women photographers feature
[L-R, clockwise: Ashley Osborn, Giselle Dias, Lindsey Byrnes, Jen Miller]

Four photographers explain why other women shouldn’t be competition

It’s a cutthroat world out there no matter what career path you choose, and professional photography is no different. AP spoke with four established photographers regarding the tools of the trade, their favorite shot they have ever taken and more.

Whether you plan to pursue photography or are just looking for some general words of wisdom, these four talented women have some eye-opening advice. And it starts with no longer viewing other women as competition.

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GISELLE DIAS (Website | Instagram)

Giselle Dias high fashion model
[Left: Giselle Dias
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PURSUING PHOTOGRAPHY?
I’ve been working in photography for 10 years now. I was born and raised in Brazil, and I’ve been based in L.A. for the last three years.

WHAT WAS THE FIRST PIECE YOU SOLD?
The first piece I sold was from my LGBTQ+ awareness project in Brazil, UnDragged.

WHAT AESTHETIC DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR TRADEMARK?
Most of my work is a mix of colors creating a vibrant palette. I like to combine fashion with a fine-art aesthetic.

THE STORY BEHIND YOUR FAVE PHOTO.
One of my favorite photos was actually done for AP with Palaye Royale— the dinner table photo! I love the guys and how embracing of my crazy idea they were and how much they got into the spaghetti fight. It was definitely one of the most fun shoots I’ve worked on.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR WOMEN WANTING TO ENTER THIS BUSINESS?
My advice for other women in the business is to be yourself and always follow your gut. Your passion and determination will get you to your goals.

LINDSEY BYRNES (Website | Instagram)

Lindsey Byrnes Paramore Hayley Williams
[Left: Lindsey Byrnes, Right: Paramore’s Hayley Williams
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PURSUING PHOTOGRAPHY?
I have been pursuing photography for many, many years. I think 11 now.

WHAT WAS THE FIRST PIECE YOU SOLD?
I can’t remember, but I think it was either a photo of Elissa Steamer to Baker Bootleg or Geoff Rowley, Arto Saari for a flip/Thrasher Skater Of The Year ad. This was when I still had a full-time job as a marketing director and photography was my hobby.

WHAT AESTHETIC DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR TRADEMARK?
I can honestly say that I have zero idea what I am known for. Am I known?

THE STORY BEHIND YOUR FAVE PHOTO.
I have different favorites for different reasons. Every photo has a story, and that’s why I love photography in the first place. It gives you a little, and you can find out the rest. If you want to dig deeper or make up your own story, you can.

My favorite live music photo I ever took was of Paramore. It was shot a gazillion years ago: Hayley [Williams] is backward on the monitor, and the guys are doing acrobatics behind her. I didn’t have enough memory on my card, so I had to delete a few frames and switch out of RAW to make room. So I didn’t even shoot it in RAW. It really was just right place, right time.

My other favorite photo I’ve ever shot was of my stepmom, Carol. She wanted to have a photo shoot, and she danced around the backyard and posed for me. When she passed away last year, I blew the photo up really big and put it up at her funeral. It felt special.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR WOMEN WANTING TO ENTER THIS BUSINESS
Don’t stop, have thick skin, be nice, have fun, follow your heart.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE: Jen Miller, Ashley Osborn

JEN MILLER (Website | Instagram)

Jen Miller The Used Bert McCracken
[Left: Jen Miller, Right: The Used’s Bert McCracken
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PURSUING PHOTOGRAPHY?
I moved to St. Louis a little over two years ago to pursue concert photography.

WHAT WAS THE FIRST PIECE YOU SOLD?
The first piece I sold was a crowd shot of the Maine in April of 2018.

WHAT AESTHETIC DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR TRADEMARK?
I don’t think I’m really known for something other than my post-editing skills. However, I do shoot everything manual, and I take my photos in video mode. I do this because I don’t have a full frame, and when I upload the photos, it ends up looking full frame.

THE STORY BEHIND YOUR FAVE PHOTO.
Honestly, there are so many photos of mine I have grown to love over time. I chose this photo in particular because it was taken during the last year of Warped Tour, and I’m a huge fan of the Used. Growing up, I have always attended Warped with my best friends. I’ve made new friends during this tour and discovered so many new bands. Warped has always been such a cool experience for everyone, in my opinion; I could honestly talk about it for forever. In 2017, I was rejected to shoot Warped, and when I was approved in 2018, I was super stoked because there were so many of my favorite bands on the lineup. Being able to photograph the Used at the last Warped Tour was seriously something I could check off my bucket list.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR WOMEN WANTING TO ENTER THIS BUSINESS?
Where do I begin? First, you can honestly turn anything into art, and you don’t have to have expensive gear to make something awesome. I honestly don’t have expensive gear. You just have to keep working hard, keep your head down and grind. Networking and making photographer friends has seriously helped me in so many ways possible. It’s not competition. I look at this business more as inspiration. There’s always room to grow. There’s going to be rough times where you don’t get approved for a show, but you can’t get discouraged: You just have to keep a positive mindset. Never be afraid to ask another photographer a question and accept constructive criticism from your peers.

ASHLEY OSBORN (Website | Instagram)

Ashley Osborn Bring Me The Horizon Oli Sykes
[Left: Ashley Osborn, Right: Bring Me The Horizon’s Oli Sykes
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PURSUING PHOTOGRAPHY?
I started taking photos using my mom’s camera when I was really little. When I grew up, I would always take my camera to school and to family events. I never thought much of it; it was just how I remembered things. By the time I got to high school, I was going to shows almost every day because I hated school (sorry, kids), and the only community I had was in my local scene in Minneapolis. I took my little Kodak point-and-shoot camera to every show, and I would always take photos because those were my favorite moments. I didn’t even realize it was a real job until 2009 when I met a photographer that was on assignment at a Paramore show in St. Paul (Hi, Joe Lemke), and after that I was just set on the idea [of] that being my life. I saved all my graduation money to buy a Canon Rebel XS in 2010, moved to Chicago to start studying communications at Columbia [College Chicago] and got really serious about shooting music right away.

WHAT WAS THE FIRST PIECE YOU SOLD?
Honestly, I think the answer to this is in 2013 when I sold a photo of twenty one pilots to Alternative Press, and twenty one pilots also bought the photo to use for a tour admat. That was the first time I got published and a publication bought a photo of mine, for real. The work I had before that was shooting local bands. I’ll never forget leaving Starbucks after my morning shift and nearly sprinting down the street to grab that issue from Barnes & Noble in the Loop.

WHAT AESTHETIC DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR TRADEMARK?
I am really proud to say that I feel I am best known for my live images. I’ve been going to see live music since I was a kid. My dad was a drummer in a local band in Wisconsin (RIP, LUNATIC ZOO), and I used to go see him play when I was very young. Music has always been familiar for me. It was always what I bonded with my parents [to] through all of the difficult times in our lives. It’s why I am who I am. And I think because I grew up such a fan of music and I have always had such a love for seeing music, I can find emotion in every single person in a venue. Everyone is my subject at a show. Everyone is connecting to the music, working through problems (or escaping them just for a few moments), diving into their environment. It’s special. It’s home to me. I will always be that kid in the front row at 14 years old. Because of that, I think I pay attention to such small details, and I try to document an artist in their most vulnerable state.

THE STORY BEHIND YOUR FAVE PHOTO.
I took this photo at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. September 2017. Paramore will always be my favorite band. I remember this night specifically meaning so much to me because it was such a bucket list item for me to be at the Greek. Let alone photographing an artist there for the first time. Hearing Paramore play old hits and being in the middle of Griffith Park really felt like I was at a place in my life where things felt hopeful again for me. I had just moved to Los Angeles a few months earlier, and I was working through some really overwhelming health problems.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR WOMEN WANTING TO ENTER THIS BUSINESS?
We have been forced to feel that there is a limited space for the female sex in every single industry. Every job I take and every kind and supportive woman I meet in the industry changes my mind. Be kind, lift each other up, stop seeing other women as competition. Empower each other more. Insecurity can make us feel strange ways, and I will admit I have been there. There is enough work out there for all of us. I think this is something every creative needs to keep in mind. I don’t care what your gender is. Creatives were built to feel the world differently. We are more empathetic. Take care of one another.