Salimah Ali

Photography was love at first sight – it is an extension of my insight to the world and the people around me; it is my second child, my first being my daughter Jamilah Aisha, meaning beautiful alive. Both have given me strength to continue on.

Born in Harlem now residing in Jamaica, Queens. She started writing poetry, but her love of photography became more prominent. Interested in photography since the age of fifteen, she evolved while attending LaGuardia Community College in 1972. Her love of photography propelled her to enroll into the Fashion Institute of Technology as a photography major. The Fashion Institute (FIT) was a catalyst for her photo career. Salimah put her love of photography to the professional test. During the Mid 70's through the mid 80's she photographed such celebrities as Earth, Wind and Fire, Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, Eartha Kitt, Patti LaBelle, Grace Jones and others. Her work has appeared in Essence Magazine, Ms. Magazine, Black Enterprise, USA Today, Newsday, The New York Times, LA Times and The Washington Post.