If you are looking for inspiration for your photography, you came to the right place. There is simply no better time than the start of a new year to envision your success and to find inspiration from amazing photographers from across the globe. With March being Women’s History Month, we’ve compiled a list of powerful and inspiring female photographers to watch out for in 2023.
Each of these women, use their unique skills and voices to create visually captivating and inspiring imagery. From dedication to teaching others in the field, to having the courage to stand out and grow on social media, they all are actively shaping the world of photography as we know it today.
Kira Derryberry (Portrait Photographer)
Kira Derryberry is a Tallahassee based photographer focused on family, commercial, and corporate portraiture. Kira is a proud member of Professional Photographers of America and has earned Master Photographer, Master Craftsman and Certified Professional Photographer.
Kira is an approved judge for International Photographic Competition, and as of March 2023, serves as President for PPA’s Board of Directors. She is also co-host of the popular photography podcast, Get Your Shoot Together. When not slinging a camera or volunteering for her favorite photography organizations, Kira is a wife and a mom who publicly loves karaoke jams and bad science fiction.
How Did You Get into Photography?
“I was lucky enough to have a dad who loved gadgets and a high school with a darkroom photography class,” says Kira, “my dad gave me my first camera, a Nikon FE-2 and I fell in love with black and white photography from there.”
Kira decided a photographer was all she ever wanted to be! Following high school, she went on to study and major in Art and Photography at the University of Alabama. This year will be her 14th anniversary in the photography business in Tallahassee, Florida.
Kira’s Go-To Gear:
Kira’s main camera is a Nikon Z9 with a Z7 backup body, and her go-to lighting brands are are Godox, Molight, and uses VFlat World Vflats. Kira’s favorite lighting for her studio set up is the Godox AD400Pro and 600BMs lights. For on-location shoots, she typically brings her Godox AD200s.
“My favorite lens is the Nikkor Z 24-120 f/4 lens for studio work, but I also love my Nikkor 85mm 1.4 and my 70-200mm 2.8. I always shoot tethered in the studio using a combo of the TetherPro USBC-USB C cable and TetherBoost Pro Core Controller Extension Cable,” says Kira.
What Does Photography Mean to You?
“I love photos that capture personality or a time in someone’s life that may not be otherwise documented. I’ve had the honor of photographing folks at all stages of life, and it brings me so much joy when they feel I have done them justice,” says Kira.
Dariane Sanche (Fashion & Beauty Photographer)
Born in Mont-Laurier in the upper Laurentians, Dariane spent her childhood in this mountainous territory bordered by lakes and nature reserves. Growing up with the rise of social networks and the latest digital techniques allowed Dariane to open up to the world and above all, to the fashion industry. At the age of seventeen, Dariane bought her very first camera and began her photography career. She quickly specialized in fashion and beauty photography. A few years later, at the age of twenty, she moved to Montreal to open her own photography studio and make a living from her art.
As a professional photographer, Dariane has a natural talent for capturing emotion and creating timeless images. Creative and imaginative, her process is inspired by high fashion, textures, nature, and classic style. Feminine strength and unique beauty are at the heart of her work.
Recognized in the Montreal fashion industry, Dariane’s unique and cinematic artistic photo style is now her trademark. In 2018, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts named Dariane as one of the 100 most influential women in the Montreal fashion industry. That same year, Dariane became an ambassador for the mega photography web platform 500px, which has over 15 million subscribers.
Also known under her artist name “DS Sanchez”, she travels internationally for work and education.
How Did You Get into Photography?
“I never really made the choice to become a photographer. My path was made by chance through my passion for the arts,” says Dariane.
At a young age, Dariane quickly developed skills on Photoshop. Between the ages of nine and sixteen, she had a lot of creative ideas that she wanted to implement but had to go beyond Photoshop to make them happen. It was a high school project that introduced Dariane to photography. From then on, she understood the potential of combining photography and photo editing.
“I could now create the creative pictures I imagined,” Dariane continued.
A growing passion quickly developed in the young photographer, that of expressing her art through concepts and creative staging.
“One thing leading to another, people became interested in what I was doing. A growing demand for my style of photography made me evolve in the field and led me to where I am now,” says Dariane.
Dariane’s Go-To Gear:
Since she first started out, Dariane has always used Canon cameras. She currently shoots with her Canon 5D Mark IV, and her go-to lenses are the Canon EF 17-40mm, 50mm, 105mm, and 70-200mm.
“In the last few years, I have greatly improved my workflow by shooting connected to my computer with Tether Tools. My favorite Tether Tools equipment is the TetherPro USB-C to C Right Angle Cable which is more ergonomic; my workstation which helps me a lot when shooting, it is composed of the Tether Table Aero, my camera tripod, the Rock-Solid Tripod Roller on which I fix my tripod, and the ONsite power accessories that power my MacBook pro M1pro all day long. In combination, I love to use my iPad as a second monitor when I’m on location. I can attach my iPad to my station or any other stand with the AeroTab Master Kit,” says Dariane.
What Does Photography Mean to You?
“I consider myself above all an artist and I use photography as a means of communication. For me, photography allows me to touch many creative and artistic aspects. I am interested in makeup, hair, costume design and set design,” says Dariane.
For Dariane, photography is a medium that allows her to create a link with people. Whether it is with her subject in front of the camera, to convey a message or to tell a story in an editorial.
“There is nothing better than making a true connection with my subject and bringing out the emotion of the people I photograph,” says Dariane, “I do photography for me! It’s liberating! I love the real, the tangible, the experience of shooting and especially the satisfaction I get from having imagined and created an artistic work with my hands. Photography allows me to escape, to produce my concepts, to create without any limits, rules, or restrictions. What is fantastic about photography is that there is a happy mix of instinct, chance, timing, careful and precise planning, and experience.”
Taylor Brumfield (Commercial, Beauty, & Product Photographer)
Taylor Brumfield is a Virginia-based photographer who specializes in commercial, beauty, and product photography. She is an avid speaker and educator who is invested in the advancement and growth of each and every student with whom she interacts.
Taylor has taught at several conferences over the past year, including The Cookout, Imaging USA, and Click Away at Home. She has also been featured in several prominent articles including Click, Professional Photographers of America, Tamron Recipes with Skip Cohen, and Tamron Magazine.
Taylor is a Tamron Ambassador, a Westcott Top Pro, a Click Pro, and serves her community as an Educational Committee Member for Professional Photographers of America. She started her portraiture journey after she joined a fashion magazine during her college years, where she immediately realized this was her true calling, and she has not looked back since!
How Did You Get into Photography?
“My parents purchased me a point and shoot camera in high school. I started out taking pictures of the usual; ladybugs, spiderwebs with dew on them, my sisters, our family pets. Once I got to college, I joined a fashion magazine. I wanted to be a photographer for the magazine, but my portfolio was not quite up to par so they allowed me to be a behind the scenes photographer,” says Taylor.
Taylor became fascinated with how to shoot fashion and beauty editorials.
“I wanted to do that for myself, so I hunkered down and began to practice and study. I was RELENTLESS! It’s all I wanted to do,” says Taylor.
After graduating college, Taylor began work in retail, as she kept practicing and building her photography business until she was able to stop working her retail job and go full-time as a professional photographer.
“Long hours, dedication, and an endless pursuit of knowledge has gotten me to this point,” Taylor says.
Taylor’s Go-To Gear:
Taylor is a Nikon shooter, and her go to camera is the Nikon D850, her favorite lenses are the Tamron 90 macro, the Tamron 70-200 2.8, and the Tamron 24-70 2.8. For lighting Taylor’s go-to are the Westcott FJ400s, Octaboxes, Softboxes, Beauty Dishes, Reflectors, and an Optical Spot.
What Does Photography Mean to You?
“Photography captures moments in time that we can never get back,” says Taylor, “They are also visual representations of our hopes and dreams and aspirations. Photos allow me to show people what I’m thinking without having to say it. Having another outlet through which I can express my creative energy is cathartic. I don’t have to speak, I can just “show” and “do”.
Yessica Duque (Food & Commercial Photographer)
Yessica Duque, is a food stylist and photographer based in the Netherlands since 2008. After a successful career as a graphic designer, Yessica transitioned to food photography in 2016 and made it her full-time career in 2018.
Yessica’s work includes commercial photography for important brands, social media, and public relations for restaurants and chefs in Europe. She has collaborated with major photography brands such as Tether Tools, Spekular, Cameranu.nl, B&H, and SIGMA Benelux as a Brand Ambassador. Her qualifications in food photography and food styling are endorsed by prestigious institutions such as Le Cordon Bleu Paris, Leiths School of Food and Wine in London and Food Styling for Media The International Culinary Center ICC New York
In 2020, Yessica founded her personal brand, YD Backdrops, which specializes in designing backdrops for food and product photography. She also produces and hosts a photography podcast for experts and amateurs called “No Watermark Photography Podcast” in English and “Sin Marca de Agua Podcast” in Spanish.
Over the last six years, Yessica has received worldwide certifications from numerous top programs. She has been a speaker at B&H Food Photography Week and an educator with a complete Food Photography online course in Spanish for the Jon Hernandez education platform.
Yessica’s daring style, luscious palette, and rich storytelling that exudes from her photos have earned her nominations, prizes, and universal recognition from the culinary industry’s most renowned and coveted awards.
How Did You Get into Photography?
“In 2016, I started working as a Visual Designer for takeaway.com, where my manager Sebastian Boas approached me to take pictures of restaurant dishes for a national outdoor campaign against Deliveroo and Foodora,” says Yessica, “Despite having no prior experience with professional photography and only knowing how to use the Auto mode on a camera, I took on the challenge.”
The campaign’s success led to more opportunities for Yessica, and she found herself traveling to various cities in Europe to capture more images.
“As I worked in the field, I grew to love the dynamic nature of the job and the freedom it provided compared to sitting behind a desk all day,” Yessica says.
Yessica’s Go-To Gear:
Yessica is a Canon shooter, and currently uses the Canon R6. Her favorite lenses include the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art, the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art, and the Sigma 105MM F/2.8 EX DG Macro OS HSM. She uses Elinchrom ONE for her lighting including an Octobox and Stripbox.
Yessica is an active tethered shooter, and uses the Pro Tethering Kit, TetherPro Cable, and the Rock Solid Tripod Roller. Yessica also frequently uses Spekular’s KYU-6 Light Wraps, and the Light Blaster Optical Snoot.
What Does Photography Mean to You?
“For me, photography and especially food photography is so much more than just capturing images of delicious dishes. It’s like traveling through food, connecting with people from different cultures and discovering new worlds of flavors and culinary traditions,” says Yessica, “It’s an art form that allows me to explore and experiment, while at the same time sharing my experiences with others through my photographs. In summary, food photography is my passport to adventure and a way to connect with the world around me, celebrating the diversity of cultures and culinary traditions.”
Get Connected
Kira DerryBerry
Dariane Sanche
Taylor Brumfield
Yessica Duque
In honor of Women’s History Month, and International Women’s Day on March 8th, we have created the Ultimate Women’s Day playlist to jam out to in the studio. Check out the playlist here.
