On 8 March 2022 (International Women’s Day) I joined the Women’s Work IWD 2022 panel for a korero about my journey as a wāhine in the advertising photography space.
We all have biases but by talking about our experiences and ways to #BreakTheBias, we can evolve and grow.
Thanks for the chat Victoria Baldwin, Liz Richards, Michelle Richards-Berry, Michelle Hyslop and Jane Hill
What are some of the experiences you have had to overcome to reach your professional goals?
For me, the concept of having professional goals wasn’t on the cards until I'd already been working for a while.
My parents struggled when I was younger, so having something like a camera of my own wasn't an option. Plus, I went to an old fashioned, religious girls' school with very set ideas - my principal would tell me she didn't want Maori girls like me in her school. Various other teachers pulled me up for things I didn't do and told me I'd fail, be barefoot, pregnant, and marry a drug dealer before we knew it.
But my family always encouraged me, even though they thought things like shorthand typing and economics would be better to help me land a good office job. Instead, I wanted to do photography and work in forensics and everyone rolled their eyes when I wouldn't do home ec and sewing.
So when I realised I could only do the usual subjects, I started hating school. The adults in our family also talked about how I didn't have a university fund, so I believed you couldn't go to uni unless your parents had money.
And then my goal became about getting away. At 16, I ran away to Wellington and found work as a bank teller. My Uncles worked in film. And one of them had lived with us on and off, teaching me how to use his cameras. I'd hoped to get a foot in the door through him, but he kept telling me the film industry was no place for a girl.
After about 10 years of working in various things, I won some industry awards in recruitment. I made some ok commissions in a sector that was traditionally hard to be successful in. And that was when I started to realise I could actually do whatever I put my mind to.
I bought my own camera and started to build up my gear, eventually going back to tech and assisting other photographers where I could.
I've had some pretty gross situations to deal with along the way. Not all in the photography industry, but I've been told I'm too brown and not brown enough. I've been sexually harassed and stalked by clients. I've needed to have my husband call places like our bank to get things done on time. Even though his name isn't on my work accounts, he can get things done faster.
I've been yelled at by clients when they've sent the wrong products to a job, or they're having a bad day. And I've been physically pushed out of photographer pits.
One of the common things I'm asked at the moment is if and how I'll manage with kids and work as if I'm the only capable adult in our house. Or even worse, be told I have enough on my plate with the kids as if they think they're doing me a favour and can't make the decision for myself.
I sometimes even hide that I have kids. It took me a while to find a group of genuinely supportive photographers. So it's definitely been a labour of love at times. And I have a mentor now, Christina Force so I think that helps to keep me on track.
In my case though, I think the question needs to be about what other experiences might need to be overcome, in order to have the space for professional goals.