With the rising number of professional photographers and content creators, it’s easy to get lost in the noise. But as global trends shift around diversity and gender, some are taking a step further to use their images and videos to reshape the world around them. For Women’s Equality Day, take a look at the female movers and shakers using their craft to challenge and change the culture, awareness and understanding of the issues they care about most.

Stephanie Sinclair – Too Young to Wed

Photographer, Director and Speaker Stephanie Sinclair’s mission is to bring awareness to human rights issues around the world. She is also the Founding Executive of Too Young to Wed, a nonprofit multi-media partnership providing visual evidence of the human rights challenges faced by women and girls around the world.

Kate Brooks’ – Last Animals

After nearly two decades of capturing conflict and human rights issues across the globe, photographer Kate Brooks turned her lens on the killing of African Elephants and Rhinos in an award-winning feature length documentary film, The Last Animals.

Ami Vitale’s wildlife conversation efforts

Nikon Ambassador and National Geographic magazine photographer and filmmaker Amy Vitale has captured some of the most poignant images of the joys and crises of wildlife in our time. She works closely with groups such as Conservation International to use her award-winning images to raise public awareness and funding for conservation efforts.

Daniella Zalcman – Women Photograph

Women Photograph, founded by Daniella Zalcman, is an initiative working to elevate the voices of female, female-identifying, and non-binary visual journalists. They create spaces for collegial and professional support as well as workshops, mentorship, and grant opportunities.

Isadora Kasofsky – Documentary Photographer

Isadora Kasofsky’s immersive approach to photojournalism allows for a profound depth of storytelling. She spends years at a time with underrepresented communities across America, such as senior citizens, developmentally disabled people and incarcerated youth. This intimacy and investment as a documentarian truly stands out amidst modern day mass creation and quick consumption of content and images.

Alison Baskerville: ROAAAR Foundation

Alison Baskerville, a photographer, military veteran, and senior media safety adviser launched an initiative to empower women through confidence building and self-defense training both in and out of the field.

Annie Tritt: Transcending Self

Transcending Self is a portrait project by Annie Tritt, to share the stories of today’s transgender and non-binary youth ages 2-20 around the globe. This photographic exploration has led Tritt to rethink her own gender – an intimate journey that she shared with Vox.

Mary Calvert: The Battle Within

Calvert’s long-term multi-phased body of work on sexual trauma in America’s military examines the human impact of the harrowing statistics. She was named a 2017 Guggenheim Fellow and has won multiple awards and grants for this work, for its critical impact on public understanding of rape amongst US military ranks.

This only skims the surface of the powerhouse women who have been rocking how we see the world with their talent. On this Women’s Equality Day, take some time to feel inspired and share the work of the women whose work has moved you. Onwards!

Blog by Amanda Mustard.

 

About Amanda Mustard

Amanda Mustard is an independent photojournalist based in Bangkok, Thailand, and previously Cairo, Egypt. Mustard has contributed work to clients such as Associated Press, New York Times, Outside Magazine, National Geographic PROOF, WIRED, Bloomberg, The Smithsonian, amongst others. Mustard is an advocate for the protection and sustainability of the freelance community and gender equality in the media industry. Using the Drobo 5D3, Mustard is able to protect and store her work.