Older Man, Village outside of Ankara, Turkey, June 5, 2013

This was a day of unrest in the capital as the protests grew night after night. Just a day earlier it was decided that the project was to be cancelled and that all participants were to return to their respective cities. An idea came to me as the decision was made, to stay behind on my own and work according to my methods. I brought this up to the leaders of the project and they agreed to allow me one day in the capital and then allow me to fly back to the first city of our tour where the protests were non-existent for the most part.

So this afternoon, without the team and on my own in the city, I was helped by the good people of the U.S. Department of State, Ebru and Todd. They arranged for a car and a driver named Aykan to guide me outside of the city, to a village reminiscent of my work in the eastern portions of the country. My friend was unable to speak English and I was unable to speak Turkish, so we travelled in silence and with laughter now and then.

With the help of a mobile phone we talked with Ebru on several occasions and she guided Aykan as to my photographic needs. She never hesitated once and did so selflessly for the sake of the photography. As we drove through the village we looked at each other several times and finally made the decision to stop by an elderly man as he was working on his tractor. He seemed nice enough and a good person with whom to start. It turned out to be perfectly true, he allowed us graciously to make his portrait and then allowed his driveway to be the spot in which we photographed his friend above, as well as a few children that happened to be walking by.

While the city below us was filled with traffic, in the village few cars drove by and children walked peacefully without concern for large crowds. A shop across the street invited us in for tea and shelter since it was about to rain. The smell of the droplets as they collided with the ground was exhilarating and almost made us forget about the time.

My appreciation goes to Aykan, Ebru and Todd for my access to this good man.

halim.ina@gmail.com
Halim Ina Photography