Saideh, Model, Friend, Near Lake Erie, Ohio, August 24, 2012

After driving around for an hour near the shoreline a white wall is found for our collaboration. We meet perhaps two hours before sunset, and begin immediately. Saideh brings with her once again an incredible selection of pieces, all dark and timeless.

The place chosen is the side of a local business, and away from the road. For perhaps an hour we move from full length images to closer portraits, and Saideh displays her talent at changing positions effortlessly. She understands my pace and stops now and then to allow me the release of the shutter. Much of the time we work with the digital camera, and every now and then we use film.

After a bit of time a man approaches us in his truck up the driveway and at first seems friendly. He makes a friendly joke about the collaboration and goes about his business. He then returns perhaps after twenty minutes and tells us that perhaps we might want to think about leaving since the owners of the building might be distressed about our presence.

We take his advice into consideration and feel that our work is harmless, therefore continuing with our work. About twenty minutes after that conversation the same man returns and this time is quite aggressive, telling us to leave in an unfriendly tone. This continues perhaps for ten minutes during which Saideh is quite composed, and understanding.

It gets to a point that we need to end our work because the man refuses to leave us alone. For whatever reason he might have, he has taken a keen interest in making our session end quickly, even though we advise him that moving to another location would eat up our remaining time.

Luckily for me I have Saideh, a most resourceful woman. She tells me that on her way to meeting me she had also seen another white wall, perhaps less than 100 meters from this one. We decide to drive over to that wall and find that it's actually a nicer one. This time people are present to whom we can speak. I approach the factory entrance and am met by a large, friendly man. He listens to our story and gives us his permission to use the white wall as our background.

The images above were made at the second location, at ease and with plenty of sun. The grass is soothing, and the mood serene. We work for perhaps 45 minutes and see the sun setting behind the trees, causing us to stop we think. As we begin to put everything away I notice a white trailer behind the factory, and quickly begin unpacking the equipment. We move to the trailer and, with the guidance of the same man, work for perhaps twenty minutes more.

During the entire time Saideh remains calm, and shows her support. After we are finished we sit down for a lemonade and chat for a while. She has a keen interest in creating beautiful images and a deep appreciation of the people within my portfolio. They are in my mind her brothers and sisters, and will see her portrait upon my next trip. We part with the thought of our next session in our minds.

For more of my work, please visit the newly designed website below, courtesy of Patrick Luu.

Halim Ina Photography