Last Updated on 11/08/2024 by Chris Gampat
Women’s Rights are at risk all around the world. And it shouldn’t only be highlighted by publications around Women’s History Month. Instead, photography publications should be working to share the stories of photographers everywhere who are trying to wake people up from their numbness from social media. Lots of these stories can’t be told on social media — but with publications, you can go into far more depth. And so here are the stories of 5 photographers we’ve highlighted before.
All images in this article are used with permission from the photographers in our original articles. Lead image by Juanita Escobar.
Table of Contents
Reminders about the Phoblographer
For 15 years, the Phoblographer has been telling the stories of photographers everywhere. When it comes to women, we don’t simply just wait for Women’s History Month or others. We do it all the time. Of any modern independent photography publications, we’ve done the most original interviews with women photographers as of late.
Many of you will be also glad to know that the majority of the Phoblographer’s staff are women; and our very own Managing Editor, who has run Phoblographer in my absence, is a woman.
This section isn’t to pat ourselves on the back — instead, that’s how certain people might read it because of their own insecurities. But if you have those insecurities, why not join us in celebrating the progressive issues that we push every day instead of just talking about gear?
In 2020, I made an official statement on the site’s stance in the world. It’s like we’ve always said: photography is nothing without the people behind the camera.
In 2025, I’m determined to provide even more support to the photography world than we already do. We deliver an average of 6 articles a day, provide photographers with affordable insurance on their business and gear, help them navigate their creativity with presets, and we’re constantly there to provide some of the strictest most traditional journalistic ethics in the photography world.
The Story of Women’s Rights
For many years, women have faced oppression around the world in various ways. And we’ve put the photographers working to shed light on these issues at the forefront. In this article, we’re highlighting them once again and linking back to our original interviews with these photographers.
Esther Mbabazi: Safe Births for Expecting Mothers
Photographer Esther Mbabazi has worked to tell the story of Masa: a mid-wife who helped several woman in Uganda who don’t have access to the resources they need to deliver their children safely. Esther documented Masa; and the story puts a big emphasis on how women are in danger in various parts of the world due to the lack of having these resources. Sometimes, the mothers can’t even get to the hospital to give birth.
The story is a complex one around women’s rights — and when you trace its entire route, one can’t help but see how women struggle during pregnancy. In our interview, she stated:
“Masa mostly does it out of pure love–and she takes great satisfaction when she sees a mother give birth to her child in a healthy way,”
Esther Mbabazi
You can see more of Esther’s work at her website or on her Instagram.
Xyza Crus Bacani Tells the Stories of Migrant Women
Xyza Cruz Bacani worked as a second-generation migrant domestic worker for nearly a decade. When she shifted to documentary photography, this perspective enabled her to develop an interest in shedding more light on the issues and mostly untold stories about the migration divide today. Much of this work can be seen in a book of hers called, “We are Like Air.”
The issue here is around humanizing migrants — which is a statement that also deeply involves women’s rights. Often, the vernacular revolves around how these people are taking jobs, living on the streets, etc. But this comes from a place of privilege and misunderstanding. Xyza says it best in our interview:
“They are also mothers, sisters, daughters, wives, and they have their life beyond their livelihood. There are tons of stereotypes with migrants and it affected me as an individual. I felt ‘the othering’ from certain situations. I hope we just see them as humans just like everyone else.”
Xyza Cruz Bacani
You can see more of Xyza’s work at her website and on her Instagram.
Juanita Escobar Shows Us How Indigenous Women Deal With War
Photographer Juanita Escobar has worked to tell the stories of the indigenous women caught in the conflict between Columbia and Venezuela, which broke out in 2015. In her investigations, she found that the women were most at risk. The thing here is that there are a myriad of women’s rights problems, as Juanita told us in an interview:
“For some, the border is the limit between Colombia and Venezuela. For others, it is an encounter with colonizers and their discrimination. There is an urgent need to recount the shocking tales of the most marginalized, like those that tell of drug addiction and child prostitution, common among Amorúa girls and teenagers in the departmental capital of Puerto Carreño. The landscape becomes darker still when we add to it the humanitarian crisis and breakdown taking place in Venezuela, which has led to a monumental increase in prostitution.”
Juanita Escobar
Visit Juanita Escobar’s website and Instagram to see more of her work.
Ershad Fatahian Tells the Story of Women’s Rights in Metaphors
Photographer Ershad Fatahian hasn’t done documentary photography, but instead works to do fine-art photography with metaphors attached. His series, Unseen, was shot in Iran — but it works to tell the struggles of the women’s rights movement everywhere and uses metaphors to make people pay attention. In our interview, he explained:
Iran has a rich and great culture and also has different ethnicities and languages. Women in Iran during the last 40-50 years have experienced great progress in the field of civics and presence in society. However even in there are also some regions in Iran that are more traditional and more committed to traditional behavior and thoughts. But this collection is not specifically about Iran, and as I said before, such cases can be seen in many parts of the world. I can say that this collection reflects the situation of women in many parts of the world.
Ershad Fatahian
Please visit Ershan’s Instagram for more of his work.
Susan Meiselas is a Legend
In 2022, the legendary Susan Meiselas unveiled a very telling image for the Magnum Square Print sale. In June 2022, Roe vs Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court — therefore removing protections for women to get abortions. The image, which we won’t show here but can be seen in our interview, is quite telling of the time. Susan had the following to say:
“I am stunned by the conflict that we are in the midst of in the USA, but then who would have expected the response we see in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini or the power of the #MeToo movement expanding globally. These are not isolated events, they are inspiring and interacting internationally, yet the struggle goes on. Each action and image contributes as it circulates to create and shape bold responses.”
Susan Meiselas
Susan has been telling stories like this for decades, and if you’re not familiar with who she is, you should definitely become more familiar with her.
“