Hello all,
This week I want to discuss my perspective on being a queer female professional photographer in a small town in rural Wisconsin. First off, being a female in the professional photography industry is far from rare. Gender wise in the United States half are female and half are male, approximately. Sexual orientation-wise, only 8% are queer. Boiling that down even more I couldn't find percentages for queer female professional photographers in small towns or in Wisconsin specifically. That being said there probably isn't enough data for that demographic specification. Speaking from my experience all the professional photographers in my area that I know of are cisgender and non-queer individuals.
Being kind of unicorns, Kim and I may have a bit of an advantage in relating to other queer clients and their needs. We also both relate to the female demographic and their expectation of body image and general image quality. The majority of my clients are women reaching out for their weddings, family, or other events. In fact, the majority of male counterparts in the photographs take my work for granted unless the session is a boudoir session for their spouse.
The challenges I face as a queer female photographer in a small town are trying to help people see the worth of photography in general. Some potential clients go in another direction because they feel my price point is too high for this area. My price point is based on my experience, education, style, equipment, and time. Others simply don't have a connection with me yet, so they continue with their current photographer instead. I know not everyone will like my style or believe in my art, but I will always try my best.
Thanks for reading!
-Shelby
Resource:
https://www.zippia.com/professional-photographer-jobs/demographics/
