Diane,
I know just what you mean. I feel the same way about my photography. Your work is beautiful - and yes, sensitive - but I wouldn't be able to look at it and see the hidden label 'made by a woman'. The same is true for the gorgeous photography of Tori Nelson and Trish Herremans.
Not so for Sally Mann. And, she may be one of the few female photographers whose name would be recognizable by the general public. Her work is excellent and she should be recognized, but so also, should Paula Chamlee.
For me, it always comes back to photography - plain and simple. All good photography puts the sensitivity and emotion of its maker on display for a viewer. In all honesty, the photography that has most often caused my breath to catch or has brought tears to my eyes has been made by a man. You really gotta love photography.
And Bruce, my husband agrees completely with your assessment of engineering. He is a software engineer who works with engineers. I've heard from his female co-workers how much they appreciate his attitude and support. I'm sure the same is true for the women you worked with. (And, Bourke-White had a tremendous influence on me, too. I blush a bit now, but my first 'real' camera was a Speed Graphic that I got from a retired Chicago news photographer. It was hard not to picture B-W in my mind's eye while I was learning to use the camera.)
Denise
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