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The girl at the rock show

Taking crowd shots from above SMX (Photo by Haw Santiago)

I usually get approached at gigs by male photographers, telling me they like my work. Normally, I don't know how to react to compliments especially when they say that I've done so much in the last decade of my career, covering major festivals in other countries, and that it was so cool that I was a girl.


Rock & roll has always been a man's world. This hardcore, testosterone-driven scene has alienated women to a special corner, where commendations are given to “women in rock” like it was some major achievement.


Don't get me wrong, I'm actually very thankful actual achievements by women are getting a lot of notice. Back when I started, I felt that I got extra special treatment when people assessed me and my work. I didn’t shine in my own light; I shone only because I happened to be a woman.


Me, a ‘wonder woman’?

In my mind there was this assumption that I could be excused if I wasn’t better than the guys; but if I was, then I was a wonder woman.


If you're a hard-working girl, regardless of how people react to all the great things you've done, I'm sure at one point you've thought about how to prove yourself to be more than what’s expected of a typical person.


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Which is the secret, really.


It's not about proving yourself better than the guy or the typical girl, it’s being able to entirely remove the gender barrier.


In my case, I tried to make people not view me as female. I know it was close to impossible, but I gave it a shot anyway.


Taking extra effort

I realized that my efforts had the opposite effect. Because I was adamant about not being treated like a girl, I ended up focusing too much on... being a girl.


Soon I realized that my gender wasn’t a “weakness.” In fact, if anything, it was a strength that made me stand out in more ways than I expected.


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I’m short but I embraced my height and made an extra effort to find spots where I could take better pictures.


I didn’t have the physical strength of men, so I made an extra effort to be physically fit.


If anything, my (small) frame, plus my (big) effort allowed me to climb scaffoldings and walk on pipes on the rooftop of buildings just to get the shot I wanted.


Even in a concert or a bar with people towering over me, I noticed that people were more than willing to help me out so I could get my photos. They offered chairs I could stand on, they carried me bodily to the stage, or they moved a little to give me a better view.


The best seat in the van

In vans and buses during road tours, musicians would always try to get the seat in front next to the driver because it had the most leg room. But, somehow, I would always get that seat.


Or when the budget was tight and everyone had to bunk in one hotel room. Even if I offered to sleep on the floor, the guys would give me the entire bed. (It would start to feel like I was the star of the show I’m supposed to be documenting.)


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I stopped thinking about equality, and stopped telling people to stop giving me special treatment. In my opinion, a man has strengths that a woman doesn't have and vice versa.


But skill isn't gender specific. In the end, everything boils down to how much you've practiced, learned and put in the work. Being a girl isn’t an excuse (or a pass). In the end, your professionalism and the quality of the work you produce will speak for you.


Gender makes work slightly more interesting

Don’t worry too much about how you should or shouldn’t be given special treatment because of your gender. The trick is just to accept whatever help comes your way.


We all make an effort to find ways to get the job done. And if you're feeling guilty because you got special favors or extra pampering from the boys, well, just give back. Embrace your girly-girlness by baking cookies to give away to the guys. I've heard a lot of them say sometimes that it gets boring when they're all men on tour.


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I guess when you start being yourself while rest of the guys stop being themselves to treat you nicely, work gets slightly more interesting.


When they say that they find it cool that I am a girl in a mostly male rock & roll world, I guess I'd have to agree.


Niña Sandejas is an award-winning music photographer whose work has appeared here and abroad. She was included in Preview magazine's 2011 Creative It List and was named in early 2012 as one of 14 Women Who Rock by Rogue magazine . Visit her blog, like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram @rosarioko.