Meet Haila Alkhamis | Portrait Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Haila Alkhamis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Haila, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born and raised in Saudi Arabia. A country with a rich culture filled with fascinating traditions, a poetic language, magnificent islamic architecture, and a variety of culture influenced art forms.

I grew up among authentic, generous, affectionate people, Specifically among brilliant resilient strong Saudi women.

I believe cultures have a profound influence on creativity. My cross-cultural experiences have made me an observer of similarities and differences, of specific details that depict a subject’s essence. A main focus of my work is to capture my subjects’ most authentic self, and show their unique story in a photograph.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My strength and reason of choosing this career to be a portrait photographer is my ability to connect with people. Photography to me is not only about technicality and a bunch of expensive equipments. It is a precious human connection, a genuine interest and an eye for what makes a person unique. Either with a client who is having a shoot for the first time or a model who is used to being in front of the camera, it is very important to see their authenticity and use it as a strength to bring out the best version of themselves. It’s my responsibility as a photographer to free them form their insecurities in order to capture that authentic beauty.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There is so much to do in Los Angeles. In a city rich with art I would explore with them a number of museums and art exhibitions, spend a day at the Getty Center, take a walk on a Sunday on Abbot Kinney, take them on a ride on Pacific Coast highway to show them the magical beaches of southern California, try a different ethnic cuisines every day, enjoy a morning in one of LA farmers markets, and a lot more to cover here.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Pursuing a career in creative work is a brave step to make and can be challenging if you do not have the right people around you who believe in you. I am very fortunate that I have a very supportive family with huge appreciation for art, as well as having a loving chosen family in Los Angeles. The list is long but here is a specially thanks to my sister Eman Alkhamis, My friend and mentor Michael Cannon, to Sara Seyed, Birgitte Hellsten and Shahad Alkhalifa for believing in me and for all the support, encouragement and love they have shown me during this journey.

Website: HailaAlkhamis.com

Instagram: @h.alkhamis