The series is conceptual in its nature. At present, it consists of three picture pairs. It is a work in progress, so my intention is to continue pursuing subjects that are suitable for the project.

All the chosen subjects are women who work in male-dominant environments and professions. The professions are also all of a nature that demands work uniforms in the form of protective clothing. I’ve taken two photos of each subject, one before the work-shift and one after. Through this I hope to show the nature of each job to the viewer.

The picture pairs play an important role in showing the change in the subjects, not only through the most obvious – the clothes getting dirty – but also through more subtle changes in expressions and so forth. I’m trying to grasp something that concerns the change in gender roles in our society. The uniforms of the male-dominant professions hide the femininity of these women and their appearance is quite androgynous. And it isn’t only the clothes that make the (wo)man, but also the roles both the uniform and the environment implement.


– Joel Gräfnings' series, Women at Work, was chosen as part of the Factory of Photography exhibition at Fotofestiwal 2009.