Samah Ellaithy

one must photograph with eye and heart .
henri cartier bresson .

~ about the artist ~

Born   ~  27 May 1968 , Cairo , Egypt .

Sign    ~  Gemini .

Study ~

Ramses College For Girls  1972 ~1979  Cairo ,Egypt

High School                 1979 ~1986   Dubai, UAE

Photography                 1988 ~1990    Cairo, Egypt

Psychology                     1986 ~1992   Cairo, Egypt

~ 21 years ago, 27 May 1988... 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. 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 photos with people. One photographer once said “a picture without a human being is dead ” I have an intuitive feel for world I inhabits and I am convinced that this must be strongest when I squints 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 admires the great 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 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 catalogue.”

     ~  I approached photography as an art from the beginning. 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.

      ~  I am always eager to learn new things. I have lots of hobbies, such as reading, writing, cinema, sports. I adore reading very much, my basic interests are: photography, cinema, psychology, politics ... etc.  I am always stretching my self to higher performance, especially on spiritually basics, and I am never afraid to try new things.

     ~  I am a former champion in {table tennis}. During my childhood in Dubai { UAE } from 1979 to 1986 , I won the girls schools national championship 5 times , I won the { third place } for 3 years &  { first place } for 2 years . I play too tennis, basketball, volleyball, I am a sporty person in general.

      ~  My father is the late Salah Ellaithy  , the well known Egyptian & Arab Caricaturist, he died in 1983. After studying fine art in Egypt &  Italy he worked in many Egyptian & Arab magazines and newspapers during the period from 1960s  to 1980s , such as  { sabah el kheir },{ roza el yousef },{ 23 of july },{ el doha },{ el khaleeg }  .... Etc.

     ~ I traveled to UK , France , Greece , Turkey , Canada , Rwanda , Italy , and Dubai  which I spent my childhood there {1979 -1986 }.

Copyright ©1988~2009 Samah Ellaithy.All Right Reserved.