Onwhybeingawoman
hashelpedhercareer
Sarah
Marino
Asanaturephotographer,myinterestsrange
fromgrandlandscapesunderfantasticlightto
tinyscenesthatmostpeoplewalkrightby.I
focus my colour work on presenting graceful
and elegant scenes, whereas my black-
and-white work is dark and dramatic. It is
especially satisfying to take a totally mundane
subject in nature and find a way to present it
in an intriguing, eye-catching or surprising way.
I put almost no planning into my shots. I
wander around, observe my surroundings
and photograph the things that fascinate
me. I’m glad I never embraced the ‘rules’ of
photography, like ‘shoot during the golden
hour’, because they are incredibly limiting.
I have only rarely experienced sexism or
gender-related bias, and in some cases being
a woman has helped my career. While I don’twant my gender to define me, I do appreciate
that some conference organisers, for example,
have sought out a more representative pool
of speakers and have given me opportunities.
Conversely, many conference programs,
sponsored photographer lists and features
of ‘best’ nature photographers include few or
no women. Luckily, a photographer no longer
needs the approval of traditional gatekeepers
to be successful. I’ve built a business on
directly communicating with my audience.
Each year, more women are thriving as
full-time nature photographers, and almost all
of them are charting their own path. When I
took up nature photography, I knew of fewer