Photography Hannan Saleh//Written by Anthonia Akitunde
Hannan Saleh’s home practically ripples with frenetic, artistic energy. It may have something to do with all the artists under one roof — Saleh is a photographer whose work has appeared in a number of print and online fashion magazines; her husband, scenic artist Calvin Batts.
But something tells us it has a little more to do with the three other residents in their Philadelphia home: their sons, Tesfay (11), Ayo (7), and Idris (5) Saleh-Batts.
“It’s a little tough” being the only woman in the house, Saleh says with a laugh. “There’s a lot of whining happening. But for the most part, they love and care about each other. Tesfay likes to be the good kid at school, but at home he’s very competitive with his brothers. Ayo’s like Mr. Congeniality. He’s just the cutie pie that everybody knows at school. Idris is a little bit more of an introvert, and he’s the one who likes to dance all the time. He wants to be a pop singer!”
Idris isn’t the only one in the family with big plans. Saleh, who may be best known for her fashion spreads and street style shots in Essence and Essence.com, is starting to consider where she wants to take her career to next. The family plans on moving to New York City in the coming months as there isn’t much work for Saleh and her husband in Philly; the couple both take turns traveling to New York for assignments — Fashion Week for her, building movie sets for him.
“I’m working on redoing my book, my website, and redefining my vision,” Saleh says animatedly. “I want to see my work not just in black magazines, [but] all across the board. I want to see my work alongside a lot of other working professionals, not just women of color. I would love to work for W [Magazine] or something like that. I just want to be one of the top fashion photographers, along with all [the other] high rollers.”
