How Women Photographers can Expand our View of Conflict

Nichole Sobecki and Sara Terry were interviewed for the Women’s Media Center’s “Women Under Siege” project.

“When it comes to access, being female can also be an asset because women are often perceived as less threatening than men. ‘Photography isn’t that different from other aspects of life in that you carry your identity with you wherever you go,’ said Nairobi-based Nichole Sobecki, a member of the VII photo agency who photographs throughout Africa, and who recently won the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights prize for her work on the African migration crisis. ‘As a woman, I’m underestimated all the time, and of course you turn that to your advantage. My goal is always to tell the story to the best of my ability, and if not being perceived as a threat will help me with that, then all to the good.'”