Published: August 6, 2021 | Updated: 7th August 2021
Justine Wyness is determined to put females in the frame.
Or more specifically female photographers.
She feels strongly that they’re under-represented in a male dominated industry.
So strongly that Justine has created 100Prints, an online photography gallery reserved exclusively for female photographers.
100Prints already features an international cast.
From female photographers in America and Switzerland to Germany and Mauritius.
And the list is growing all the time.
They include actress Barbara Parkins, pictured left, known for her silky voice and regarded as an icon of the Sixties for her starring roles in Peyton Place and Valley of the Dolls.
Even then she would take her camera on the set to photograph her fellow actors, locations and moments.
Barbara now concentrates solely on her photography and is an advocate for endangered wildlife.
Other female photographers featured on 100Prints include:
The under representation of female photographers has been highlighted by 1854 Media, publisher of the British Journal of Photography, the world’s oldest and most influential photography title.
Its ‘Female in Focus’ guide states: “Globally, 70-80% of photography students are women – yet they account for only 13-15% of professional photographers.”
And a flick through the photographers listed on Magnum Photos, the co-operative owned and run by its member photographers, reveals only 18 of 99 full members are women – and not all are still alive.
Magnum is actively looking to recruit more female photographers to its ranks.
Justine, pictured right, a Bournemouth-based e-Commerce and digital specialist, said: “100Prints aims to bring a selection of the best work from female photographers across the world.
“We believe women are under-represented in the industry and are proud to promote some amazing female talent.
“100Prints is an online photography gallery, exhibiting and selling work for both private and commercial collectors.
“Our drive is to make great photographic art available to new and aspiring collectors by keeping prices affordable without devaluing the art itself.
“We don’t have the high costs of galleries which enables us to pass on this saving in our competitive pricing structure.
“This makes our collections not only highly sought after but also a fantastic investment opportunity.
“All our featured photographers’ work is carefully curated from the best female artists around.
“Photographers are invited to submit a selection of work.
“From these we choose only those which we believe match our high standards of excellence and those which will continue to grow in value.”
100Prints accepts six cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and USD Coin using Coinbase Commerce to process the payments.
Justine, who got bitten by the photography bug after a trip to Cuba, said: “It’s still unusual for a retailer but well-known artists like Damien Hirst are starting to accept cryptocurrency for his works and it’s the way forward for the future.”
Each print is printed to order on professional standard, archival photographic paper by 100Prints’ partner, The Print Space.
Currently 77 photographs are featured on the gallery with prices starting from £15.
100Prints plants a tree with every order via the Ecologi Shopify app.
While a ‘side hustle’ to her main work, Justine, who launched 100Prints in 2017 and has won awards for the platform, said she was looking to further grow the online gallery.
“There are plenty of female and non-binary-focused photography organisations and charities globally but I don’t know of any other online photography gallery just for female photographers.
“In that, I think we are unique,” she added.