Mariel - Head Piece, El Mirage Dry Lake Bed, Los Angeles, California, 2012

My last visit to California yielded one photographic session outside of my planned schedule, three hours with the exquisite Mariel. While we had never met in person prior to this session, the creative chemistry between us was evident from our first encounter, just outside of her apartment. She came out carrying this incredible head piece, along with an elegant, dark dress… both specifically for our session.

We drove almost two hours just to get to El Mirage Dry Lake Bed, and talked continuously the entire time. Her life fascinated me, as well as her attraction to the people in my portfolio. She had done everything from magazine covers to short films to advertisements, yet wanted to be next to the girls in my photographic library, girls without access to any of the above. This I admired about her then, and continue to admire to this day.

We arrived to the dry lake bed and were treated to a most peaceful scene, with very few people around. This left us to do as we wished, and photograph without interruption. She allowed me to expose over three dozen medium format rolls, and all of which yielded images of incredible beauty.

In January of next year, I hope to be in California for a benefit hosted by DiviniTree Yoga and Arts Studio in honor of Nirvanavan Foundation. I will once again reach out to Mariel and hope that we can once again collaborate at El Mirage, and be honored with the presence of her sister Marita as well.

www.halimina.org

Note: This image was made with a Hasselblad 555 ELD/180 mm combination onto Fuji Neopan Acros 100 ISO film. 

Mariel + Dry Lake Bed, Los Angeles, California, Fall of 2012

Soon the girls on the island will see that there are those on this side of the water who care about them deeply and are willing to give of their time to join them in this movement. This young woman offered her time for the sake of those in my portfolio even thought this is her full-time profession. This is her form of giving and with such images a larger circle of people will visit this portfolio, thus taking the message even further.

These images were made at El Mirage Dry Lake Bed two years ago, just the two of us and this wonderful space. The camera system used was a Hasselblad 555 ELD/180mm combination, and exposures were made to Fuji Neopan Acros 100 ISO film. We spent two glorious hours working, and at least twice that in our time to and from the lake bed. She was as marvelous in front of the lens as she was next to me in the car, a joy to be with indeed.

www.halimina.org

Another Side of Mariel, El Mirage Dry Lake Bed, Los Angeles, November 18, 2012

Just when I thought we were finished for the afternoon Mariel decides to produce an array of expressions with her face, in very much the same way she had produced so with her body for the first part of the session. She moved from one expression into another with such power, and dignity.

She is a professional, acknowledged my reactions and incorporated them into her next gestures. Her light eyes stood strong against the sun even though most would fold under such intensity. We had worked for over two hours by the time of this portrait yet she was unyielding in her output. When offered rest, she kindly insisted to continue with our work.

In comparison to the digital platform, moving at such a pace in the analog equivalent required reloading the film back over and over again. Rather than losing momentum Mariel would continue to move while I reloaded the film back. When I returned to the viewfinder she would be ready to show me much more and with an exuberance that made working with her the equivalent of working overseas.

Here is a woman, photographed literally hundreds of times by dozens of photographers. Rather than placing herself above those in my portfolio from around the world because of her experience, she embraces them by approaching this project with humility and respect. She never once asked me for a hair stylist, but rather let her hair flow freely in the wind. She had every right to do so, and such a team is an incredible asset to a photographic collaboration. However she recognized the meaning of my work and wanted to be one with the women and girls in my book.

On this day she achieved this most successfully and has earned my sincerest respect. We shall collaborate for years to come, and have plans next year to initiate a workshop in the Los Angeles area to raise funds for schools in India. On her support the girls of Rajasthan can depend, and have found a sister across the oceans.

As her essence passed through the glass elements of my lenses, she joined those in my portfolio in their struggles, in their joys. To learn more regarding my work, and the projects represented through these images, you may visit the website listed below.

halim.ina@gmail.com

Halim Ina Photography

Dreaming Mariel, El Mirage Dry Lake Bed, Los Angeles, California, November 18, 2012

While most would think twice about driving over two hours to a location, this young woman accepted the drive initially for our morning session. This meant leaving by four in the morning and returning well after two in the afternoon. She accepted without hesitation, always helping me feel comfortable in my attempts to make our arrangements ideal.

Perhaps by chance or perhaps by fate, the afternoon cleared for us to work and Mariel once again accepted without hesitation. We met by her apartment early in the morning nonetheless and began our three hour drive to El Mirage Dry Lake Bed just outside of Los Angeles. We stopped for coffee and hot chocolate, and chatted like old friends along the way.

When we arrived I was worried that maybe the lake bed would be closed due to the recent storms in the area. To my pleasant surprise the lake bed was open to the public, unlike my last visit to the area. We drove onto the lake bed, always to the side in order to preserve the integrity of the surface. We headed to the end of the bed where few would be around, and set up for our session soon after.

Mariel took a few minutes to prepare herself and was ready quickly. The angle of the sun was low and allowed us to work immediately, and throughout the afternoon. We began with an elegant black dress, and I soon learned that Mariel shed her inhibitions during her sessions. She began the session standing up and then laid down on the surface for a different presentation. Rather than worrying about the dust on the fabric, she embraced the dust and gave me yet another dimension to the images.

Then, for the image above, she returned to the car in order to gather an incredible piece that she had recently acquired. The wind, while ideal in most instances, made it quite difficult for Mariel to manage. Like a professional she managed beautifully, at times using her hands to stabilize the piece while adding lines, volume to the exposures.

She never complained, never once told me that we needed to finish early. We worked for almost three hours and then decided to end our session with peace in our hearts. We packed up our gear and headed back home, also chatting along the way. Some find it awkward after a session, since so much output is needed leaving one with little energy to talk. This exquisite woman understood the essence of my work and therefore quenched my need to learn about her. 

I very much look forward to printing more of her work, and to collaborating once again early next year.

halim.ina@gmail.com

Halim Ina Photography

Printing Mariel, Darkroom, Cleveland Heights, December 1, 2012

Starting late this morning made me think very little would be printed in the darkroom. Rather than working between various projects, concentrating on my latest collaboration with Mariel seemed appropriate since yesterday was spent in the same manner. The negatives were still laid out on my desk and the proofs were on the screen for easy reference.

My time with Mariel at El Mirage Dry Lake Bed will be for another posting, for this deals with the process of printing her negatives earlier today. Earlier in the week we exchanged a few messages and got an idea of which images were to be selected according to our preferences. The image shown above was one such selection.

Before this negative was printed three others were processed, taking me to nearly 6:00 pm and a little later than my usual to print any more for the afternoon. Since I started a bit later today it seemed only right to print one more negative. I sat in front of the computer screen and went back and forth, finally selecting the negative shown printed above.

While most negatives are printed without cropping, something inside of me pushed me to crop this image considerably. Before doing so I checked the image sharpness with loupes and confirmed that such could be done without compromising the quality of the final product. The negative was placed in the negative holder, and the enlarger head was raised to achieve the proper image size.

A few minutes later it was clear that an exposure of nearly four minutes would be needed for this negative, complicated by the distance from the easel. In addition a considerable amount of burning would be necessary to calm the highlights down on the left cheek and forehead areas, adding almost three more minutes to the process. The chemicals had 'matured' nicely and would be different tomorrow morning, so I pressed on.

A little bit of dodging the background areas, burning the highlights on the skin, an overall exposure of seven minutes later produced an exquisite print by my standards of course. I decided to go ahead and print nine more for the evening, and made a quick snapshot of the final two prints right before they were removed from the fixer. At this moment they are washing for the next hour in an archival print washer, and will be laid on screens to dry overnight for viewing tomorrow morning.

Overall two hours were spent printing this negative, with ten prints to show for the effort. Many will wonder as to my reasons for using film, and the printing of that film in the darkroom. For the sake of clarification there are those performing much more complicated printing processes relating to photography to make my process seem so simple. The question usually arises in comparison to the digital process, and with this in mind the question is framed.

For me personally, I am in love with the process, the idea that the reflection from a person's skin moves through a series of glass elements, lands on a light sensitive film, processed to permanence through a chemical process, placed in an enlarger that acts as a camera in reverse depositing the negative image on a light sensitive paper, then processed to permanence through a similar chemical process to achieve a print that we will hold in our hands, and frame for those generations in the future to witness.

The details flow from one to another without steps, from one piece of grain to another. There is something magical about this, as my loupes show me every single time I view a negative prior to its printing in the darkroom. Soon Mariel will have this print in her hands, and we shall celebrate.

halim.ina@gmail.com
Halim Ina Photography