Born
on December 9, 1913, in Navsari, Gujarat, Homai Vyarawalla significantly
impacted the way people viewed women in the workforce by becoming the first
woman photojournalist in India. Vyarawalla was born into a well respected
family, who lived in a conservative community. As the article, “The Incredible
Story of Homai Vyarawalla” states, “But even though her family’s traditional,conservative values may have dictated Homai’s attire, they were far more liberal and open-minded when it came to decisions regarding her life.” She
aspired to be a great photographer and studied at J.J. School of Art, where she
met her husband, Maneckshaw Vyarawalla. As she learned more about photography
and the camera, Homai decided that photojournalism was the job for her.
Although, as the article, “The Incredible Story of Homai Vyarawalla,”
explains, “The 1930s in India were not a fair time for working women. There was a disparity in wages, certain career choices were assumed fit only for men, and ‘softer’ jobs were recommended for women, if at all. The most common recommendation seemed to be homemaker, but Homai was never met with such resistance in her personal life.” Despite all of this, Homai strived to become a
photojournalist.
Homai got
her first big break when she was hired by LIFE magazine to photograph portraits
of everyday urban life and modern women living in Mumbai. Although Homai had
taken pictures, the editors published the pictures under her husband’s name,
since she was a woman and not very well known. Homai did not mind her husband’s
name on the pictures, for Maneckshaw was very supportive of his wife and helped
Homai find her own style in photography. As Homai’s photography skills grew, so
did her opportunities to capture some of the most historical images. As Sabeena
Gadihoke states in the article, “Vyarawalla documented the rituals ofIndependence, the building of dams and steel plants and the state visits of the most famous names in 20th-century history, including Mohammed Reza ShahPahlavi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Ho Chi Minh, Marshall Tito and Russian leaders Brezhnev and Khruschev.” Homai traveled just like other
photojournalists during that time, carrying heavy equipment from place to place,
not wanting to miss any of the action. In 1956, Homai was one of the first
journalists to get a shot of the young Dalai Lama arriving in India, which then
got published in TIME-LIFE. Breaking through the social barriers of the time, Homai
Vyarawalla’s work became highly praised and as the article “The Incredible
Story of Homai Vyarawalla” states, she “gained appreciation from
Illustrator Weekly’s editor Stanley Jepson who gave her weekly assignments for
Rs. 20 per picture, a relatively high compensation for that time.”
In
1942, she moved to Delhi to work for the British Information Service, where she
was responsible for photographing all government and private events for the
capital. One of her most famous photos was the one she took of Gandhi’s funeral
in 1948. This photo was a black and white photograph that Homai had processed
herself. Although Homai Vyarawalla was the only woman photojournalist in India
during this time, it did not stop her from taking amazing pictures. As the
article, “The Incredible Story of Homai Vyarawalla” says, “For the next 50 years she documented India gaining independence, voting for partition, and the post-independence growth and struggle of a nation riddled with political, economic, social, religious and cultural conflicts.” She did not let society interfere with her dreams of
becoming a photojournalist and was highly respected by her colleagues because
of her passion and devotion for the art. Mike Yost states in the article,
photographs “are the slices of our lives where we can open the old “self sticking” album and find out it no longer sticks. Where memories of our life unfolds before our eyes. We laugh. We cry. We tease each other. Our life is right there. It’s in that printed image that anyone can see.” Over the last 50 years, Homai Vyarawalla
captured iconic moments of history that have been shared with the world and
have evoked emotions. Homai
eventually quit photojournalism, for she was upset and disgusted by her fellow
peers. As Haresh Pandya states in the article, “My
colleagues had all been gentlemen,” she told India Today, “but the new crop did not know how to be have in high society. I did not want to be associated with such riffraff.”
After quitting, she moved to Vadodara with her son, living there until she died
on January 15, 2012. Homai Vyarawalla was an inspiration to many
women and had the ability to address biased gender roles, ultimately paving the
way for more women to follow in her footsteps and impact photojournalism.
With
more women entering the workforce in the 21st century, it is
surprising how they must still deal with gender discrimination in the
workplace. As Professor Nordell states in his video, “women photojournalists,along with women in many different professions have encountered barriers unlike any that their male counterparts have endured.” Women must deal with gender
discrimination in many jobs, especially in jobs that are dominated by men. For
example, many women in the science field are discriminated against because
before the 21st century, jobs such as bioengineering or biologist,
were jobs that men typically had. As Rachel Bernstein states in the article, “Stereotypes
associating science with men are found across the world, even in supposedly
gender-equal nations.” Women, before the 21st century, were expected
to either become housewives or have jobs that were more nurturing, such as
becoming a teacher or nurse. As women
began to enter the workforce, men had to share the jobs and opportunities with
women. Another profession were women face discrimination is in jobs related to sports.
I feel that a lot of people associate sports with being a male activity,
however females are just as capable as men when it comes to understanding and
reporting on sporting events. Men assume that women have no idea what they are
talking about when it comes to sports, but that simply is not true. As Mallary
Jean Tenore shows in the article, one man told a female sports reporter, “Are you sure you know the game well enough to keep score?” Everyday, women
have to deal with comments like this one and must continue to work hard to show
people that they are just as capable as men when it comes to doing their job.
Photo by Unknown
Image Source: http://www.thebetterindia.com/13969/homai-vyarawalla-india-first-female-photo-journalist/
Year Created: 1960
Black and White
This photo of Homai Vyarawalla is shot
in Black and White, making her look almost timeless. If this photo was not in
black and white, I think that the color would take away from the subject. Since
it is a black and white photo, there are no distractions and the viewer can
simply focus on Homai Vyarawalla. The black and white color gives this photo a more
serious look, which can represent how serious Vyarawalla was when it came to
her work.
Obvious Main Subject
In this
picture, the viewer can tell that the focus is on Homai Vyarawalla, for she is
centered and takes up about 2/3 of the image area. Although there are still other people in the
background of the picture, my eye is drawn towards Vyarawalla because she is
the biggest. By having her in the middle of the photo, with no one else near
her, it represents how she stood alone as a female journalist in India. There
was no one else like her.
Subject’s Expression
In this picture, Homai Vyarawalla looks very
serious, as if she is trying really hard to concentrate on what she is
watching. It is possible that she is waiting for the perfect moment to capture
an image and does not want to miss anything.
The fact that she is standing shows how devoted she is to getting a shot
of whatever is happening because there are empty chairs in the back that she
could have sat on. I think that her expression in this picture shows just how
serious she took her job as a photojournalist.
Why I Chose This Photo:
I chose
this photo because it captured Homai Vyarawalla doing what she loved; taking
photos and waiting to capture the perfect shot. This picture shows just how
serious Homai Vyarawalla took her job and she looks like she is “in the zone”,
concentrating hard on the event taking place. I really like this photo because
although she broke society’s view on gender roles, she still wore tradition
clothing for women, showing she was still part of the Indian culture. It is interesting
to see how this one woman impacted photojournalism in India and paved the way
for more women to break barriers and enter the workplace.
Photo by Homai Vyarawalla
Year Created: 1948
In this
picture, the car in the center, holding Gandhi’s ashes, is perfectly in focus,
while everything towards the edges and in the background is slightly out of
focus. I think by having the main subject in perfect focus, it draws the
attention toward the car. By having the crowd of people out of focus, they
blend into the background, showing the viewer that the main focus should be in
the center of the photo.
Quality of Light
When
looking at this image, the car seems to illuminate with light, drawing the
attention towards the main subject. There is a good balance between the amount
of light on the car and the amount of light shown on the trees and people. The
crowd’s color seems to blend into the background, making it look duller than
the car. The brightness in the center of the photo really brings out the
decorated car. It almost looks as if God’s light is shining down on it.
Contrast Appropriate
The
contrast in this picture is high, where the crowd and the trees behind the car
are darker than the car itself. The trees behind the car are really dark,
drawing the attention towards the main subject. If the trees were brighter, I
think that the car would drown into the background, which would take away from
the main subject. I think the color of the crowd has a good contrast with the
car because the crowd’s darker color draws the focus to the brightness of the
car. The car almost looks like it is glowing, compared with the trees and
crowd.
I chose
this image because it was Homai Vyarawalla’s most famous image that she took
and I thought it is stunning. The way she was able to capture the light glowing
on the car is beautiful and makes the car look as if God is shining light upon
Gandhi’s ashes. I also liked this picture because if you look in the crowd,
there are no females, only men. That means that she was probably one of the
only females who got to witness and document Gandhi’s funeral. This picture
marks a historical event and the first woman photojournalist in India was able
to capture it.
Photo provided by U.S. Bureau of Labor
Year Created: 2015
Keep It Simple
Although
this picture is very simple, it sends a powerful message that women have the
capability to work as scientists and do jobs that are typically dominated by
men. There is not really a lot going on
in this photo, but it shows a woman who looks serious about her work. By
keeping it simple, it draws all the attention to the main subject, the woman.
What Feelings Does the Image Create?
When
looking at this photo, I have a feeling of pride, for women are gradually
making great leaps in the 21st century workforce and are able to
show people that they are just as capable as men when it comes to doing a job.
I think I can really relate to this picture because my sister is a bioengineer
and she is one of the only women working in her whole building. She was able to
conquer different barriers and has excelled in her field, which is male
dominated. This picture just reminds me of how far women have come and how much
progress we have made in the last few decades.
Depth of Field
In this
picture, there is a shallow depth of field, where the subject is very close to
the camera and in perfect focus. Since the main subject is so up-close, it
allows the viewer to focus all the attention on her, for she is the most
important part of the image. By using a shallow depth field, the items around
the woman are out of focus, which once again draws our attention to the main
subject, highlighting her.
Why I Chose this Image:
I chose
this image because when people think of a scientist, they usually think of a
man. However, women have gradually been entering the male dominated workplace,
and women are showing that they have the same capabilities as men do when it
comes to doing a job. The roles of women are rapidly changing and women should
not have to deal with society’s stereotypes of what jobs they are supposed to
have. This picture, to me, represents that women should be able to have any job
that they desire, and not be intimated by male dominance in the workplace.
