Donna Ferrato is a 73-year-old photojournalist and feminist known for documenting domestic violence. She portrays women making their own decisions and prevailing over violence to serve as recognition for the problems they face using photographs.
Ferrato started with photographs that needed words to depict. What seems like 2 sinks in one photo are part of an abortion center that Texas Legislators hindered with restrictions. This photograph had the caption, “the controversial sink the GOP used to drain support for women’s needs and constitutional rights.” This center also played a part to get Roe v. Wade signed in 2016, now recently overturned.
Another picture contains a smiling mother in Mississippi without a left arm. What isn’t seen is that the mother was diagnosed with bone cancer while pregnant. Though the doctor recommended having an abortion so she could start chemo, she said “saw my arm off, I’m having this baby, and I’ll need at least a stump to hold my girl.”
Other times, her photos didn’t need words. One shows police officers called to a house by an 8-year-old boy in 1987. He reported his father for beating his mother. The father is being held by officers while being yelled and pointed at by his son saying, “I hate you for hitting my mother. Don’t come back to this house.” Though words are visible, it’s not needed. Conversely, this description is enough to imagine the scene without looking at the photograph.
For couples, Ferrato has shed light on and witnessed women prevail over violence. Rita, who was abused by her husband, was put on the cover of Time nine years later in 1985 and pressed charges. “In the end, she triumphed, which explains the steadfast gaze and faint smile on her face. Her portrait is a study of perseverance, not victimhood.” In 1982, she witnessed a couple in a mirrored bathroom. The mirrored effect of reflection and refraction emphasizes the violence while the husband slaps his wife because he couldn’t find his cocaine.
Ferrato’s photos show women controlling their own bodies and being stood up for. They also capture moments where the opposite happens to bring awareness all being done with, and without words. One photograph or sentence is enough to give a seemingly plain photo a hidden meaning.
Link To Article: https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1657470954839x953823447485755400/Donna%20Ferrato%E2%80%99s%20Camera%20Is%20a%20Weapon%20for%20Women%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
Ferrato started with photographs that needed words to depict. What seems like 2 sinks in one photo are part of an abortion center that Texas Legislators hindered with restrictions. This photograph had the caption, “the controversial sink the GOP used to drain support for women’s needs and constitutional rights.” This center also played a part to get Roe v. Wade signed in 2016, now recently overturned.
Another picture contains a smiling mother in Mississippi without a left arm. What isn’t seen is that the mother was diagnosed with bone cancer while pregnant. Though the doctor recommended having an abortion so she could start chemo, she said “saw my arm off, I’m having this baby, and I’ll need at least a stump to hold my girl.”
Other times, her photos didn’t need words. One shows police officers called to a house by an 8-year-old boy in 1987. He reported his father for beating his mother. The father is being held by officers while being yelled and pointed at by his son saying, “I hate you for hitting my mother. Don’t come back to this house.” Though words are visible, it’s not needed. Conversely, this description is enough to imagine the scene without looking at the photograph.
For couples, Ferrato has shed light on and witnessed women prevail over violence. Rita, who was abused by her husband, was put on the cover of Time nine years later in 1985 and pressed charges. “In the end, she triumphed, which explains the steadfast gaze and faint smile on her face. Her portrait is a study of perseverance, not victimhood.” In 1982, she witnessed a couple in a mirrored bathroom. The mirrored effect of reflection and refraction emphasizes the violence while the husband slaps his wife because he couldn’t find his cocaine.
Ferrato’s photos show women controlling their own bodies and being stood up for. They also capture moments where the opposite happens to bring awareness all being done with, and without words. One photograph or sentence is enough to give a seemingly plain photo a hidden meaning.
Link To Article: https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1657470954839x953823447485755400/Donna%20Ferrato%E2%80%99s%20Camera%20Is%20a%20Weapon%20for%20Women%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
