Halim Ina Photography - The Use of Photography to Promote Social Change and Gender Equality

Showing posts with label 120. Show all posts

Showing posts with label 120. Show all posts

Sunday, January 8, 2023

Moon + 2 Birds, Virat Nagar, Rajasthan, 2020

During my quarantine in Rajasthan for the early part of 2020, the birds were my companions while walking in the fields. My host family welcomed me without question and gave me a room in which to stay for six weeks until my return home. So I would set up the camera on the tripod in the middle of the field and walk around and around. Once the moon was just right and birds started to fly, I would cross over to the center of the field to release the shutter. So this image has immense meaning for me, and I am thankful to have had such friends both on the ground and in the sky.

Thursday, December 8, 2022

Anais as a Boy, Centro Habana, Cuba 2018

Nothing like looking through a large loupe at my life's memories, including this special image of Anais during my last trip to the island. We have been collaborating since she was barely 8 years old back in 2008, when we met in front of her dance school. Now she wanted to make a series as a boy, and we borrowed some clothes from a dear friend for this occasion. This space was next to my apartment in Centro Habana. So we picked her up early in the morning and headed to this apartment building. She was just perfect, as always.

Monday, November 28, 2022

Field of Trees, Joshua Tree National Park, California, 2019

In the darkroom again with the negatives from California, in a field of Joshua Trees. Walking around these icons is a sublime experience, with each having its own character.

PS This negative was exposed in 2019 with a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm combination onto Ilford Delta 100 film. It was printed in the darkroom onto Ilford's MGIVWTFB 11x14, toned in selenium for permanence.

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Landscape with Cattle, Utah, 2016

In the darkroom again with the negatives from Utah, with the print sitting in the fixer. A herd of cows were grazing in the field just below this glorious mountain. I just had to stop… Utah is remarkable!

PS This negative was exposed in 2016 with a Hasselblad 501CM/180mm combination and printed in the darkroom to 11x14.

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Widow + Mosque Courtyard, Delhi, India

Like many widows, she has been left to defend for herself and for her children. Instead of being looked after by her community, she belongs to the majority receiving nothing from the State and lacking a pension.

In many instances, life after the death of the husband is a life waiting for death itself. So many women are married when quite young to men much older than them. As a result, the death of their husbands leaves them as young women with children and without a security net. The stories are endless, the humiliation eternal.

Depending on position and caste, some of these women are forced to shave their heads, others refrain from wearing jewelry or from presenting their beauty to the world. They are to remain invisible for the rest of their lives, almost as a means to relieve Society from its conscience. With over 40,000,000 widows in existence, this leaves a void difficult to ignore.

Monument Valley + Darkroom, Utah, 2016

In the darkroom with the negatives from Utah, with the print sitting in the fixer.

PS This negative was exposed in 2016 with a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm combination and printed in the darkroom to 11x14 just.

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Helene + Sky, Outside of Los Angeles, California, 2016

My first sessions in Los Angeles were made easier by open minded individuals such as the creative Helene Tråsavik. We headed out of the city and to the other side of the mountains where the sun was best. It was cooler than usual that day and very windy. Nonetheless she was a professional in every sense of the word and did her best!

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Syrian Refugee, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 2010

Looking back over the past 20 years has made me even more grateful for choosing photography as a path in life. The camera has given me chances otherwise unavailable, such as meeting this Arab woman from Syria. Hers was my first camp, and she made it possible. These experiences have shaped my view of the world, and I’m thankful for that.

Sunday, July 17, 2022

Sand Dunes + Silver Gelatin Print, Imperial Sand Dunes, California, 2019

Although I love the portraits, it's time to take a short break and print the landscape images from California and Utah. While working my first corporate gig a few years ago, I had the opportunity to travel the States and bring my camera along. This landscape is from Imperial Sand Dunes in Southern California. A dream landscape over every dune!

PS This negative was exposed in 2019 with a Hasselblad 501CM/60mm combination and printed in the darkroom to 11x14 just yesterday.

Sunday, June 26, 2022

Young Girl + Flower, India, 2020, Limited Edition (50), 11x14 Handmade Silver Gelatin Print

This is a silver gelatin print of a young student made by me, the photographer, in my darkroom. It is printed on Ilford MGIVWT glossy fiber 11x14 paper, and toned in selenium for permanence. It is processed in a Zone VI washer to archival standards, and allowed to dry overnight on a screen. The camera/lens combination was a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm, and the frame was exposed onto Kodak's fabulous Tri-X film. This portrait is from a library of well over 300,000 negatives exposed over the last 24 years, from four continents and a dozen countries. Every person is spoken with prior to the portrait, and the process is explained fully. Most of my work is on film, and the countries are revisited year after year in order to continue the documentation of the same families, of the same communities.

This young girl attends a religious school six days a week, and endures a most conservative society day to day. We have worked with her school for the past eight years and hope to support her headmaster with his vision to bring a more rounded curriculum to his school. Their headmaster is a wonderful man and hopes to expand the curriculum past the existing one based on religion only. Her village is quite a ways from the main road, tiny and incredibly serene. This is the only world she knows.

The purpose of selling these portraits on Etsy is to support the social work being accomplished through my photography. Presently we have six sewing centers in two states of India, serving both the Hindu and the Muslim communities. In these sewing centers, young women learn a trade while also making clothing for their families. The centers are located in the rural areas, where young women have only one option normally, marriage and a family. At this moment, due to COVID-19, the work is on hold. However, we plan to restart the centers in 2022 and the funds from the sale of these portraits will be applied to the work in India.

As a side note, my belief is that you will be very pleased with the print in person, as the tones of a silver gelatin print are difficult to represent through the screen. One may sense the surface of the print by looking at the gloss in certain areas of the print's surface. In the end, the print you will receive will be slightly different than the one represented on the screen, both in tone and in emotional impact... different in the best sense of the word. Every print is an original, and my hope is that it finds a good space in your home.

Each print will be signed and dated by me, the photographer, and numbered to a maximum of 50 prints (11x14) per negative.

Leandro + Playa, Santa Maria Del Mar, Cuba, 2014

Back in 2014 Leandro Carrazana was a young dancer who was gracious enough to join us on the beach early one morning. It was a pleasure to witness his talents in this beautiful setting, and I’m so happy to have these images as a reminder of better times.

Monday, March 28, 2022

Monument Valley, Utah, 2016

Monument Valley inspired me to continue with landscape as a subject, in addition to my portraiture. The place is otherworldly, and I am so grateful for having had a little bit of my life in that space.

The purpose of selling these prints on Etsy is to support the social work being accomplished through my photography. Presently we have six sewing centers in two states of India, serving both the Hindu and the Muslim communities. In these sewing centers, young women learn a trade while also making clothing for their families. The centers are located in the rural areas, where young women have only one option normally, marriage and a family. At this moment, due to COVID-19, the work is on hold. However, we plan to restart the centers in 2022 and the funds from the sale of these portraits will be applied to the work in India.

This is a silver gelatin print made by me, the photographer, in my own darkroom. It is printed on Ilford MGIVWT glossy fiber 11x14 paper, and toned in selenium for permanence. It is processed in a Zone VI washer to archival standards, and allowed to dry overnight on a screen. The camera/lens combination was a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm, and the frame was exposed onto Ilford Delta 100 using natural light.

Each print will be signed and dated by me, the photographer, and numbered to a maximum of 50 prints (11x14) per negative.

Anays + House, El Campo, Cuba, 2018

Just looking at this negative reminds me of that wonderful morning in the countryside of Cuba, with the talented Anays Diz Pe. We have collaborated ever since I met her walking the streets of the island, back in 2008. She is now in serious demand as a dancer, a model and an artist in general. For this frame we drove around the countryside looking for places. We saw this house to the right and stopped to ask the family for permission. A sweet woman opened the door and was surprised to see us, agreeing immediately to our request.

Anays was of course ready like always, listened to my requests and performed as she desired for 12 frames. Then we changed to another film back and made another dozen frames before thanking the family, and moving onto our next location. These are the experiences that I miss, and hope to have in 2023.

12 Frames + Rooftop, Turkey, 2013

How I miss my friends in Turkey, and their selflessness in allowing me to document their art!

Here we are privileged to witness @cafemullerart on the rooftop of a university building, a spontaneous session with her and her friends!

Thursday, March 17, 2022

Negative, Imperial Sand Dunes, California, 2019

How I miss driving thru Southern California, with a camera in my hands. Over every hill was another set of photographic possibilities. While in LA the weekends were reserved for the sand dunes!

Monday, September 6, 2021

The Hands of a Farmer, Cuba, 2018

The work in the darkroom continues, concentrating on the countryside of Cuba. I wonder how many fields these hands have worked, how many meals they have provided to the man's family. Every line has significance, as well as every deformity. A single image cannot do justice to decades of hard work, this I understand.

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Claudia + EGOS, Halim Ina, Paseo de Prado, La Habana, Cuba

Even though the photography with Professor Gysleda and her students in the streets is mainly done with the digital camera, the Hasselblad is on a tripod and waiting for the right moment. On this day it was cloudy for most of the afternoon, even raining heavily. At the end of our walk we were on Paseo de Prado when the sun came up, and I set the Hasselblad down immediately. Everyone knew what that meant. We had enough time for maybe a few minutes of sun, so two of the models were photographed... including the wonderful Claudia. The two rolls exposed were enough to make that afternoon worth it film-wise!

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Friday, August 27, 2021

Grandfather + Window, La Habana, Cuba, 2018

This is the grandfather of the young girl in the previous post. He allowed me to make his portrait against the window of the neighboring house. The family moved from the east to the capital in order to improve their lives, even though the majority of those in the city see them as squatters from the countryside. They welcomed us with open arms and were as elegant as any in the country. My respect for this man is immense, and I hope to see him next summer.

Note: Negative exposed with a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm combination, printed in the darkroom onto Ilford 11x14 fiber paper, toned in selenium for permanence.

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Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Kylee + Darkroom, El Mirage Dry Lake Bed, Near Los Angeles, California, 2019

It feels great to be in the darkroom again, day after day, full-time for the next six months. Seeing the fruits of our photographic labor on paper is beyond rewarding.

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Karen + La Habana, Cuba, 2018

Un comentario de mi querida amiga Karen Machado Vazquez me conmovió a publicar esta imagen de hace dos años. El recuerdo es agridulce, porque ha pasado mucho tiempo desde mi última visita a Cuba ... y la visita de este verano parece imposible. Sin embargo, una de las lecciones aprendidas de mis amigos cubanos es la de la paciencia. Entonces, mirar hacia atrás en esta imagen me da fuerzas para mirar hacia adelante.

Gracias a la increíble Gysleda Virginia De La Barca Vega, pudimos caminar por las calles de La Habana sin problemas. Lo que fue aún más increíble es que las jóvenes modelos tenían la dirección de la Maestra durante la fotografía. Encontraríamos los lugares más bellos, pondríamos todo abajo y procederíamos a hacer fotografías mientras las calles ocupadas.

Karen es excepcional, porque es modelo y bailarina y mucho más. Ella es capaz de expresarse sin dudarlo. ¡Fue un placer sincero documentar sus talentos, y por mi parte, espero con ansias nuestra próxima vez juntos en el futuro cercano!

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