Photography News Issue 58

Photography News | Issue 58 | photographynews.co.uk

Interview 18

Karen Yeomans Profile With her love of sport and interest in photography from her school days Karen Yeoman’s career path into professional photography after university was no surprise. Here we take a look at her personal project ‘Standing in the Light’ which focuses on women in sport

PN: Can you tell Photography News readers a bit about yourself please? What’s your background and what do you do for a living? KY: I’m a freelance commercial photographer, working mostly with both commercial and small businesses in the sports, fitness and wellness industries. When studying for my photography degree, I had an awareness of the impact images have on how we perceive the world. I loved the colour, drama and storylines portrayed in fashion photography but questioned the consequences. My final year project, ‘Beautifully Damaged’, explored the messages we send towomankind in themedia, culminating in a series of images mocked up as magazine spreads depicting a woman for sale for the price of her clothing accessories. A little radical but I’ve mellowed with age! PN: How did your interest in photography begin, and how did you get into doing it professionally? KY: A science teacher supported my interest in photography at school and I continued through university, assisting and working for photographers within other photographic businesses until around five years ago I decided to go my own way. PN: We know many sports photographers but on your website you call yourself ‘a specialist sports, fitness, well-being and yoga photographer’. What has driven you to specialise in this way? KY: My enjoyment and love of sport and games began at an early age. It was through this enthusiasm to move my body that drew me to yoga when I was 19 and needing support through chronic illness and alleviation of its associated problems. Yoga, movement and sports became my medicine and have continued to be my remedy throughout life’s challenges. Having lived and breathed its benefits, I naturally began to integrate the healing qualities of movement into my work.

PN: Let’s talk about your ‘Standing in Light’ project. What was your thinking behind the concept? KY: To be honest it hadn’t really occurred to me that I was a minority, and although my inspiration is drawn from amazingly talented photographers like Carlos Serrao, David Clerihew, Adam Hinton and Ian Derry I was missing a female role model. I was genuinely shocked by the statistics on a BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour discussion that only 5% of the pictures used by leading photography publishers are taken by women, and just 2% of female photographers are represented by commercial agencies. I had a passive awareness that men outnumbered women in photography but this statistic brought a realisation as I noticed more that within the sports/fitness genre of photography my peers are predominantly male. This situation is similar to the representation of women in sport and I started to question, could this impact how women are presented in sports imagery? That’s when it hit me: my job is to celebrate the women who stand in front of my camera. So ‘Standing in the Light’ was born. As sport has enrichedmy life, I align to a social commitment to highlight the potential for all women to reach for their goals. Sports builds community and empowers people, regardless of gender and background. It helps people to achieve and believe that everything is possible.

I have deliberately chosen my passion to be my brand; it creates a sense of identity and recognition. Shooting something you really understand and believe in helps you better communicate the essence of the brief. PN: What’s life like as a working professional in your chosen field? KY:Hardgoingbut oftenextremelyrewarding.

I have deliberately chosen my passion to be my brand; it creates a sense of identity and recognition

Images Karen’s project was partly inspired by the realisation that women are vastly outnumbered in sports photography, and that this could affect the way that female athletes are represented in their sports.