people who take photographs professionally or as a hobby
from Greek photos 'light' + graphos 'writing'
Photographers write with light - they're literally light-writers capturing moments!
Photography developed as a male-dominated profession in the 19th century; 'photographer' historically defaulted to male despite women's pioneering contributions (Anna Atkins, Gertrude Käsebier). The term became professionally coded masculine.
Use 'photographers' inclusively; it is gender-neutral. When crediting work, verify creator names avoid assumption of gender.
Women pioneers like Atkins (cyanotype) and Käsebier (pictorialism) shaped photography's artistic and technical foundation despite erasure from early histories.
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