MEET THE PHOTOGRAPHER:
Danielle Wrobleski is a photographer based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin specializing in film photographic processes spanning over a century of techniques and mediums. Her photographic work focuses on capturing the beauty of the unique neighborhoods and landscapes throughout Southeast Wisconsin. Since discovering photography four years ago, she quickly started noticing the gender disparity in the artists that get recognized in the film world. Danielle has discovered so many talented female film shooters in this community and has made it a mission to fight for their fair representation, so the world can see the breathtaking art they are creating.
How did you get started shooting film?
"Completely by accident! About four years ago I was perusing the aisles of my local thrift shop and spotted a Canon AE-1 for $10. I didn’t know anything about cameras and hadn’t shot film since I was a kid, but that Canon just looked so unbelievably beautiful I knew I needed to get it and try it out. I’ve been hooked ever since."
What has your experience been in the film community?
"Overall I would say my experience in the film community by and large has been positive; there are so many wonderfully supportive people in this world! Shopping for cameras can be difficult though! If you’re online it’s so hard to tell what the actual condition is, will it really work, when was it last tuned up, etc. So often I message sellers to scope out the situation with a particular camera and sadly quite a few are not really helpful, or assume I don’t know anything about cameras myself. It often feels like a crap shoot and so now I tend to be very selective in what I purchase and where I purchase from."
What's the best piece of advice you have been given as a photographer?
"The best camera is the one you have in your hand! The film community can get hyper focused on gear sometimes, and often people feel they need the current trendiest camera to take good images. I haven’t been immune to that either and there’s been times where I’ve felt really down for not having a super expensive setup, but then remind myself that I love what I have and my cameras work really well for what I need. You can take equally beautiful images on $100 cameras vs. $5,000 cameras."
What advice would you give to a beginner film photographer?
"Ignore the photos you see trending on social media. They are often a very narrow window into the world of photography. Don’t try to copy what is being shared over and over on feature pages. Explore outside the box. Find your voice. Be unique and creative. And don’t open the back of your camera before you’ve rewound your film."
Why is it important to you to raise up female voices/artists?
"Well, we’re 50% of the population! And we tend to be so vastly underrepresented in this community and it’s not for a lack of people. We’re here, there’s so many of us, we’re just overlooked. Often the big pages and companies are largely run by men, so women get left out of the picture. Female photographers bring such a unique perspective to the world of photography and have such important messages to convey through their images. When their work isn’t recognized to the same degree as men they are effectively being silenced."
