Sophie Harris-Taylor wins the Equal Lens Pictures Prize
Sophie Harris-Taylor is known for her delicate pictures that play with natural light and often capture their motifs in their roughest form. Past projects, usually inspired by personal experiences, include Milk, which shows mothers breastfeeding their children, Epidermis, which shows pictures of women with common skin conditions like acne and hyperpigmentation, and sisters, the culmination of two years Photographing and interviewing more than 100 sisters in an effort to better understand these most intimate bonds.
The same feeling of openness and fragility shows Harris-Taylor's picture "Being Induced", which has just won first place in the "Equal Lens" photo competition entitled "Two Meters of Separation". Equal Lens aims to eliminate the imbalance in commercial photography and advocate the work of women and non-binary photographers. It actively urges agencies to commit to including women on every pitch list and encourage clients to request and create inclusive lists.
The Lockal-inspired Equal Lens competition asked photographers to enter an image that corresponded to the open letter “Two Meters Distance”. Entries can be a picture taken during isolation or an archive picture reflecting the subject and rated by seven industry experts.
I decided to go through my archives one more time and see if anything jumped out. When I saw this picture, it immediately seemed to make sense
"I really wanted to think about the assignment, not literally and under the current circumstances. So I decided to go through my archives one more time and see if anything jumped out," says Harris-Taylor. “When I saw this picture, it immediately seemed to make sense. It showed about six feet of space, but more importantly, that moment seemed pretty analogous to what's happening now, how we are isolated as a society but also very unified. "
To be Induced shows the bed in which the photographer's work was induced almost two years ago. As one of countless women who have lain there before and since, Harris-Taylor remembers the feeling of oneness of being surrounded by other people who are having the same experience, all just a few feet apart. The picture is incredibly emotional and captures a sense of the stillness before the birth. "It feels like a lifetime ago," reflects Harris-Taylor. "It wasn't a particularly pleasant experience and there was a lot of pain, but for some reason I don't really remember it. It feels like the stillness before the storm now."
The lack of the BAME crew and producers I've worked with is pretty shocking. I hope that something can change with the events of the last few months
The intent behind Equal Lens is to improve the playing field. Does the photographer see a more balanced industry? “I think the statistics are clear that male photographers get more representation and work. However, with social media and proactive platforms like Equal Lens, there seems to be increased awareness and appreciation for the work of female and non-binary photographers, which hopefully will balance things out. "
For Harris-Taylor, gender is just one area where there appears to be a lack of representation in the industry. "The biggest problem is the race," she says. “The lack of BAME crew and producers I've worked with is pretty shocking. I'd like to hope that as the events of the past few months go on, something could change, but it's something we ourselves compare with gender barely hear enough discussion. "
In terms of artists, most of the work that excites me seems to be from female and non-binary photographers
However, change is slow and Harris-Taylor remains optimistic about further progress. "I'm more aware that women are working in [what is viewed as such] typical male roles on set, which is a positive start, and with more role models you want to believe that this will continue to improve," she says.
“When it comes to artists, most of the work that excites me seems to be from female and non-binary photographers – but maybe I'm just biased in what I'm looking for! There definitely seems to be some dynamic. "
Additional work by Harris-Taylor can be viewed at sophieharristaylor.com. equallens.com