"There's something special that happens between women" – Georgina Goodwin on the power of the female photographer

Photographing unrest in her home country, Kenya – starting with its post-election riots in 2007 – has taught documentary photographer and former Canon Ambassador Georgina Goodwin how to spot signs of danger. "If I see a group of young men who have been drinking, I protect myself by keeping my distance," she explains. "Sometimes, I see a moment unfolding but can't get my camera out – instead, I let the opportunity pass and keep walking. If you're attracting attention, what you're witnessing becomes fake, and that feeds into inauthentic photojournalism. It makes it impossible to tell the story properly."

Safety above all else

Does Georgina feel she's ever been overlooked for a job because of her gender? The answer is yes – but not for the reasons you might imagine. "It took me a long time to be given an assignment in Somalia," she says. "There's definitely been hesitancy when it comes to dangerous places – in many cases it's because the editors genuinely care about their journalists and don't want them to be harmed."

If a photographer is to remain in such a heightened state of awareness and, at the same time, deliver photographs that tell a story, they need to be at one with their kit, and this is an area where Georgina excels. She is never without her Canon EOS 5D Mark III, and she works methodically, often using her three main lenses in the same order.

"The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens is my workhorse," she explains. "It gives me the freedom to shoot far, middle and close in 30 seconds, so I know I won't miss anything."

Once she's happy she's established the story, she switches to the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens (now succeeded by the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM) for portraits and scenes that require a compressed perspective. Then and only then does she break out the lens that, for her, is the star of the show – the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM.

"It's really sharp and has a lovely depth of field," she enthuses. "It allows me to be intimate with my subjects without them being intimidated by the kit. I move to it once I have all the other shots in the bag, and it allows me to really sink into things and get creative."

Crucially, when working in more sensitive situations, she never hides the fact she's a photographer. "When I visit the cervical cancer ward, my camera is visible at all times," she says. "I stand in the doorway, introduce myself in Swahili, and explain why I'm there."

She makes sure she meets each woman individually; sometimes there may be two or three patients to a bed, but she spends time with each one before starting to photograph. Such an approach nearly always means missing images, but this is something Georgina accepts. "Often, I see moments unfolding and can't photograph them. But it's so important to gain the women's confidence and trust first, as this allows them to carry on as they were before. Then, I can be with them for as long as I want."

Despite the many positive experiences over the course of her 13-year career, Georgina acknowledges there will always be room for improvement. She recognises she works in a small corner of the industry, but has still observed an increase in the number of women being hired for photographic jobs, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Women Photograph. But it's not easy. "There are less physically and emotionally demanding jobs," she says, laughing, "and you have to put in so many hours in order to be seen. Male or female, black or white, it's exhausting [trying] to stay relevant."