There’s no question that the New York Times photo of James Comey during his Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, where he detailed his uncomfortable and suspect dealings with President Donald Trump, is going to be one of the iconic ones of our time. There’s also no question about who overwhelmingly seems to dominate the photojournalism field based on this photo: white men.
Doug Mills, the photographer who carefully planned and shot the photo, used a monopod from above the gaggle of photographers. If you read this detailed write-up about it, you’ll see another photo that has an even clearer view. Counting the photographers, about 32 seemed to be white males, and only two women in the group. There may have been a few minorities, but it’s hard to tell.
Take a look:
Regardless of what the exact count was, it’s stunning that news organizations don’t consider this when sending out photographers. Yes, news outlets have hit tough times, and those tough times disproportionately affect minorities in newsrooms, but it’s still something an editor should think about. This is even more important when it involves a president that specifically targets minorities when crafting policy.
The Comey photo reveals that there’s still a huge gender/race gap in photojournalism. If you look at the list of New York Times reporters in the White House Press Corps (or at least the ones listed here), there’s a lack of diversity across the board. It’s a similar situation for the board of the White House Correspondents’ Association. Fox News, according to that same list, seems to be doing better on this front.
Many commenters pointed out this issue not only in terms of the photographers, but also in terms of the people in the room who controlled the levers of power in government:
Some of the comments on the New York Times story about the photo.
When photographs disproportionately carry the collective consciousness and culture of a specific group, they in turn disproportionately bias their consumers toward that group's ideas on anything from sexuality to social habits. Culture feeds into art feeds into culture. Culture feeds into advertising feeds into culture. Culture feeds into journalism feeds into culture.
This particular photo from the Comey hearing reveals that no one’s listening.
You're discourse style is reminiscent of Pee-Wee Herman arguing with the fat rich kid who wanted his bike. Some Great White Defender you are!
You earned it.
Nice patient work on your part. You may recall Barney Frank's interaction with a Lyndon Larouche supporter that ran along the same lines. Check this out, you will be amused:
https://newrepublic.com/article/77710/barney-frank-vs-the-dining-room-ta...
I wasn't speaking to you, but I encourage you to keep hoping. Fyi Frank would kick you out of the room just like Jobs.
lol. Post an article about race and the watch mayonnaise drip across the comments. I LOVE how anytime anything about race is mentioned, as it relates to photography and the rallying cry for commenters is "I don't wanna see this crap!"
First of all...it's an entire article based on a lie. Second, of all, it has no relevance to photography. It's nothing more than racism against whites and a thinly veiled accusation that somehow White people are keeping minorities or women out of photojournalism. Strangely though, have never seen anyone refused a sale of a camera or the ability to photograph an event based on race or gender... The article is bullsh*t and the author a race baiter just as you are...
Most of the replies were based on the substance of his arguments and not on the subject matter. I like Wasim and most of his articles and comments. I've noted, and liked a lot of your comments in the past. If we can't critique each other, regardless of race, racism will never die.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/journalism
Definition of journalism.
1. a : the collection and editing of news for presentation through the media
b : the public press
c : an academic study concerned with the collection and editing of news or the management of a news medium
2. a : writing designed for publication in a newspaper or magazine
b : writing characterized by a direct presentation of facts or description of events without an attempt at interpretation
c : writing designed to appeal to current popular taste or public interest
Wasim Ahmad... it seems you can't call yourself a Journalist legitimately by this article.
He is a race baiter, mediocre photographer, and one who believes pushing minority towards a failing career is a good idea.
So many complaints about this article, but it's true. It is visible in every photographic forum: post a picture of a provocatively-posed beautiful white woman, with the subhead of "boudour" or "glamour", and expect applause. Practicality no women of color and almost no "fashion" photos of men, either. Post semi or full nude white women only, or don't bother to post at all.
For sure the stylistic leanings of published photography is tilted by the largest number of users, that being middle and upper-class white males. You must have both the funds and time to practice the craft; you must enjoy a base level of success in order to afford the equipment that allows you to participate in the hobby. That hobby eventually can turn into a career, if you are both talented and fortunate, with practice and education, again both of which take time and funds to acquire. Since white males make up the majority share of the middle and upper classes, they are more prevalent at the professional levels.
But we shouldn't discount typical hiring practices, the Old Boys Club pattern, in our analysis, and the author brings this out.
Which is why he earns the ire...of the while male majority that reads online photographic articles.
Surprise!!
What a load of crap... Please point out for us where minorities and women are refused the ability to post an image of the above-mentioned subjects. We will wait while you flounder. Your entire diatribe is false from beginning to end.
You're in complete denial
.
Read it again. I never said that alternative images and views are being denied a voice. This is the internet, you are free to post anything you want. But that doesn't mean that everyone will be quiet about it.
What I SAID is that the majority of photographers, white middle and upper class males, are creating the accepted norms, that images and conversations that meet to their singular tastes are often and sadly the most you'll see. I dare you to post an even slightly homoerotic image and NOT get massive, hard-core flack for it. But post an erotic image with a sexy white woman? Exactly how many positive comments can we count?
And would a photo of a beautiful, erotic woman of color get the same accolades, never mind the negative comments that will infiltrate the discussion.
So your refusal to accept reality doesn't change it. Sorry. But, sadly, all too typical.
I completely agree with your comment on the general consensus of 'beauty' here, it is very unilateral and in general far from what is internationally perceived as editorial.
Well, it is what it is, I chose to be a part of this community and in general enjoy the articles every day.
I do think people of color or different ethnicities should be represented more in press, but I am convinced that if a black photographer creates great images he or she will be hired just like any other (which might not be true for jobs in front of the camera unfortunately)
I am truly a believer of supply and demand.
Whatever the reason is for a lack of ethnic photographers in press, I don't think it's because of the press itself, i agree with you it probably has to do with money, opportunities and perhaps interest
There are several photos of beautiful women of color on this site. They have received numerous accolades, including from this white, upper middle class white guy. Homoerotic images? Not a chance!
I'm not in denial about anything. I simply don't dream up garbage to say with zero credibility and numerous falsehoods to push a racist agenda. Anyone that wants to have more images seen should do the work and pay the same price the rest of us did instead of crying like entitled children and making baseless accusations because they lack representation in a field they refuse to work in.... NO ONE is keeping anyone out of photojournalism or any photography job. I have no respect for pot stirrers, race pimps or those that tell lies for the purpose of pushing hatred and racism against any race.
beauty is in the eye of the beholder, has nothing to do with photography. That's the thing about art, you don't have to like it.
Maybe in photojournalism there are more men than women, and more Caucasians vs. Blacks (and otger minorities). But take a look around and you will find that in portrait photographers (especially those under 35) an increasing number of the photographers are women. On the same note, I've noticed that many black photographers are shooting sports and the fashion world. Maybe it's just that those two demographics are not interested in photojournalism as much? Kind of unprofessional for the author to judge an entire profession based off a few pictures of one location/event. Kind of like taking a picture each day in northern Canada and reporting the world weather based off it. Before throwing blanket statements out there, look at more sources.
This is how leftist race baiters operate. They can't use facts or it would destroy their agenda.
If Fstoppers has *ANY* sense this should be the authors last article on this otherwise very fine site. Terrible race baiting which has NO PLACE on a professional photography site such as this.
Absolutely disgusting!
I agree. I'm strongly thinking it will be my last visit to the site. I have no interest in such race baiting content on a photography site.
ehh there's other sites to display work like 500px, instagram, flickr. Petapixel has some good articles too without the social justice race baiting.
But great article for comments and shares. If they paid authors on commission, every other article would be on this topic. It's like they throw out the line and the fish jump on to the hook!
So I don't think we'll see a let up any time soon.
A victim mentality is so very dangerous to a persons mind.
This comment page should be archived as the epitome of white fragility. I'll be sharing it for sure!
Fragile? Since when is justified indignation, fragility?
Ryan Mense (never cared for), Mike Kelley (who I like aside from his PC leanings) and Boris Schipper (never heard of but probably an otherwise fine fellow): duly noted.
I think if a subject gets such a strong response it is a sign of a weak spot.
If someone states something i don't agree with I might react, but I will always try and really understand why they say this, even if my instincts or my ego tell me it's bullshit.
Then there are two options, either I learn to agree with him (or her) and I have learned something, or, I tried to understand but I still disagree and I don't care about his opinion because I think he's a nitwit.
I upvoted this comment because I have noted on another post, quite a while ago, that people get really offensive here when it's about race.
If it has such an influence on you, not you Patrick, on people in general, that you feel the need to react in a way that get's really personal and unpleasant, i think it's a sign of fragility, a weak spot.
I don't have the linguistic ammunition to express what I think like many of you, english is not my native tongue, but I did want to express my surprise about the harshness of some comments.
Why do you care so much if it doesn't influence you or what you believe in...
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I care because being a white male in America, I hear sentiments like this article a lot. I can easily understand how minorities get tired of hearing hurtful comments but, of course I can't understand anything else that goes along with it and wouldn't pretend to.
It just gets old. In this case, Wasim's comments really were completely off base so...I snapped. Sorry!
Weak spot, not really. I found people who are generally sick and tired of the lies the regressive left are preaching. The left-leaning media lie about they are being some phobic and racism for decades and people start to call these rubbish out, while the believers of victimology set minority cities in flame. BTW I am a minority who live in a deep blue state.
😘
I know it wasn't fair. I actually like a lot of your posts but there was one in particular, I can't remember which, that really p*ssed me off. My only defense is, I'm old and set in my ways. :-)
It would seem to me that having the need to make everything about race is the issue of those that can't seem to excel for the ever-present chip on their shoulder. Stop playing the victim, get off your rumps and perform to the best of your ability instead of making accusations and baseless diatribes against others that have paid their dues.
I'm sorry that we aren't the sheep you want us to be...
why are the bulk of his pics on his website of white people ? wouldn't he be part of the "problem" then ? maybe this article was just some kind of an experiment from the fstoppers guys ? if not it's just a waste of time. there are so many great women and "non white" photographers out there and i'm not angry that they they are better than me. you get out of it what you put into it.
Does it matter what color a photographer is? I was under the impression it was the quality of the work that matters in photography. I guess for race baiters it all about race instead of performance. I don't see a good image and have to then see the photographer to decide if I like the image or not and nor does anyone else.
No one is being stopped from posting images on this site...regardless of race/color or creed. If your images aren't here it's your fault.
i agree with you 100%. he doesn't think so. your work should speak for you.
Dear fstoppers,
Iv been following your website anonymously for a number of years now. Lately you have run a number of articles about racism, diversity, and women in photography. What gives?
In case you don't know, photographers are colour-blind. Especially those of us that mainly shoot black and white.
Anyway, I only signed up today so I could tell you how much I disagree with your SJW politics. Shove it where the sun don't shine. I will never visit your site again.
Murica!
Really? "Murica!"? You should contact every school you've ever attended and ask for your money back! Show them your comment and I'm certain they'll give you a cheerful refund.
No more student loan debt?! SWEET!
Nicely done!
On a slightly different note. Hopefully one that is taken with the humor with which it is intended.
It's interesting to to see all the older (more experienced?) PJs shooting or looking for the shot while the one young guy is chimping. As a long time news shooter I can always tell who will get "the shot" and who'll miss it]. In one word. Chimpers. :-D
Wow! The comments levied here only proves there is a problem within our field.
One has nothing to do with the other. In the same way people of color get tired of being stereotyped, being cast as racist, misogynists gets old for white men. Sometimes you've had enough and say things you wouldn't under other circumstances.
I beg to differ.
Good. Disagreement makes life fuller and more interesting. :-)
You think they're the same thing or you disagree with everything after that?
Since there's nothing to argue regarding the latter, I'll address the former.
The few people commenting on this thread represents a tiny, almost immeasurable, percentage of Fstoppers readers. They're not representative of the whole but are made up of people who've been affected by the two attitudes here: minorities feeling they were left out as a result of bias and white males tired of being blamed for everything. You can't extrapolate the numbers to the industry as a whole and, especially to decision makers. In my experience, they don't give a damn who you are!
And you say...
In all seriousness I get it. It's gotta suck to see so much white influence as a minority living in the U.S. and yes it deserves some kind of discussion. This article doesn't give a very constructive opinion IMO. It identifies individuals in a situation with little context other than "they are white so we have a problem". If the logic used to raise an issue stands only from one perspective and could be linked to a double standard then no progress will be made. My own personal view on equality is that people should all be judged under the same lens. When we start to talk about how the industry is full of white men and then leave it at that, we dismiss the hard work, dedication, and craft it took to get to where they are. Is there room for minorities in photography? Fuck yes there is, all are welcome. The more the merrier (outside of the market being too saturated but that's a different topic). We all should be able to express our creativeness in whatever ways we want. Another question to ask that this article doesn't address, is there any evidence that any of the white men in that photograph did anything to warrant them being racist? Could the problem be that the system is the issue and not the individuals? Race bating is a thing we should take seriously. I know the Author of this article wrote it in good intention and that should be considered as a starting point for conversation.
Look, I realize it's hard to hear when you're a white man but criticisms about distributions of gender and race are not, listen carefully now, are not a personal attack on you or any of the individual photographers working in the field. The critique is about the social pressures that have created the situation. The problem is that without diverse perspectives, we will have a false, flawed, incomplete, one dimensional view of the world. Case in point, most of this community seems to be white men and has collectively created this f-stoppers gallery https://fstoppers.com/editors-picks/photos. Who's worldview is represented there? Mostly it's sexy women, nature and adventurous/conquering (white) men. It's not that there is anything wrong with what is there, the problem is with what isn't there. How much richer and more interesting could it be to have more experiences portrayed. Imagine if this was the only perspective shared in the world, what is being left out? Now imagine this was the only perspective translating our world in the media. What are we missing out on? We don't even know what we don't know until we listen to someone who has lived a different experience than we have. Women and minorities are in j-school and photo school. They work hard, have talent and good ideas, let's make a point of inviting them in.
There is nothing here stopping anyone from taking photos or posting them here. Want more diversity? Then post more diverse images. There is no problem here except for some weird notion where people seem to believe that the world should be handed them because of their colour or gender or sexual preference etc. This is the mentality that bugs me, the notion that you have the right to whatever you want simply because you belong to a minority. Let people be recognised for their talent.
I really appreciate your comments and they made me think which was, of course, your intent. While I agree with your summary of the effects of the situation, I disagree with your assertion of the causes. There aren't any invitations. You have to crash the party. That's the only way to ensure only the best make it in.
My other takeaway...Fstoppers editors are the problem! ;-)
I like this site, please don't push this crap here. Why antagonize a significant portion of your audience? No virtue signaling here please.