Born in 1980, Laura El-Tantawy is a British/Egyptian photojournalist & artist based between London, England (UK) & Cairo, Egypt. She was born in Worcestershire, England & grew up between Saudi Arabia & Egypt. Given her multicultural background, she has found solace in photography not just as an artistic form of expression, but as an inner voice to reflect upon her own identity & how it relates to the world around her. She mostly works on self-initiated projects.
"My photographic interest in a project typically stems from having some personal connection with the subject matter,” she said. “Having lived between East and West much of my life, I have often felt lost between the traditional ideologies instilled in my upbringing and the extremely liberal practices of the West. I had to find a defining balance for myself as an individual, and my work as a documentary photographer has helped me do that. Dealing with who I am as a person and my position on the critical social issues facing the world today—particularly those pertaining to my background—is at the heart of all the themes I take on in my work."
In 2002, El-Tantawy started her career as a newspaper photographer with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel & Sarasota Herald-Tribune (USA). In 2006, she became freelance so she could focus on pursuing personal projects. In 2008, she was nominated & accepted as one of 15 young photographers from around the world to participate in the prestigious Reflexions Masterclass, a two-year photography seminar directed by renowned Italian photographer Giogia Fiorio and French curator Gabriel Bauret.
In 2005 she started work on her first book documenting her journey through a changing Egypt. As part of her continuing understanding of the issues facing Egypt today, in 2009 she accepted a fellowship at the University of Oxford (UK) to research the concept of free speech in Egyptian media & the rise of Internet blogging and independent newspapers.
Her work has been published & exhibited in the United States, Europe, Asia & the Middle East and she has been recognized in several international awards.
El-Tantawy studied journalism and political science at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia (USA). She lives between the U.K her country of birth, & Egypt, with which she associates most of her childhood memories.
"My photographic interest in a project typically stems from having some personal connection with the subject matter,” she said. “Having lived between East and West much of my life, I have often felt lost between the traditional ideologies instilled in my upbringing and the extremely liberal practices of the West. I had to find a defining balance for myself as an individual, and my work as a documentary photographer has helped me do that. Dealing with who I am as a person and my position on the critical social issues facing the world today—particularly those pertaining to my background—is at the heart of all the themes I take on in my work."
In 2002, El-Tantawy started her career as a newspaper photographer with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel & Sarasota Herald-Tribune (USA). In 2006, she became freelance so she could focus on pursuing personal projects. In 2008, she was nominated & accepted as one of 15 young photographers from around the world to participate in the prestigious Reflexions Masterclass, a two-year photography seminar directed by renowned Italian photographer Giogia Fiorio and French curator Gabriel Bauret.
In 2005 she started work on her first book documenting her journey through a changing Egypt. As part of her continuing understanding of the issues facing Egypt today, in 2009 she accepted a fellowship at the University of Oxford (UK) to research the concept of free speech in Egyptian media & the rise of Internet blogging and independent newspapers.
Her work has been published & exhibited in the United States, Europe, Asia & the Middle East and she has been recognized in several international awards.
El-Tantawy studied journalism and political science at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia (USA). She lives between the U.K her country of birth, & Egypt, with which she associates most of her childhood memories.
