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

Today the frames came down and are now in my home, time to reflect on six weeks at the Cleveland Print Room. The feedback regarding the images as well as the collaboration with Humana People to People India was exhilarating. Here we have a space where people can get together and discuss analog photography, appreciate the image on paper rather than on a screen. All of this while supporting the education of girls thousands of miles away.

Three schools for girls have been funded through this exhibition, and now over one hundred girls will learn how to read and to write for an entire year. In two months I will visit these schools and document the very faces benefiting from this support. During this exhibit, people from all walks of life showed their connection to the girls. Some purchased the larger prints on the walls, some purchased smaller prints on the table and others donated without asking for a print in return.

I look forward to my visit in two months and to returning with stories to share with the Cleveland Print Room and all those involved in this most successful, recent endeavor. Many more are to come I believe.

Young Boy, Feather, Arbore Community, Ethiopia

My last day in the Lower Omo Valley was spent with this young boy and his community. We arrived early in the afternoon and decided to wait for the sun to set a little bit more. The children sat in the shade of a tree while I walked around and photographed the homes and landscape. When the moment was right we organized the boys first for their portraits, giving the girls a chance to adjust. The boys were of course more than ready, with paint on their faces and feathers to show to the tourists. Each stood for their portrait, was serious at first then turned comical before stepping down for his friends.

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

halim.ina@gmail.com
Halim Ina Photography

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

The work comes down on Saturday, but the feeling of this collaboration will continue.  Already it has produced fruit from the people met throughout the six week showing, and my heart is pounding with anticipation as to the possibilities. The good people at the Cleveland Print Room have been nothing but gracious and inspirational, showing me that there are those in this and other communities with an understanding of the work and, more importantly, the people within the work.

Should these images appeal to you as a reader, and perhaps an admirer of photography, then you may feel free to contact me. All proceeds from this collaboration will be forwarded to Humana People to People India to construct five schools for girls in rural villages. I will visit these schools in two or so months and further document the good works of this wonderful foundation.

Fatouma, Bedouin, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

She lives but a few minutes from the city, yet seems to exist in another reality. As the sun rises she wakes up to tend to the sheep, and does the same as the sun sets. In between she helps her mother with chores around the house, and all of this for a girl of less than seven years. Next to the sheep she seems so small, so vulnerable... that is until she has a job to do and directs the sheep. There is a strength that is unmistakable, a confidence that allows her to exist within her difficult circumstances.

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

halim.ina@gmail.com
Halim Ina Photography

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

An example from the most recent showing at the Cleveland Print Room, in which two schools for girls in India found support for the next year. The good people of this space joined forces to get the word and did so in a most selfless manner.

Portraits from Africa and Asia and the Americas were presented on behalf of the girls of Rajasthan, and we hope that this is only the beginning. All proceeds from the sale of these prints will be allocated to these schools. So if any of these images attract your attention, please feel free to contact me directly and initiate a conversation.

Woman + Accessories, Mursi Community, Ethiopia

She was the first person photographed during my time with this community, and the one with the most intricate presentation. She just stepped in front of my camera without hesitation and allowed a roll to be exposed. From this image forward my infatuation with this community has continued to grow. Rather than spending a couple of days as planned, we stayed for almost one week before moving on to another region in the Lower Omo Valley. She and her community live in a region quite remote in terms of access, requiring a day of transportation from the larger populations and then two hours of harsh terrain before reaching their small villages inside Mago National Park. In order to be granted access, an armed guard is supplied at the entrance without choice. The community however is as hospitable, kind and gracious as any experienced within Ethiopia.

Unframed $850
Framed $1000
Smaller Prints Available
100% of proceeds going to Schools for Girls in association with
Humana People to People India

halim.ina@gmail.com
Halim Ina Photography

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

Esther, Dorze Community, Ethiopia

She was the very first girl photographed in Ethiopia, and belongs to an incredible community. They are well-known as cotton weavers, and famous for their beehive huts. They cultivate their own food and use terracing to prevent erosion on hillsides. The night before this portrait was spent in one of their huts, made of hard wood poles, woven bamboo and other natural materials. When we woke up in the morning we started out of the compound and made our way to the right down a natural path. We then spotted Esther to the left in front of her home, helping her mother with chores. She recognized us from the previous evening and smiled, also allowing me to make her portrait once again. This is that second portrait.

Unframed $250
Framed $400
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

Within a few days the images will come down at the Cleveland Print Room, yet the collaboration will continue on behalf of the girls of Humana People to People India. The image below is from my first year, and was thought of at the time of exposure as an attempt to cheer the crowd in light of the setting sun.

I look back now and am grateful for the chance on that late afternoon to photograph this young woman and her fellow students. In less than two months I will have the chance to visit once again this village and hope that she will once again be available for her portrait, seven years after this first one was made.

Should her image or her story be of interest to the readers of this blog, I will be more than happy to have a conversation on her behalf and can be reached through the links below.

Student, Girls Bridge School, Rajasthan, India

This was our first meeting and it took place as the sun set behind the mountains. We arrived and were taken to the roof of the school supported by Humana People to People India. The sun was setting quickly and we made the best of it by moving a bench to the far corner of the roof where the remnants of light happened to be. With the help of the women, the girls sat down one by one for their portraits. They had only a minute to absorb the chaotic situation yet were able to present themselves so naturally. The girls in this village have an incredible confidence, and she is one example. She looks through the lens rather than at it, and this affected me deeply at the moment of exposure. Since this portrait she has grown up, married and started her own family. Our hope is that her children will have the chance at an education that she experienced so briefly in her young life.

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

Halim Ina Photography

halim.ina@gmail.com

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

An example from the most recent showing at the Cleveland Print Room, in which two schools for girls in India found support for the next year. The good people of this space joined forces to get the word and did so in a most selfless manner.

Portraits from Africa and Asia and the Americas were presented on behalf of the girls of Rajasthan, and we hope that this is only the beginning. All proceeds from the sale of these prints will be allocated to these schools. So if any of these images attract your attention, please feel free to contact me directly and initiate a conversation.

Man + Boulder, Maasai Community, Western Kenya

One day in between sessions with the foundation, we managed to have a day or two on our own. My dear friend Nganga helped in locating a few young men from this community and they took us to their neighborhood where others were gathered. They had traveled a distance from their villages in search of work and were employed in this small town. They agreed and we spent the next day looking for a spot. All around us were boulders, and we found a spot where the light would be perfect in the morning. We called the group to let them know and arranged to meet the next day. It so happened that we were a few minutes late and received a call from the group. While in Kenya many would describe this community as behind the times, and yet here they were wondering where we were in our taxi as they beat us on foot over a distance of ten kilometers.

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

www.halimina.org
halim.ina@gmail.com

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

This set is an example of the images hanging at the Cleveland Print Room presently, and scheduled to come down this week. Through these images we hope to raise awareness and funding for five schools for girls in association with Humana People to People India. The Cleveland Print Room has been kind enough to provide for the exhibition and offer their space entirely without reimbursement, showing their dedication to both the craft and to our sisters in Rajasthan at the same time.

The vision of the team at the CPR has motivated me deeply and provided me with the impetus to further help this relationship flourish. These are the people with whom I want to be associated, with whom my work needs to be associated. They see beyond themselves and as such see the people within my photography with the clearest of clarity and the purest of love.

I am thankful to have had this opportunity and look forward to much more with the good people at the Cleveland Print Room.

Man, Village near Gaziantep, Turkey

While protests were in full stride within the city proper, this man and his community went about tending to their farms. On this day we arrived in his village by chance, having picked up a man on the side of the street whose inquiry led us to visit his neighborhood. We were walking back to the van when a young man invited us to photograph his grandfather. We were pleasantly surprised when this graceful man and his hands stepped out of the doorway. A seat was provided for him, and with his permission we began to make his portrait. After the formal headshot was made, he allowed me to also photograph his hands. Without being asked he placed his hands in perfect harmony in his lap, surrounded by the lush fabric that happened to be his clothing.

Unframed $450 (each)
Framed $600 (each)
Smaller Prints Available
Sold Together Unframed $650 & Framed $800
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

Three more examples from this month's showing at the Cleveland Print Room, up until tomorrow. All proceeds from the sale of these images are to be directed to five schools for girls in collaboration with Humana People to People India. Various sizes and price points are also available to allow a wider audience to participate in this ambitious endeavor. I hope the viewers of these images will be moved as much as the people themselves have moved me.

Girl, Çingene Community, Muş, Turkey

In this part of the country, the community flourishes. The live like the Bedouin of the Middle East do for example, and have deeply similar features and customs. This specific village was situated in an open field surrounded by rolling hills. The tents were mostly white in color and were open on one side. Carpets lined the ground, and cushions were offered to us upon arrival. We spoke with the leader and were allowed to photograph the children. The camera was set up near one tent, and the children sat around us waiting for their turn. Thanks to the guidance of my Turkish friends, we were able to make portraits of the girls in relative calm, and this is but one example from our afternoon together. Like her counterparts in Lebanon for instance, her skin and hair have both felt the cruelness of the elements... yet she presents with a smile few can deny.

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

Man, Street, La Habana, Cuba

While much of my work on the island presently involves known families, there are times when walking around the city produces great opportunities. We were strolling down a major street when we decided to turn left down a side alley. The light was minimal and we noticed this gentle man sitting on the steps to our left. We stopped, talked for a minute or so, and then decided to ask permission for his portrait. A few people noticed and came over to make sure we were legitimate. Perhaps five minutes later we were allowed to begin and exposed one roll of film in an attempt to secure his portrait; one roll because this gentle man is unable to prevent his body from shaking. In this frame fortune smiled upon us and his features were exposed faithfully. Since then his portrait has been shown to many in the area, and all have recognized him with joy.

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

Girl, Orphan, Western Kenya

In this part of Kenya, orphans were orphans because of an epidemic. In school after school visited, the first children to be photographed with the help of MACODEF were the orphans under their sponsorship.These children knew little about wars, conflicts and so on. They knew all too much about the violence perpetrated on their social fabric by this epidemic. At the time of this child's birth, one out of every ten women in this region were infected with HIV/AIDS. According to many estimates, the population living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya was third in number behind South Africa and Nigeria. With an active HIV/AIDS population near 1,500,000 living within its borders, the number of orphans in Kenya has increased to 1,200,000. The young child above was one such example of the ongoing struggle with the epidemic.

Unframed $250
Framed $400
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

Woman, Karo Community, Ethiopia

Her village is so remote that even the local guides were unsure of which path to take. Looking through images of this community online will more than likely yield similar views since the population is less than 3,000 in number. They tend to their cattle and also grow such crops as sorghum, maize and beans. At times they paint their faces with chalk, mixed with yellow rock, red iron ore and charcoal for variation. Their clothes are made from animal skin and the women scar their skin in the quest for beauty. We visited their village in the early afternoon and returned to a campground for rest before heading out the next morning. My desire to stay longer was cut short by an illness lasting for seven days leading up to the visit. My companions felt it necessary to take me to the next town for a visit to the doctor, and so we left this community for a future date.

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

Humana People to People India

Man + Cane, Mursi Community, Ethiopia

Numbering less than 7,500, this community struggles for their existence daily. Living on the fringes of Society, they continue in their traditions and have adapted to the onslaught of tourists most ingeniously. On this day we approached the community and they agreed to let their women and girls be documented first in the morning. After the early session we had at least six hours to pass, and did so with them. When the afternoon sun was acceptable we asked the men to be photographed and they obliged. One by one we photographed them as they wished, with objects ranging from blades to machine guns to canes.

Unframed $400
Framed $550
Smaller Prints Available
100% of proceeds going to Schools for Girls in association with 

Humana People to People India

Bedouin Woman, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

She sits for this portrait in front of her home, along with her grandchildren. In my numerous visits to her street this is the only portrait she allowed, quite a courageous act to do in public. She has since passed away, remembered here through this image. In her eyes can be seen her grandchildren standing next to me, watching her being photographed.

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