22 years ago I started photography. My interest in photography stemmed from my interest in the moving image. Not having the opportunity to study cinema I turned to photography instead and taught myself. My university psychology degree was the springboard, which compelled me to study people and the world through the stasis of the lens. I like to analyze people in a psychological way to analyze myself".
Most of my photographs are with people. One photographer once said "a picture without a human being is dead." I have an intuitive feel for world I inhabit and I am convinced that this must be strongest when I squint through the lens. "I have to be honest with myself first and then the picture will be good. I must feel first. Sometimes when I click the camera there is another click in my heart, and sometimes I know the picture will be horrible..
I approach photography both intellectually and emotionally. I admire the greats like Eisenstadt, Henry Cartier-Bresson and Stieghitz, Capa, etc and I am an avid reader of their philosophies. Part of my intuitive feeling is being in touch with art in all its diversity and to imbibe all the knowledge I can. Stieglitz once said: to be a good photographer you have to study the best pictures from painting to photography, visit exhibitions, and museums, steep yourself in them [the best pictures] until they become a part of your being. Then if there be any trace of originality within you, you will intuitively adapt what you have thus made a part of yourself, and tincture by your personality you will evolve that which is called style.
I took this photo in 1997, during a play called "maria callas". The dancer was magnificent and her movements were very spiritually free , and this was the feeling I wanted
I am continuously aim to stretch myself and embrace change. My photographs are characteristically untitled I don't think a picture or a work of art needs to be categorized, this is not a TV catalog."
Art photography is a victim in Egypt, because most people look at it from that way it is a camera work, it is not an art. So still art photography exhibitions is few in Egypt, although in the past 2 to 3 years, the number of private galleries interested in showing art photography is increasing. We don't have photography schools in Egypt, specialized in teaching all kinds of photography. We don't have museums for art photography in Egypt and even our art museums don't show photography artwork. An art photographer like me had to work in commercials to pay for their checks.
My father is the late Salah Ellaithy (1923–1983), the well known egyptian and arab caricaturist. He studied fine art in egypt and italy , and worked in many egyptian and arab magazines and newspapers from the 60's up to the 80's, such as "sabah el kheir", "roza el yousef", "23 of july", "el doha", "el khaleeg", ... etc.
I am always eager to learn new things. I have lots of hobbies, such as reading, writing, watching movies, sports... etc. I adore reading, my basic interests are: photography, psychology, politics, cinema. I am always stretching myself to higher performance , specially on spiritually basics , and I am not afraid to try new things.
I am a former champion in "table tennis", during school "1979 - 1986" in dubai, uae. I won girls national championship 5 times. I also play tennis , basketball , volley ball , and riding bicycles and motorcycles.
I traveled to uk, france, greece, turkey, canada, rwanda, italy, and uae (dubai) where I spent my childhood from 1979 to 1986.I work as a free-lance photographer, graphic designer, web designer and writer. I love to be free in my work to do what I am interested in. I love to learn new things always, things related to art, to life itself.