Meet 4 Women Photographers Who Are Portraying Their Fellow Women In Their True Element

 

1. Riddhi Parekh

“The idea behind each image is to showcase women as individuals, without any bias or prejudice, and let the viewers decide the takeaway. I want to normalise being an individual, regardless of their gender. And, at the very least, bring these women of diverse backgrounds, ages and cultures to the fore, so everyone can see their points of view and hear their stories. It’s simple: sometimes, seeing is believing.”

 

 

 

 

2. Shatabdi Chakrabarti

“I think it’s important for female photographers to photograph women as there is a definite shift in the ‘gaze’. I’m a heavily tattooed woman myself, and have been researching the subject for years now. I mainly document stories around this art form to understand the dichotomy that exists in it for women: in traditional, tribal spaces, tattoos on women are an integral part of the culture, where motifs have deep-rooted connections with femininity and womanhood; but in urban India, a tattooed woman can be labelled ‘too modern’.”

 

 

 

3. Saumya Khandelwal

“It’s important to understand that there’s a certain visual language that has historically been used to depict women. The reason is that, for the most part, it is men who have dominated these industries. As a female photographer, I approach the women I photograph in the same light that I see women in—strong and resilient. I like to catch them in those brief moments when they let go of their pressures, and find a moment to just be. I often depict the worlds of those less privileged than me, because even birth is a privilege.”

 

 

 

4. Paromita Chatterjee

“I feel it’s important to tell stories through my perspective. It’s really difficult to tell stories about women’s issues in a country like India, where some families don’t even have the means to obtain three meals a day. Photography, quite honestly, is a male-dominated field. So, telling a woman’s story through a woman’s point of view can be rather intense. After all these years, it has made me brave...and has inspired me, immensely. Through my photographs, I try to reflect the real character, the soul of my subject, without objectifying them.”