Charter

We cherish and acknowledge our First Nations people, members, arts, culture and the lands we live and work on.

VISION

Women Photographers Australia (WPA) celebrates women* photographers and their creative endeavours in Australia, through arts advocacy and protest projects.

CHARTER 

Women Photographers Australia goals include:

  • Fosters engagement with and participation in a vibrant community of women photographers
  • Supports women in their photography practice
  • Promotes the work of Australian women photographers through advocacy and group collaborative projects

VALUES

RESPECT: A Right to be treated with respect, dignity and inclusiveness irrespective of culture, faith, beliefs, values, age, gender or sexuality. 

PARTICIPATION: A Right to be informed about and engaged in decisions and choices about WPA and its role in the photographic community in Australia.

RECOGNITION: A Right to have Employers of Photographers and Lens Based Artists Curators and Gallerists, Creative Directors, Art Directors, Designers, Advertising Companies, News Media, Cultural Institutions, Government and other Buyers of Photography, Businesses and the General Public to use this resource for commissions, projects, events, exhibitions, collaborations and assignments.

PRIVACY: A Right to privacy and confidentiality .

SAFETY: A Right to feel safe, accepted and included.

INTEGRITY: A Right to know that we will be honest and accountable in all we do.

PURPOSE

In Australia roles such as caregivers and/or volunteers, unpaid work and emotional labour are mostly done by women. This ensures that women are still generally under-recognised and paid less than men. However, women are collectively strong, powerful and determined and as a group can change minds and attitudes. It is our aim that increasing subscribers to this site will lead to increasing equality and diversity within photography that could be transformational for Australian society, culture and how we are viewed globally. 

We will all benefit from a connected inclusive community, one that nurtures, affirms and displays positivity. We have a page on the website to “Honour A Woman” where a woman can be celebrated for her/their good deeds, successes, achievements, struggles over adversity, awards won, exhibitions displayed, kindness and/or supportiveness.

We will call out and address inequity when seen in photographic events, conferences, competitions and publications and help those involved to include women and emphasise why it is important and productive to do so. 

We will provide information about members’ events, exhibitions, products on our website and via an blog post, social media post and/or an email newsletter. 

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Anyone in Australia who identifies as a woman* and who is engaged in the activity of making or working with photographic images. Any woman who runs a small business dedicated to creating photography, including and not limited to: portrait and wedding, family portraits, babies, maternity, and birth photography, fashion, advertising, architecture, documentary, aerial and drone, commercial, travel, landscape, news media and journalism. Any woman who teaches or mentors in photography, or has a business doing workshops or training in photography. Any woman who runs a large photography business like school photography and needs to connect with assistants. Any artist who uses photography, video and/or camera-less image making. Any women who specialise in film photography. Any curator of photography or gallerists. Any woman who wants to exhibit projects and uses her photography business or other income to tackle the arts sector. Any tertiary student photographer or arts student who wishes to become a practising photographer in business or the arts. Any woman who has a job and just wants to create amazing photography as a passion, to sell or not, or just wants to learn and meet other women photographers. Any woman who is happy creating photography for herself. 

ABOUT 

WPA aims to be a growing community of women photographers in Australia. It was registered in 2020 after 5 years of planning by Hilary Wardhaugh, a career professional photographer based in regional New South Wales. It aims to be a collective of women and non-binary people who use their photographic skills to advocate for change using our creative image-making skills. 

WPA is set up as a for-profit social enterprise and relies on donations, sponsorship and grants. A subscription based membership will assure that the project galleries remain current.

Through its Charter the enterprise will strive to advocate and promote women photographers directly and indirectly through photographic arts advocacy projects.

WPA has a commitment to diversity and inclusion and with this we acknowledge that we live and work on the ancestral home of First Peoples noting that sovereignty has never been ceded. We pay our respects to First Peoples Elders past, present and emerging.

WPA: Women Photographers Australia

Photographer/Photographers: photographers, photojournalists, artists, lens based artists, videographers visual media artists, video producers.

*women/woman: cis, trans, non-binary, female-identifying, intersex

she/her: they/them

In this document and or the website and email newsletters we may refer to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Indigenous or First Nations. We understand that some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are not comfortable with some of these words. We mean no disrespect when using these words

“A thriving industry is built on inclusivity, mutual support, transparency, and honesty. These principles can help us build community and accountability for ourselves and our colleagues….”

Photo Bill Of Rights