Trials and Triumphs

Image Source: https://www.apag.us/charlotte-brooks/

Obvious Main Subject: This photograph of Charlotte Brooks is a close-up. She is the obvious main subject in the photo because she takes up most of the photograph.

Black and White: This image is in black and white, which was obviously not the photographer’s choice because color was not an option when this photograph of Charlotte Brooks was taken. The black and white image, therefore, speaks for the age of the photo.

Texture: The texture of this photograph is grainy. The texture of the photo also speaks for the time period in which this picture was taken, along with the black and white color.

Why I Chose This Image: I chose this image of Charlotte Brooks because it was the best photograph of her. It shows her holding her camera, which was very important to her, since photography was her passion. This image perfectly compliments a description of her.

Charlotte Brooks (born Charlotte Finkelstein) was a photojournalist born in New York City who worked for Look magazine from 1951-1971. She was a sociologist as well as a photojournalist, therefore she liked to document changes in American life, including politics, health and science, education, families, urban and suburban issues, entertainment, racial conflicts, and women’s roles. Her story is quite incredible because she achieved her objectives at a time when her gender, religious background, and sexual preference presented her with major challenges.

Brooks was the only long-term woman staff photographer in Look magazine’s nearly 50-year run. She felt as if she was accepted as “one of the guys.” While most of her contemporary female colleagues were confined to soft news and the women’s pages, Brooks covered the same kinds of issues as the men photographers. Her 450 photographic assignments for Look magazine form a two-decade long sociological survey of the United States.

Brooks did not immediately want to become a photojournalist. She faced many struggles in her past that led her to the realization that photojournalism was her calling. After graduating high school, Brooks attended Brooklyn College and changed her surname from “Finkelstein” to “Brooks” to avoid anti-Semitism. The surname “Brooks” was derived from her grandmother’s maiden name, “Eisenbruch.” She graduated with her Bachelor’s in Psychology and went on to graduate school to become a Clinical Psychologist. She was discouraged by many professors, when she was singled out and told that “you people (Jews) are suppose to be intelligent.” She then tried to transfer into a social work program, and remembered being warned, “We have a quota for people of your kind.” Frustrated, Brooks turned to her favorite activities, one of them being photography. In exchange for free admission to Berenice Abbott's photography class at the New School for Social Research, she reluctantly agreed to pose in the nude for art classes.

Two days a week, Brooks worked at Barbara's home studio in Scarsdale, New York. When she picked up a camera there to make some outdoor shots on her own, Brooks experienced what she referred to as "buck fever," comparing herself to a jittery, inexperienced hunter anticipating her first kill. Photography, she realized, was her calling. From that point on she devoted her life to it. Brooks was largely self-taught as a photographer, but also studied other photographers' work to broaden her own approach. Brooks loved being a photojournalist, however, she struggled to live on such intermittent income. Desperate for income, Brooks joined her family's business, manufacturing ladies' sportswear but knew her services were unnecessary. She became depressed and agonized about how to go on with photography. 

In 1951, Brooks then scored an interview at Look magazine through her network of friends, and she accepted a job. Coming out every other week, Look emphasized in-depth feature stories and also presented such controversial topics as the labor movement, segregation, and mental health. Brooks, as a sociologist with a camera, was very interested in such topics. Look's focus on middle class life suited Brooks well. She enjoyed showing how people lived because that was exactly the kind of topic that had motivated her earlier to pursue social work. Her work also enabled her, from a recent immigrant family, to observe the American way of life. In 1953, she negotiated hard to change the gender differential in pay, an issue that is still ongoing. Simply being a female magazine staff photographer in that era set Brooks apart, and she was highly successful.

Image Source: https://www.halt.org/types-of-workplace-discrimination/

Rule of Thirds: The photograph is divided into thirds, which guides the eye through the photo from left to right. The main subject is to the left, with a background that fades off to the right side behind her, making the image more dramatic.

Subject’s Expression: The main subject in the photo clearly looks saddened by the situation, most likely because the man behind her is getting the job. Her expression sets the mood of the photograph and makes it meaningful.

Background Compliments: The background in this photograph is faded out but it compliments the photo overall and adds the meaning of the picture. Without the background, the photo would not describe the situation. 

Why I Chose This Image: I chose this image because it perfectly describes workplace discrimination against women. The men behind her are shaking hands because the employer had given the job to the male applicant and he has accepted the job. The women, who is the main subject, is clearly upset by the situation and her emotions are captured in this photograph, making it perfect to use when speaking of workplace discrimination.

Professor Nordell says, "I believe that women photojournalists, along with women in many different professions, have encountered barriers, unlike any of their male counterparts have endured." This is definitely true, but to an extent. Workplace gender discrimination comes in many different forms, but generally it means that an employee or a job applicant is treated differently or less favorably because of their sex or gender, or because the person is affiliated with an organization or group that is associated with a particular sex or gender.  Even though the words “sex” and “gender” have different meanings, laws against discrimination at work often use them interchangeably. Workplace discrimination against women is probably most commonly seen and noticed, and is still an issue today. However, it is not just women who are discriminated in the workplace.

Discrimination in the workplace, today, usually occurs when jobs do not hire someone or pay them less because of their sex. For example, it is common for women in some jobs get paid less than men do even though they both hold the same exact job title. However, sometimes, even men can also be discriminated in the workplace, not just women. For example, men may be held to higher standards or be evaluated more harshly, or given harder work to do just because they’re men, who are thought to be stronger than women.