Young Bedouin Girl, Bekaa Valley near Zahle, Lebanon, Summer of 2005

In this one alley I have made countless images of a few families, all related. Wind always plays with their hair, and the adjacent buildings act as soft boxes reflecting sunlight onto their faces. In the image above she sits at her cousin's house, with her own building acting as that reflective surface.

I have always worked alone here, even though on a few occasions the work was less than easy. Usually I arrive in the early afternoon while my own family is sleeping, sit down with their families for a little bit then arrange to work with the children. I have been photographing this young girl and her cousins for the past eight years, and have come to learn most of their names.

The neighborhood is really quiet, and next to a few small camps of migrant workers from Syria. As a matter of fact her family and all the rest in the nearby buildings are themselves migrants now married within the Lebanese community, and living in stone buildings rather than tents. However their lives are similar to those in the tent cities, they tend to their herds and work in various jobs to support their families, mostly jobs that the mainstream population refrains from performing.

I look forward to working with them again, even though my last visit was the most difficult so far. From my experience I will make the first day count, because as the excitement wears thin the photography becomes more difficult.

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Halim Ina Photography