Students + Fabric, Sewing Center, Rajasthan, India, 2019

For those of us interested in supporting this school, and for those of us already on board, here is a portrait of the students from earlier today. More than a dozen years ago I was introduced to this village thanks to Humana India. This house back then was home to a school for girls, and the older girls from this village were the students. The school for girls continues to this day with private support, and girls continue to attend classes daily. It's a magical space!

Para aquellos de nosotros interesados en apoyar a esta escuela, y para aquellos de nosotros que ya estamos, aquí hay un retrato de las estudiantes de hoy. Hace más de una docena de años, me presentaron a este pueblo gracias a Humana India. Esta casa en ese entonces era el hogar de una escuela para niñas, y las niñas mayores eran las estudiantes. La escuela para niñas continúa hasta el día de hoy con apoyo privado, y las niñas continúan asistiendo a clases diariamente. ¡Es un espacio mágico!

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Turning Portraits Into Books, Gallery+, Cleveland, Ohio, 2017

Thanks to Zack Hoon and Gallery+, two events supporting the new school by Nirvanavan Foundation are happening next month. Selenium-toned silver gelatin prints of the very students in the school are up for sale, as well as landscapes from India as well. 100% of the sales will go to support their education, thanks to the brilliant work of Nirvana Bodhisattva and his team. It is a way to bring art into your family and to share your family's generosity with the world!

Students + Boulders, Halim Ina, Village near Kisumu, Kenya, 2007

Some years ago I had the privilege of visiting western Kenya with a foundation by the name of Maragoli Community Development Foundation (MACODEF). My hosts took me from one school to another and we did our best to photograph everyone, and I mean everyone!

People came out of the woodwork, from behind trees and boulders. Just when I thought our session was over, I would look over my shoulder and see a dozen more people lining up to have their portrait made. The idea that people would come to see what was happening, then line up as if a photography studio set up for the afternoon, was incredible!

In this photograph the students were finished with their portraits and were just hanging out while watching their friends being photographed. All had the same uniforms, with some minor variances. Everyone was just so kind, and generous with their time.

Between Kenya, Senegal and Gambia, there are thousands of negatives which have never seen the light of day. This is one for tonight, with more to be shared over the next four weeks.

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Note: This image was made with a Nikon analog system.

Article, Onfilmphoto, October 28, 2015

I am honored to have been selected for an article on this esteemed page, and hope that the stories reach an even larger audience soon. Here is an excerpt thanks to the incredibly poignant questions presented by the good team at onfilm.photo.

Any message for other film photographers? Or maybe a tip you would like to share?

With humility, I would like to share these images and hope 

that they inspire this community as the images have inspired me. Over the past two decades photography has helped me develop bonds with the most incredible people, who by now have become my extended family. They look forward to my visits almost as much as I look forward to my sessions with them. I have learned that returning to the communities makes all the difference in the world, especially when coupled with photographs in hand. There is nothing like photographing children in the streets of a city, then returning to that neighborhood to photograph their younger siblings and even their own children. The love produced with such a history is beyond my ability to describe on this page, always makes me pause.

OnFilm.Photo Article

Parmeena + Girls Bridge School, Mewat, Haryana, India, 2015

In time for this weekend's benefit for the girls' schools, Humana People to People India just sent this testimonial. She attends a Girls Education Centre in Mewat, Haryana… a predominantly Muslim region. This is her story, and I look forward to seeing her in less than two weeks.

Parmeena, the twelve year old daughter of Akhtar and Rahisan, lives in Ghasera village of Mewat. The belief that she has been brought up in a conservative environment was strengthened when the staff of Girls Bridge Education centre approached her parents and they flatly denied the need to educate her. However, with consistent efforts and support of other satisfied parents in the community, the staff could gradually convince them to enrol Parmeena at the Centre. She used to attend the Centre for half a day and then used to leave for her Urdu classes. It was tough with her as the teachers had to start from the scratch in every subject.

The staff started with the basics in every subject and she started catching up at a slower pace. Her parents paid regular visits to the Centre, to ensure whether she is really studying and is able to learn! It has been eleven months that she has been attending the Centre and has started doing basic arithmetic like addition/subtraction and is able to read small words in Hindi. The progress so far, has been able to convince her parents that their decision to send her to the centre was not wrong. She has also started devoting proper time to the Centre and has tweaked the timings of the Urdu classes, which is a fair indicator of her progress and the changed perception of the parents.

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Friend's Father-in-Law, Countryside, Guanabacoa, Cuba, Summer of 2014

The day was spent in the darkroom printing amongst a few negatives this beautiful man's portrait. We drove to Alejandro's neighborhood to visit his son, and ended up meeting his son's father-in-law as we started on our way to photograph the village. When I asked to photograph him, both Alejandro and this exquisite man had some fun with it. He allowed us immediately, and then went on his way to tend to his land.

This past summer was different, in light of the two months on the island. We had more time to talk with the families, to accept their invitations to birthday parties and to indulge ourselves with just driving away from the big city. In the countryside life was very different, allowing us to breathe a bit while taking in the changes. In six months I look forward to yet another summer in Cuba, and to furthering this work as only this incredible land has allowed me to do.

www.halimina.org

According to Wikipedia:

The town of Guanabacoa is found situated in the province of La Havana, some five kilometers to the southeast of La Havana (city) and south of the city of Regla. It rests on a small hill bordered by rivers.

Guanabacoa was also the home of a small community of Florida Indians, mostly Apalachees and Yamasees, who, along with Spanish forces, were evacuated from Florida in 1764, following the conclusion of the Seven Years' War