Halim Ina, Global Community Portraits, Cleveland Print Room, Humana People to People India, July 12, 2013

Three more portraits from the current show at the Cleveland Print Room. All proceeds from the sale of these images will be forwarded to schools for girls in Rajasthan through a collaboration with Humana People to People India. We hope that these images affect the viewers as much as they have affected the photographer. The framed images are 16 x 20 and are traditional darkroom prints onto fiber base paper, toned in selenium for permanence. Various sizes and price points are offered as well.

halim.ina@gmail.com

Migrant Field Worker, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

In the Middle East they are visible yet invisible. One can see them from the road sweating away under the grueling sun, dressed from head to toe picking vegetables for a few dollars per twelve hours. They live in tents behind service stations, without access to such basics as running water. Education and medicine are out of reach, while the environment takes its cruel toll on their tiny frames. One day while looking for a specific family, a group of children came running across a field excited to see a stranger. They wore shirts children around the world wear, torn on the edges and weathered. Their hair was abrasive to the touch, and their skin scorched by the dryness of the region. Each girl stood for her portrait for a few minutes, then walked away from my lens never to be seen again. My next visit to Lebanon will include a search for this exquisite spirit.

Unframed $650
Framed $800
Smaller Prints Available
100% of proceeds going to Schools for Girls in association with
Humana People to People India

Elder Man, North Bank, The Gambia

He sat on the side of a service station, and mostly remained quiet during negotiations for the portraits. Although slight in build, his features impressed me deeply then and even more so now. He was hundreds of miles away from his family and did so in order to make a living. I wonder where he is now, and if he has rejoined his family.

Unframed $650
Framed $800
Smaller Prints Available
100% of proceeds going to Schools for Girls in association with
Humana People to People India

Claudia, Artist, San Miguel del Padrón, Cuba

She loves to paint and in life happens to be the quietest of girls. Her presence in front of the camera however is without equal and she has over the past two years spoken through the visual image unlike any other in my experience. We met one day while looking for her sister from the previous year, and instantly fell in love with her spirit. She has the humility that the lens adores, and the kindness that allows me to continue documenting. Before leaving her home, she invited me to her room with the permission of her father to witness her paintings. I sat on the floor next to her bed while she passed her paintings one by one for my review. The colors were magnificent, and I felt like an explorer seeing a landscape for the very first time. As we ended our visit she handed a painting to me as a gift, a gesture that touched me beyond my ability to respond verbally.

Unframed $650
Framed $800
Smaller Prints Available
100% of proceeds going to Schools for Girls in association with
Humana People to People India

Halim Ina, Global Community Portraits, The Cleveland Print Room, Humana People to People India, July 12, 2013

This past weekend the Cleveland Print Room was gracious enough to allow my images to be presented for the sake of girls in Rajasthan, India. In collaboration with Humana to Humana People India, the funds from the sale of these images will be directed to schools for girls, and this October I will visit India to witness the results!

Should you, the viewer, be interested in these images and in the purpose behind them, please do feel free to contact me for further information.

halim.ina@gmail.com

Boy, Syrian + Bedouin, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

His family lives in a tent on the outskirts of Zahle, between mountain ranges. They are migrant workers and are hired by the local farming communities to work in the fields. Usually the girls and women do this work, while the boys and men labor in the factories and shops. On this day I returned to the birthplace of my photography, the very first village, and found this young boy just oozing with emotion. He was perhaps the easiest of the bunch to be photographed; and the contact sheet shows one emotion after another ranging from laughter to serious contemplation, all in a boy of less than five years.

Unframed $250
Framed $400
Smaller Prints Available
100% of proceeds going to Schools for Girls in association with
Humana People to People India

Street Vendor, La Habana, Cuba

She sits in this spot every morning and gets ready for a day of selling. We walked by her a few times before and worked up the courage to speak with her. She was very sweet and told us a bit about her life. She agreed to be photographed even though this was one of the busiest streets in the city. She knew that people would look, some disapprovingly, yet she let us set up our gear and make her portrait. It was early in the morning and the source of light was the reflection of the sun from the buildings across the street. We worked for ten minutes as people walked by us on their way to work. Some paid little attention while others did as we thought, shared their looks of disapproval. My hope is that when we return with this portrait in hand next week, those looks will change and she will have even more confidence in her decision to have been photographed last year.

Unframed $450
Framed $600
Smaller Prints Available
100% of proceeds going to Schools for Girls in association with
Humana People to People India

Girl + Plates, Mursi Community, Ethiopia

She lives in a community numbering less than 7,500. During the day trucks filled with tourists pass by hourly, walk out for a few minutes, snap some pictures and purchase hand-made items now and then. As a result, while she lives in one of the remotest places on the planet the world has come to her doorstep. Her community has witnessed every invention yet remains true to its vision. The endless stream of visitors has now become a sustainable source of income. The funds earned from tourism are translated to food and other necessities with the help of local men on motorcycles heading to and from the market. People told me to be careful around these people, that they would be aggressive. My experiences with them proved to be most enlightening, and revealed a kind, beautiful and immensely creative community.

Unframed $350
Framed $500
Smaller Prints Available
100% of proceeds going to Schools for Girls in association with
Humana People to People India

Halim Ina, Global Community Portraits, Cleveland Print Room, Humana People to People India, July 12, 2013

In the hope that people will find these images as inspirational as the purpose behind them, we offer them for sale in order to benefit schools for girls in Rajasthan, India. With the support of Humana People to People India, we have formed a collaboration to work with five schools for girls in the wonderful State of Rajasthan. The images for sale are hand-printed and selenium-toned traditional darkroom prints made by me in my darkroom, at 16x20. Other sizes and price points are also available, please inquire for more details.

halim.ina@gmail.com

Girl + Ledge + Bench, Rajasthan, India

After a session of photography in the sun we decided to walk around the village and look for a different place. We ran across this space along the way and just happened to have more than our share of children around us to photograph. She was one and seemed to have prepared just for this moment. She was helped onto the platform by an adult and held still for her portrait. We hope that this evening a school in her village can find further support through our collaboration here.

Unframed $450
Framed $600
Smaller Prints Available
100% of proceeds going to Schools for Girls in association with
Humana People to People India

Grandmother, Village near Gaziantep, Turkey

We were almost finished for the afternoon when we spotted a young girl as she was walking home. We drove past her from behind, and looked back to see incredible beauty. I asked my companions to slow down, and was advised that it would be less than ideal to stop. We slowed down and waited for her to enter a driveway, as she did a minute later. My companions now gave their permission to approach. Her family was present, and they welcomed us. We sat down a bit and showed our portfolio to them. They agreed to be photographed and we started with the young girl. The clouds had set in and the sun was almost down for the afternoon. We sat down to have some tea and kept looking at the sky for an opening. Instantly a small slit of sky opened up and the sun gave us our last chance. We asked the grandmother to walk over to an open area and she obliged.

Unframed $250
Framed $400
Smaller Prints Available
100% of proceeds going to Schools for Girls in association with
Humana People to People India

Man + Blade, Mursi Community, Ethiopia

This man and his community live in extreme circumstances by many standards, do without access to modern medicine, formal education & the endless list of modern conveniences. To reach the villages a two hour drive over a mountain range is necessary, and this after a two day drive from the city. We decided the evening before to camp near their homes and were allowed to do so. We set up our humble tents which paled in comparison to their beautifully built structures. Instead of being alone, we were joined by a few men, each with an AK-47, and strangely enough felt quite at ease. The next morning we were the first to arrive since the tourists still needed to make the two hour drive. The mood was so peaceful, as the community had grown accustomed to us over the past few days.

Unframed $400
Framed $600
Smaller Prints Available
100% of proceeds going to Schools for Girls in association with
Humana People to People India

Halim Ina, Global Community Portraits, Cleveland Print Room, Humana People to People India, July 12, 2013

This past weekend a benefit was held at the Cleveland Print Room in order to raise awareness and funding for five schools for girls in Rajasthan, India. Prints were and are available for sale in different sizes and various price points. The idea is to include everyone and exclude nobody.

Should you be interested in this movement and in these images, please do get a hold of me, the photographer!

www.halimina.org

halim.ina@gmail.com

Hands, Lighter Repairman, La Habana, Cuba

In between sessions with known families in the city, we would walk around and photograph spontaneously. At times it is difficult to photograph faces, so naturally we turned to something different. Rather than taking the large camera out of the bag, the smaller camera allowed us to blend with the environment more so. This man was working on the street repairing lighters. His tools were laid out on the table, and we asked him for a photograph. He was very kind and, without being asked, held a lighter for us on his work table. A few men watched as we worked for a few minutes, then we bid everyone farewell and walked on up the street.

Unframed $250
Framed $400
Smaller Prints Available
100% of proceeds going to Schools for Girls in association with
Humana People to People India

Girl, Mentally + Physically Challenged, Western Kenya

In the middle of the day we arrived at the school. It was a beautiful complex, peaceful and full of dedicated individuals. It seemed however that they were unaware of our purpose on this day. We spent the first hour speaking to the principal, a nun and a priest, all of whom showed us total respect and courtesy. After showing them the images and recording their stories, we proceeded to the courtyard for the photography. The children were brought ever so gently by the staff to a position in front of the camera. The children were brilliant in front of the lens and impressed everyone around them. This young girl was helped by her most dedicated caretaker, and held her own in front of the lens. To this day I am enchanted by the memories of this afternoon.

Unframed $250
Framed $400
Smaller Prints Available
100% of proceeds going to Schools for Girls in association with
Humana People to People India

Luck, Village near Ankara, Turkey

Arriving in the capital after spending time in Eastern Turkey was quite the change. The two were on opposite ends of the spectrum, and we found ourselves walking in streets like in any other major city. Fortunately a young woman from the embassy arranged transportation out of the city for me. In less than one hour we were in another world, where the sounds of nature once again dominated. We pulled over to speak to an older man and asked to photograph him. He agreed and all of a sudden we found ourselves photographing a village. Most that came were men and boys, while the girls were nowhere to be found. As we packed our bags and were ready to leave, a young girl came walking up the alley from behind the house. Her smile was brilliant, and she agreed instantly to be photographed. Her name in Arabic is the feminine of 'Luck,' and that she was for us.

Unframed $450
Framed $600
Smaller Prints Available
100% of proceeds going to Schools for Girls in association with
Humana People to People India

Portrait, Location, Benefit, Humana People to People India, July 12, 2013

This Friday we hope to increase awareness and raise funding for five schools for girls in Rajasthan, India. This is a collaboration with Humana People to People India, and a visit to the region will be made in October of this year to share in the joy of reopening the schools.

In the images above, one can see the location of the portrait to the right in the postcard. The young girl living in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon was photographed in between the three dark buildings to the bottom of the image, against the side of the middle structure as she was facing the road perpendicular to the small path.

I will visit this collection of small buildings on my next visit to my homeland, and hope to find her once again.