Salimah Ali (born 1954) is an American contemporary photographer working in portraiture, documentary photography, and photo journalism.

Early life and education

Ali was born in 1954 in Harlem, New York City. She spent her childhood in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. Her interest in art was shaped from a young age by her father, an oil painter, who bought Ali her first camera. After beginning her photography career by shooting photos of babies and newlyweds, Ali got her first break while studying at LaGuardia Community College. She saw a poster advertising an Eddie Kendricks concert and contacted the show's promoter to ask if she could photograph the Kendricks. The promoter told her yes, and that opened the door for Ali to continue photographing other musicians, including

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;

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; Earth, Wind, and Fire; Bob Marley; and others. Ali later transferred to the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she earned an associate's degree in photography.

Career

Ali's work has appeared in a number of publications, including '' Essence,'' '' Black Enterprise,'' '' USA Today,'' '' The New York Times,'' '' Los Angeles Times,'' and '' The Washington Post.'' Ali is a member of

Kamoinge The Kamoinge Workshop is a photography collective that was founded in 1963. In 2013, the group stood as “the longest continuously running non-profit group in the history of photography.” The collective was born when two groups of African-Ameri ...

, a New York–based collective of African American photographers. The group works to present honest portrayals of the African American experience through photography. In 2007, they got a grant to photograph the aftermath of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

. Ali participated in the project, taking photographs of New Orleans residents alongside the remains of their devastated homes. Since 2001, Ali has also worked professionally as a photographer for the New York City Police Department.

Selected exhibitions

In 2018, an installation of Ali's photographs were shown at the Queens Library. In 2019, Ali participated in a large group show at the African American Museum in Philadelphia. In 2020, Ali showed in "Visions 1020," a photography exhibition at Wilmer Jennings Kenkeleba Gallery in the East Village, Manhattan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Salimah African-American women artists African-American contemporary artists American contemporary artists Living people African-American photographers Photographers from New York City 1954 births 21st-century African-American artists 20th-century African-American artists 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American women 20th-century American women photographers 20th-century American photographers 21st-century American women photographers 21st-century American photographers