R.I P. Dame Stephanie Shirley. I’m reposting this in honour of Dame Shirley who has died aged 91. She was featured as one of the remarkable 100 first women, and rightly so.

I see each unknown tomorrow as an opportunity. We waste time being afraid, when what we should really fear is wasting time.

Quote from Dame Shirley’s website.

Snow & 100 First Women At Lacock

A few weeks back I had a wonderful bit of serendipity. It had been snowing madly. I was holed up at home for a few days and was getting restless. On Sunday, we ventured out to Lacock. To my joy I discovered there was an exhibition on in Lacock Abbey of 100 First Women Portraits. And it was the very last day! The photographer, Anita Corbin, (pictured above) was there, we got chatting, and this interview is the result.

The exhibition, 100 first women, was on tour. I loved it. The photos were so engaging, very immediate, intimate. It was so inspiring to see these women in one place. All l those women who were pioneers for all of us.  I salute them.

Jane: What sparked your interest in photography? When did you realise that you could make a career from it?
Anita: I am an only child and my Mum was very involved in the care of her parents. My grandfather was an amateur photographer and he had a series of albums that he’d made when he’d been travelling as a mining engineer across the world, at the turn of the 1900s. The albums absolutely fascinated me, from the Pagan tribes of Africa to Odessa Square in Russia . I was carried away by the magic of photography. I was so absorbed as a child looking at these albums.

Horticultural Photographer

Plus, my Dad was a horticultural photographer, in his spare time, and I would help him out. At weekends, I was in charge of checking out how much money he’d made . That made me realise that, yes, you could make money out of photography. He actually pioneered the step by step photography style, showing people how to ‘prune your roses’ for example. He was dyslexic so couldn’t write well but he could explain brilliantly in pictures.

My Mum was very creative. She was a landscape architect, but once she had me, she had to give up work. That’s what happened to women of her generation. I think I inherited her artistic streak and the practical side from my dad.

Liked Art, Couldn’t Draw

At school, I liked art but I couldn’t draw to save my life. The art teacher advised me at 14 to go and be a scientist!

But once I had a camera in my hand I didn’t need to draw to create.

I had my first camera at age 7 or 8, and I still have my first one (see below). I took lots of pictures, especially on school trips and even won a First prize at age 10. It was of St Kevin’s Tower in Ireland

Are there many professional female photographers or are you pretty unusual in your field?


There are many more of us now, working to a very high standard, than when I started in the early 80s. Still not as many as men, of course. Annie Leibovitz is one of my heroines. I love looking at her pictures and figuring out she has done it and what she is trying to say.

Sunday Times Magazine

In 1981, when I was working for the Sunday Times Magazine, we had the Royal wedding of Charles and Di. There were 60 photographers in the press corps from all over the world, including Don McCullin, Cartier Bresson and his wife, Martine Francke. Four women only and I was the youngest by far. We did a huge group shot on the roof of the Sunday Times; imagine the male egos on that roof!

I think we women approach things differently and are much more subtle in our approach, less flashy. We often get much more intimate shots because of that. Quite a few of the 100 First Women I photographed have been photographed many times and remarked how much more involved they felt in the process. They had carte blanche to be who they wanted to be, without being directed. I had no editor, no photographer’s assistant, no art director or masses of equipment. It was very collaborative, much more about how they wanted to be, just me and her.

I think we women are much better at collaborating and the photos were better as a result.

When did the idea for 100 First Women strike you?
Initially I kept the idea fairly quiet. My 50th birthday was approaching and my children, (twins, Daisy and Louis, 14 didn’t need me as much. I started to have some breathing space and ‘me time’. My father was 93 at that point and still fairly well, living close by in sheltered accommodation. I did some BEE group work with 6 women in something called Action Learning Sets . This is where you share ideas and experiences, for about 6 months. The emphasis was on listening to each other.

National Portrait Gallery

I decided I would love to have some of my portraits in the National Portrait Gallery, a goal I achieved. It made me think ‘what am I going to be remembered for?’ I’d been working for about 30 years at that point, travelled the world, and had featured in many national magazines.

However, getting into the National Portrait Gallery really made me think I wanted something more lasting. I needed to do something significant that would be collected for the nation. A photographic legacy.

The Impetus Behind 100 First Women

The idea for a 100 First Women Portraits collection resonated with the coming anniversary of 100 years since women won the right to vote. I thought it would be amazing to do 100 portraits of women who had achieved ‘firsts for women’. I had 10 years to do it and I had just enough time. And I really felt a calling, I was the right woman for the job!

Getting the photos was obviously time consuming and managing diary dates with these busy women was not easy. 95% said yes pretty much straightaway, which was lovely. Obviously, during this time, I was still doing my commercial work and looking after my family and my father. I had no funding for the project. When I came to create the exhibition I did get a few lump sum donations. We also ran a crowdfunding platform. But I still had to remortgage the house!

Enthusiasm and Challenges

The women were so enthusiastic even though most didn’t really know what they were getting into in. ‘First Women’ evolved as it was being created.

It was quite a challenge, physically, mentally, emotionally and financially. I drove about 100,000 miles and stayed in some dodgy B&Bs to keep costs down!

My Mother’s Influence on 100 First Women

Another impetus for the First 100 was my Mother. I only had 20 years with my Mum who died young. She would have been 100 in the same year as the suffrage anniversary. The 100 First Women project was also an homage to her, and, in a way, a celebration of all the mother figures in this world. Five days after the launch exhibition opened at the Royal College of Art, London would have been Mum’s 100th birthday. I was 60 years old 3 days before it ended. Serendipity strikes again.

This year’s Valentine’s Day coincided with the opening at Palace House, Newmarket, the next venue for First Women. I made a point of saying in my opening speech, that behind every empowered woman there is usually someone, often a man, keeping the home fires burning. My advice to men is to relax, stand back and let us get on with it!

Women Create A New Wave of Reality

Women are creating a new wave of reality. There is no road map, and many men feel lost or unsure of how to be. Our intuition will carry us through. Often men have not been able or been allowed to develop that side of themselves. I ended my speech by saying that we have to work together, put our egos aside as collaboration is the only future.

The photos are so immediate, and many feel very intimate. It’s almost as if the viewer is present with the subject of your portrait, like an Old Master (although maybe that should be an Old Mistress…?) I know you worked alone, no huge entourage. Did you have any ‘magic moments’ with your sitters? A moment of real connection? Can you share any details?


I wanted to be completely alone with the woman I was photographing. No assistants, no stylists, etc. It was challenging because it meant I had to do everything by myself. The fact that usually it was just the two of us helped to create that intimacy, I think. I’d chat a little bit about what motivated her and drove her. I tried to make it feel spontaneous so I set all the technical stuff up beforehand. Many of the photos are in tricky outdoors places, or busy thoroughfares. I learned to create a ‘bubble’ for me and my subject to keep us keep connected.

Not using glazing or mounts on the exhibition pictures also contributes to the intimate style. I also often had very clear ideas in advance of how I wanted to photograph them. Every location is totally different which is exciting but also challenging.

Dame Stephanie Shirley – 100 First Women

Dame Stephanie Shirley, had been a kindertransport child. I had a strong vision that she should be walking towards the camera, out of an avenue of trees. Walking away from the Nazis if you like. However, when I got to the location, the trees were wet, dark and foreboding. The shot I ended up taking was of her on a shiny, wet pathway where she is almost skipping down the road. Away from something, but the energy is still there.

I am a strong believer in listening to your intuition.

Baroness Scotland – 100 First Women

One of the most momentous photos I took was of Baroness Scotland, around the time of the Levenson Enquiry. Baroness Scotland was delivering a speech on this to the Lords on the day of our shoot. She didn’t cancel and it felt like a perfect storm.Such a moment in history. She was looking out of the window, with people like Paddy Ashdown MP squeezing past in the narrow corridor.

Baroness Scotland was running up and down the stairs to the chamber. She was wearing Jimmy Choo shoes, fortifying herself with a Twix bar and a cup of tea. Then she’d be back for 20 minutes more of photography.

Beth French – 100 First Women

Another particularly memorable session was with Beth French, the endurance swimmer. I wanted her photo to be classical, almost goddess like, representing the physicality of women. She had her severely autistic child with her, Dylan, who was just 6 at the time.

He loved being my assistant, which helped Beth to relax. (Me: I think you can see that in the photo, she looks blissed out). We had beautiful light and it was an amazing day which ended with a fish and chip supper together.

My last photo of the 100 was with Kelly Gallagher, the partially sighted downhill skier. Sadly, I had just lost my Dad just 6 weeks prior to our session. He did make it to 101 years ! She was so lovely and welcoming. She understood how to make an image that would make people ask questions about her without her needing to be on a ski slope. We also had a lot of laughs together.

If you could have any other career, at any point in history, what would you choose and why? 

I would have been a midwife a doulah or a silversmith. I love babies and children and am quite caring, ( I think ! ) I’ve photographed a couple of births and it’s so joyous.

I also love silver and precious rocks so doing something creative and practical would suit me.

Advice For Others

What is the best piece of advice that you have been given, and did you follow it?


Hard work pays off, and I have worked hard.

My dad had a very strong work ethic. If you believe in something and put the time and energy into it, it will develop and blossom. You’ve got to do the work. I work on my photography every day. But don’t push too hard, believe that things will happen when the timing is right.

What advice would you give aspiring photographers?


Follow your intuition and stick at it. Don’t let anyone dissuade you from your goal. Try and find something that you are fascinated and passionate about. If you love photographing ‘animals’ for example, go with that. Be the best that you can be.

And finally, what’s next for you, Anita? Do you have a list of 100 more First Women to track down? I know you invite visitors to the exhibitions to suggest names; have any of those really piqued your interest?

I’d love to keep photographing the next 100 Firsts. I think its important to have an archive for each generation. I am now looking for a backer for each photo session and framed print. Each portrait costs £5000 in total, which isn’t very much really.

Sponsorship

So, I need 12 initial sponsors of portraits who can then have their name on those 12 portraits. Finding funding takes a lot of energy and can be very frustrating,  I’m happiest behind the camera. So many more First Women are now coming onto the scene, which is fantastic!  There is no shortage of subjects.

Anita, thank you so much. It’s a fascinating project and I wish you well with the next one.

It is a brilliant project so please do go if you get a chance. You can buy a copy of 100 First Women Portraits, Anita’s book. Highly recommended as you get lots of information about the women, too. A gorgeous coffee table book with an important message. Celebrate women!

If you’d like to read some more of my interviews with Inspirational Women check out Nicola Walton’s here. And this link will take you to Anita’s Wikipedia page.

Newsflash – Coaching for Charity!

I am offering coaching sessions, one off, for an hour, at a suggested donation of £50 a session. On any topic. Every single penny is going to charity. Two special charities in particular. The money doesn’t come to me but direct to the charities.

My husband has Parkinsons’s Disease. If you a regular newsletter reader you’ll know that we’ve had a tricky few years. (I am rarely understated but I am here… It’s been hell.) A constant source of support has been The Firefighters Charity. I just can’t tell you how wonderful they are and if I tried I’d probably start blubbing everywhere. None of us want that…

Equally, over the last few months I have come to know the work of the wonder that is Parkinson’s UK. Amongst other things they invest in support for patients and research into this cruel disease. There is currently no cure. But I am optimistic that there will be! They just need a little help from their friends…

If you have ever thought coaching might be helpful now’s your time to try it out. I am offering a one hour virtual session for a suggested donation of maybe £50?. To take advantage of this just let me know you’re interested via email, jane@changingpeople.co.uk. No obligation. If you choose to go ahead, you’ll get a link to the two JustGiving Pages :The Firefighters Charity and Parkinson’s UK. Simply get in touch.

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RenewYou has helped thousands of women make positive and lasting change in their lives. I deliver it one-to-one as part of a bespoke coaching package for women looking to move into leadership, to progress their career, or who wish to be the absolute best version of themselves.

Posted on August 15th, 2025 by Jane