Maurice Elmaleh: behind the modesty, the remarkable talent of a photographer

Maurice Elmaleh

A portrait of Maurice, a man with the talent and the heart of gold, taken by the remarkable photographer Bassam Sabbagh

The intimist Kate Snig

Maurice Elmaleh has a great taste for beauty in general, especially for feminine beauty and its power, to which he pays tribute in each of his gorgeous shots.

The fairy beauty of Sienna Hayes

When I proposed to Maurice to present his works here, in Univers d'Artistes, he was sincerely flattered, but saw himself as an impostor in a world he should not especially be part of. So many photographers have more skills than me, I'm just having fun doing it. I was not even surprised... Maurice is the one who willingly puts himself in the shade to let shine the others: a great artistic sense, a lot of talent, but so much modesty!

For Maurice, photography is only pleasure, a free exploration, an artistic exchange with others, with generosity and openness.

Nevertheless, his photos dazzle me with their atmospheres and their refinement, so spontaneously and naturally expressed. So I chose to write this artist portrait in the same way that Maurice would have done it himself; by bringing to the fore the fantastic and beautiful models with whom he has created such gorgeous images.

The distinguished Solène Ollivier

The sculptural Kaitlin Chapple

He likes to explore where few people go. Nothing is considered «insane», everything may be potentially interesting. We just have to try, and if it's not good, oh well...

Creating makes me feel good, it makes me feel alive.

The casual energy and the guts of Roxanne Maïté Nault

Photography has always been a part of his everyday life: while traveling, with his family... but it is only a few years ago that he discovered the pleasure of creating images with the complicity of professional models.

The grace of Kate Snig

It is by participating in a workshop given by the great art model Phylactère Rayna, often working in duo with the incredible Clara Cloutier, that he discovered another aspect of photography that totally fascinated him. Working with models opened the door to so many new possibilities, to a different form of exploration, to the exploitation of raw emotions... the limits had just repelled themselves, revealing a whole new universe that would allow him to go further in his own creativity.


Phylactère Rayna's workshops

The genious of Phylactère Rayna

The unique complicity of Clara Cloutier and Phylactère Rayna

Following this revealing experience, he attended several photo workshops, meeting other artists: models, photographers... all feeding a common passion, a shared pleasure.

It's a hobby and at times, a passion. I am looking for a little miracle.

The atmospheres and unusual poses so particular to Clara Cloutier

Maurice has the faculty to choose models from which emotion and grace emanate naturally, creating with their complicity pictures with particular, touching, sometimes even troubling, atmospheres.

He has therefore worked with models I admire a lot, who do a work of an exceptional beauty.

The dramatic Kate Snig

He creates images that express states of minds, where we can feel raw emotions, authenticity.

This is probably due to his acting background and his love for theater, a universe in which he still bathes regularly, giving himself the mission to project the light on these passionate and talented artists, in whom he firmly believes.

Christelle Trottier, the all natural

The intense Roxanne Maïté Nault

He his though relatively modest about his own life, his own concerns; he prefers to make us talk, to discover us, to bring us to express ourselves, whether it is verbally or with our body. And he achieves it remarkably well.

He has lived a lot in his life and still lives it to the fullest. Always on the move, gone somewhere, traveling, the camera always in hand. And to see so many things and so many places, our judgment of others and of life in general can only be softened. There is always worse, there is always a reason for things to be the way they are. I firmly believe that Maurice is one of those who think that way.

He possesses an open-mindedness so great you could get lost in it, a freedom of the heart and the soul everyone would aspire to have.

Maurice Elmaleh on the lookout for exceptional images. Burning Man, Nevada, 2011

The unique beauties of Black Rock City, Nevada, by Maurice Elmaleh

Naturally, we open ourselves to him, we place our trust in him.

With Maurice, we feel he has enough experience to understand, and maybe even to teach us a little? And that quiet strength that emanates from him... we can only abandon ourselves, letting him guide us where we should be.

The classic beauty of Kaitlin Chapple

The vibrant Sienna Hayes

His wisdom and life experience, however, do not interfere with his passion and his love of life, omnipresent despite some rainy days.

He can have fun with anything, as often as possible, and he takes us in his gentle fantasies, such as an elegant waltz, while whispering in our ear his witticisms that suddenly eclipse all formality.

For having worked several times as a model in front of Maurice's camera, I can testify that the celebration of our beauty is truly and respectfully in the spotlight.

Posing for him becomes an act free of constraints, so fluid. 

With him, I explored less known areas of myself, a phenomenon which I cannot explain the why nor the how. From us, suddenly comes out a very different energy, a feminine strength, an assumed self-assertion.

Me, powerful and feminine

Quite discreet, as if he was only there to keep us company, he is the invisible witness of each of our poses and our introspection throughout the expression of our art. He captures moments of pure beauty and absolute feminity.

The magnificent Olivia Preston

The timeless beauty of Kate Snig