869-1950)
Jessie Tarbox Beals (1870-1942)
Bayard Wootten (1875-1959)
Doris Ulmann (1882-1934)
Imogen Cunningham (1883-1976)
Elise Forrest Harleston (1891-1970)
Laura Gilpin (1891-1979)
Dorothea Lange (1895-1965)
Berenice Abbott (1898-1991)
Margaret Bourke-White (1904-1971)
Helen Levitt (1913-2009)
Carrie Mae Weems (b. 1953)

Behind the Camera: American Women Photographers Who Shaped How We See the World