The Women Who Changed Photography: And How To Master Their Techniques

This eclectically arranged volume from Padley (Into the Wild: The Story of the World’s Greatest Wildlife Photography) features 50 women photographers from around the world—some famous (Sally Mann, Cindy Sherman, Susan Meiselas) and others lesser-known (Consuelo Kanaga, Jessie Tarbox Beals, Paz Errázuriz). Padley’s goal is to make the history of photography more representative and inclusive; she achieves this by featuring photographers from a broad cross-section of eras, from the 1850s to the present, and genres that include fine art, documentary, and photojournalism. Each artist is introduced with a short biography, a tip on their techniques, a portrait of the artist, and one image representing their body of work. Padley also gives each of the photographers an evocative moniker, like “the Dreamer” (Vivian Sassen), “the Freedom Fighter” (Shirin Neshat), and “the Researcher” (Laia Abril). The book features a dynamic design, showcasing vibrant pages and striking typography. Padley’s tips for borrowing from each photographer’s style can sometimes be superficial or too brief: the tip inspired by Japanese photographer Rinko Kawauchi’ is “Make bokeh the subject of your image”; for British photographer Nadine Ijewere, it’s “Shoot people upwards from a low angle.”