Normally boys create chaos due to my photography of the girls, but these boys were my allies in keeping the peace. Even though chaos ensued to some degree, I was proud of them!
Showing posts with label Syrians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Syrians. Show all posts
Saturday, December 25, 2021
Best Friends + Syrians, Near Zahle, Lebanon, 2019
Normally boys create chaos due to my photography of the girls, but these boys were my allies in keeping the peace. Even though chaos ensued to some degree, I was proud of them!
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Sisters + Mountains, Near Zahle, Lebanon, 2019
It’s amazing to see such expressions of friendship on my first visit to a place. One, this is a conservative community. Two, the pictures are being made by a stranger to their camp. Three, I am Lebanese while they are Syrian.
In the end all three points disappeared in the face of true friendship, between themselves and between them and the stranger with the camera. More than Arabic as a common language, it’s the language without words that matters most.
Here are two girls simply having fun without any concern for the thoughts of others!
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
Syrian Girls + Tent, Near Zahle, Lebanon, 2019
The darkroom has been the saving grace for this summer's inability to travel, especially to see my family in Lebanon... both blood and photographic. Moments like the one in this image are unforgettable, and inspire me to believe in a better future. These girls and their families were forced to leave their homeland of Syria due to the civil war, and have done their best to survive in Lebanon. We were finished with our photography for the afternoon and decided to have some fun with the digital camera. A bit of joking and they were off to the races with their laughter... missing moments like this, and will wait patiently until the next time!
Saturday, June 13, 2020
Best Friends, Syrian Girls, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 2019
There’s something magical about the darkroom, the place where light which was faithfully transmitted to film can then be transferred to light-sensitive paper. This is what film photography means to me, from the selection of the negative, to the placement under the light source, to the focus on the easel, to the test strip, to the setting of contrast and finally to the fiber print!
This was printed today, a portrait of two best friends from my time in Lebanon last year. They are Syrians living in Lebanon during these difficult times, and are on my mind as summer approaches. My hope is that their future is as bright as the light in this enlarger, and as pure.
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Thursday, October 17, 2019
Saturday, October 5, 2019
Syrian Girls + Camp, Zahle, Lebanon, 2019
Last month these young girls were going about their day, perhaps playing with theur friends. I was also going about my day, driving around with a friend planning our next session.
We made our way to their camp and got permission from the leader to speak with the families. Only a few girls were present at that time, but we went ahead and set up. After 30 minutes, it was a gang of girls, then a real crowd which now included these two best friends.
At the end of our session the girls get to be spontaneous, and act as they wish rather than the usual. It was at this moment when these two best friends showed their love for each other. It is a rare view into this conservative society, but perhaps shows how similar they are to girls their age all over the world.
This is the magic of photography, once strangers then friends!
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El mes pasado, estas niñas estaban haciendo su día, tal vez jugando con sus amigos. También iba por mi día, conduciendo con un amigo planeando nuestra próxima sesión.
Nos dirigimos a su campamento y obtuvimos permiso del líder para hablar con las familias. Solo unas pocas niñas estaban presentes en ese momento, pero seguimos adelante y nos instalamos las cámaras. Después de 30 minutos, era una pandilla de niñas, luego una verdadera multitud que ahora incluía a estas dos mejores amigas.
Al final de nuestra sesión, las niñas se vuelven espontáneas y actúan como desean en lugar de lo habitual. Fue en este momento cuando estas dos mejores amigas mostraron su amor mutuo. Es una visión rara en esta sociedad conservadora, pero tal vez muestra cuán similares son a las niñas de su edad en todo el mundo. ¡Esta es la magia de la fotografía, una vez desconocidos y luego amigos!
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