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!

Etsy 

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Sit-down + Camp, Zahle, Lebanon, 2004

Their community gave birth to my work 20 years ago and continues to inspire me. Back then they were migrants working the fields and factories of Lebanon, having moved into camps for the sake of a better life. Now their homes in Syria are almost certainly destroyed and they are living as refugees in Lebanon. My hope is that the violence ends and their community can find peace as well as a life without struggle. I look forward to seeing them on Monday.

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Girl at Play, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 2018

My photography in Lebanon is different than my photography in other countries, for my family lives here also. The contrasts are as striking as the similarities. The children I photograph speak the same language as my family, yet they are from another country. In the morning I may be with my family in the town and then photographing in the camps located below in the valley.

There is the contrast in religions, the difference in nationalities... while there is the similarity in ethnicity, in culture. It is a fascinating experience and one perhaps which has been taken for granted. Next year that changes, for I will be spending more time with both families, one blood and one photographic.

Speaking of culture, on the morning this image was made the girls decided to imitate what they see on their television screens. The films of India have made their way to Lebanon in a dramatic fashion. The children watch the films with fascination, and know the popular songs by heart. They even recognized some of the songs on my phone, videos of girls in Uttar Pradesh performing popular pieces from Bollywood.

So after an hour of formal portraits, the girls decided to dress up and have some fun. They changed scarves and pulled jewelry out of nowhere it seemed. The energy level during this phase of photography was much different, more vibrant. They exchanged scarves and helped each other with styling.

It was also chaotic, almost too much on the mother of the tent in which we were photographing. She endured as much as she could, and then came up with a reason to end it all as the situation was almost out of control!

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

Young Syrian + Camp, Zahle, Lebanon, 2017

This young girl lives in Lebanon at this time, escaping the violence next door in her homeland of Syria. Her home happens to be the camp in which my photography was born, and she lives among the children of the children whose portraits were made almost 20 years ago.

She is quite the strong spirit, allowing this portrait to be made on our first day together. It was as if she had done this a million times before, such a natural. Her eyes are as clear as the Lebanese sky during the summertime, yet she was able to open her eyes perfectly in the sunlight. She is a sister to the girls just photographed in Nicaragua, to the girls photographed a few months ago in Cuba and to the girls in India to be visited in two months.

Her life is almost unimaginable for most, having lost her homeland and living in a tent city where even the most basics of life are absent. Unlike the children of my friends, she cannot attend a school, lacks a place to bathe herself or to attend to her needs in private. She presents herself to the world in this portrait with only the positive, perhaps as if to shield us from the difficulties she faces on an hourly basis. I admire her without limits, and see her as a true hero in this most difficult world.

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Note: This image was made with a Hasselblad 555 ELD/180 mm combination.

Young Syrian + Shawl, Zahle, Lebanon, 2017

Her portrait was made almost exactly in the spot where my photography was born twenty years ago. She is from the same community, Syrians living in Lebanon... but the circumstances today are much different than they were then. Her homeland is in ruins, and amongst her community are those who pose great danger to all regardless of faith or political leaning.

She endures a most difficult life on a daily basis, living in a tent settlement on a winding road. Cars pass by without slowing down, and without much care for the children playing near the edge of the street. While of course her parents love her so, the life of the children in these camps is more than just rough. The actions of the boys, in any other setting, would be seen as anywhere from violent to criminal. In front of my eyes, while we were making her portrait, two children fought with fists and without reservation hitting each other with full force in the face.

This goes on daily in front of this beautiful girl, and much more. Lebanon has absorbed hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria, totaling almost half of its normal population. The jobs are now even more scarce, adding to the friction between the communities. In this pot of emotions she has to exist, and does so with such strength.

Many ask me, especially after seeing how difficult the photography is in the camps, "why continue?" It is simple, I admire this young girl and those like her for surviving the ignorances of those around them, and for doing so with such innocence and grace.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

Syrian Refugee + Fabric, Zahle, Lebanon, 2017

The men driving me to the camps have been amazed by the beauty within them, especially this young girl living just fifteen or so minutes from my grandparents' home. The men have lived in this town since birth and have driven past the camps on countless occasions. Yet they had never stopped for a minute to interact with the populations within, had never seen such beauty.

Most are offended by the intense smell, or by the mere presence of the refugees within their country. In so many ways such a presence has put a strain on the country, with the economy in distress and the already fragile security more strained.

However for me these camps are the birth of my photography, for me the children within them are as beautiful, as strong and as vibrant as any encountered in my travels. They are the flowers amidst the chaos, they are the inspiration behind my work.

This young girl's smile erases the difficulty in achieving her portrait. While men look on at times in disapproval, she stands her ground and speaks her mind through her portrait. She refuses to be silenced, refuses to be ignored. If this portrait can communicate such to the viewers, then it has done justice to her spirit.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

Daughter of Sheikh, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 2009

On the 11th of August in 2009 her portrait was made, over a dozen years after my photography was born in her camp. She and her family lived in Lebanon as migrants, and her father was in charge of negotiating between the Lebanese farmers and the Syrian laborers in his encampment. Her community had one foot in Lebanon, and the other in Syria.

She has two older sisters who had been photographed by me previously, when they were allowed to be photographed... and two younger sisters who photographed freely with us at the time of this portrait. She is the most precious of girls, and words fail me in describing my feelings for her and her family. She is like a daughter to me, and my upcoming trip to Lebanon is filled with the hope of seeing her again.

One day as we finished our photography and were walking back to her tent, we shared the most incredible conversation out in the open, yet out of hearing range from the community. It will remain in my memory for life, and is what drives this work forward. Such experiences are priceless and demonstrate how special this path in life truly is.

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Note: This image was made with a Hasselblad 555 V system.

Young Arab Girl + Sky, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 2010

Whenever this young girl steps in front of the camera she presents the most beautiful smile. Her features alone are beyond compare, and being with her in person is an indescribable experience. She rarely speaks, and when she smiles she lights up the world. She is of Syrian origin, and lives with her family in Lebanon in order to earn a better living. Their home is a simple tent and is without running water, a toilet... with electricity being a simple wire for a single light.

She and her family have fascinated me from the beginning. They live just outside of the tiny tent city, at the edge of the field. The families in the main homes refer to themselves as Arab, while they refer to her family as Bedouin in origin. She may be 15 years old by now, and my mind can only imagine how beautiful she has become. i look forward to visiting the site of this portrait, and hope to reunite with her family in a few weeks.

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

Syrian Migrants, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 2009

Plans have finally been made to revisit my homeland, and the birthplace of my photography!

While photography is nearly impossible this time around, due to the tragedy happening next door, the thought of spending days with my cousins fills me with a sincere sense of joy.

We will see what awaits me, and I will have my camera just in case something is possible. In this image are the men from the camp which gave birth to my photography. This is how they receive me for tea upon arrival, with such warmth and generosity.

I look forward to seeing both of my families, and hope to revive my work in this most beautiful of countries.

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Note: This image was made with a Canon G10.

Young Bedouin + Birds, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 2008

Does she still live in Lebanon? Had she moved back to Syria since this portrait was made? How does she look? Does her family still live as migrants? Are they now considered refugees?

These are some of the questions in mind as plans are made to visit Lebanon very soon. Certainly everything has changed in the region, and the possibility of making portraits once again is less than slim. This time around the visit is about my immediate family, while of course keeping in mind my photographic family.

I will visit her camp, and hope to see her and her sisters as well. At least we will reunite, and plan for perhaps next year when we hope the region will be free from the present tragedies.

She and her sisters are on my mind today, and will be until we see each other this Fall.

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Note: This image was made with a Canon G10.

Partial Proof, Syrian Refugee, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 2010

While she certainly has never asked to be, for me hers is the face of the current refugee crisis. Two years before the war ravaged this land, her family lived as migrants in Lebanon, hundreds of miles away from her beloved city of Halab. In this cruel setting she is able to portray her joy to us, her sense of hope. 

During my visits to these camps, the children's faces were charred from the sun and the wind, while their hair had the consistency of cotton candy. They played in the dirt paths between the tents, sometimes running dangerously close to the streets nearby. Every once in a while a child would be struck by a speeding motorist, the communities shared with me, while local authorities treated such incidents as inconsequential. These brave faces lived on the outskirts of the surrounding society, performing their duties unseen in order to help support their families back home.

For those of us with children, can we imagine for one second our child's face with such scars? Can we imagine the hair on our children's heads having such a consistency? Can we imagine the clothes on our children's backs so fragile, so stained? Can we for one moment endure the dryness of their skin, dirt near their lips?

Yet these children do more than endure, do much more than survive. While there is little doubt that the cruel world has dealt them a hard set of circumstances, they refuse to give up. The boys do what they can with the tools around them, taking for example a long wire and fixing a cylinder to its end as a toy. The girls take flowers from the gardens in front of their tents and adorn themselves, playing with stuffed pieces of cloth as others would do with dolls. While their physical world is limited, they have shown me that their imaginations cannot be restrained.

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

Syrian Migrant + Chair, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Summer of 2009

This portrait is dedicated to the countless refugees on the move presently around the world. This young boy happened to be a migrant worker photographed during my time in Lebanon. His family crossed into Lebanon in search of a better economy, working in the fields picking vegetables or in the factories of the region.

Their tent towns dotted the landscape, filled with life. Most would pass by them without as much as a glance, driving at such speeds which would seem unimaginable should their own children we walking in the streets. The children themselves were incredibly resilient, taking care of themselves and their younger siblings. They played with handmade toys, a stick with a wheel at the end… or perhaps with a rag doll short on recognizable features.

This was the exact spot in which my photography began, and I yearn for the day when I can return to greet these families, as well as my own of course. My hope is that next year this will happen, that the violence in the Middle East at the moment is far, far away from this young boy and his family.

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Note: This image was made with a Canon G10.

Young Girl + Tent, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Summer of 2010

Her portrait is the last image for tonight, as she is the younger sister of the girl running down that path. Every year she seems to know the timing of my arrival. As she told her father one day, 'Halim always comes during Ramadan.'

Her father is a most open-minded person, and has stood up for me on several occasions including during a rift between me and his own brother. When this rift happened, he brought me and his brother in front of the town elders to hear our stories, listened to both of us and then decided that his brother's treatment of me was both wrong and inappropriate… telling his brother than he needed to mind his own affairs and leave me alone to photograph the children.

This is where she gets her strength, and divine spirit. She is the gentlest of little girls, always greeting me with love and kindness. I have missed photographing her for the past five years, and feel a deep sense of sadness. The violence in the region means that her life is beyond my idea of complex, and to place her and her family in danger with my visit would be foolish.

Hopefully change will come much sooner than later, and we can once again sit down for tea under the clear blue Lebanese sky!

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Note: This image was made with a Canon G10.

Arab Girl + Migrant, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Summer of 2005

She is a young girl living behind a service station in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. This is her first and only portrait, since her family has moved on without a trace. Like many of the families living as migrants in this area, they have moved from Syria in search of work and continue to move for the same reason.

I remember her well, and the circumstance behind this portrait. The refection in her eyes confirms the place of our collaboration, and the people standing around watching this image being made. On this day I visit a tent to inquire about a group of children. The adult tells me that the children are working in the fields but that there are more children nearby.

We talk for a little bit and get noticed by these very children. They run across an uneven, dry field and make their way to us. They have heard of me and know that I am the photographer. The girl above is one of them. All of the children appear as her, with disheveled hair and skin abused by the sun. When my hands run across their hair, the feeling is of coarse wool.

We talk for a little bit and the adults consent to the photography. The front of a storage facility is perfect, with indirect light coming from behind me to the right. The children line up and wait for their photography. I am alone but the children are very cooperative. She stands in front of me and behind her is a window without glass. In the distance and to her right is a window of the same size.

It is the late afternoon and the sun is behind her. A handful of negatives are exposed, and she moves to the side to allow others to be photographed. This is the last time my eyes have witnessed her face, her incredibly poignant features. Next year I will return to the same place and ask about her, hoping to make her portrait once again.

www.halimina.org

Note: This image was made with a Hasselblad 501CM/120 mm combination onto Fuji Neopan Acros 100 ISO film.

In My Country, John Mikhail Asfour, Montreal, Canada

In my Country
     The ash tree, the oak tree, and the cedar
     Grow together.
They live and stand strong before the storms,
Their branches touch and their roots join each other,
They cast their shade upon the land and receive the sun
     As the sun rises.

In my country
     The tiger, the lion, and the wolf
     Dwell in the same forest.
They hunt together, and in the night
They guard their young from strangers.
They drink from the same stream
     And roam the same valley.

In my country
     The eagle, the hawk, and the canary
     Fly and circle the sky together.
They build their nests on the same hill and in the same tree.
They sing, play, and they eat from the same field.

In my country
     It is my people,
     Only my people,
Who kill and murder each other.

Idols, John Mikhail Asfour, Land of Flowers and Guns

This poem, along with many others from "Land of Flowers and Guns," affected me deeply as a young man. The subject matter was close to me, as well as the author of the works. This is yet another reminder that John remains with us.

IDOLS

At the beginning it was Father,
For Father was a farmer, and I grew up on a farm
     Under the shade of the magnolia tree,
     Near the ever-running spring,
And I also played with the birds and animals on the farm.

     Then it was the Church, 
     For the Church was not far from my house,
And my mother made me visit it practically every Sunday.

     Later it was my Country,
For my Country has four seasons, and trees and blue skies.

     Much later it was She,
She who touched my life and body with her fingers,
     Whose eyes came to look upon me,
     And whose hair left a scent in my nostrils.

By now I have discovered that Father is a man,
     The Church has changed,
     My Country is destroyed,
     And She has cut her hair.

by John Mikhail Asfour

PS The image chosen is of a young woman living in the Bekaa Valley, a tribute to John's childhood in Lebanon. His hometown, also that of my Father, is less than one hour's drive from where she lives now. Her hair reminds me of the woman in the piece above. My hope is that she has yet to cut hers.

Syrian + Beauty, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Summer of 2010

She stands here in front of a neighbor's tent, blasted even in her tent city by a western philosophy of beauty, yet completely unaffected by it. In one expression she carries more confidence that can be painted on by any stylist, make-up artist or photoshop specialist!

After we made these images this young girl was walking next to me and looked at me as she always does. She is as close to a daughter to me in Lebanon, and said these words to me in response to a conversation, part of it was acknowledging the mutual sentiment of holding hands while we walked while knowing that such was impossible.

'You are my father, my brother and my son.'

I have known her since birth and her expressions have always been deeply moving.

www.halimina.org

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

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

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

Three more portraits from the current show at the Cleveland Print Room. All proceeds from the sale of these images will be forwarded to schools for girls in Rajasthan through a collaboration with Humana People to People India. We hope that these images affect the viewers as much as they have affected the photographer. The framed images are 16 x 20 and are traditional darkroom prints onto fiber base paper, toned in selenium for permanence. Various sizes and price points are offered as well.

halim.ina@gmail.com

Migrant Field Worker, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

In the Middle East they are visible yet invisible. One can see them from the road sweating away under the grueling sun, dressed from head to toe picking vegetables for a few dollars per twelve hours. They live in tents behind service stations, without access to such basics as running water. Education and medicine are out of reach, while the environment takes its cruel toll on their tiny frames. One day while looking for a specific family, a group of children came running across a field excited to see a stranger. They wore shirts children around the world wear, torn on the edges and weathered. Their hair was abrasive to the touch, and their skin scorched by the dryness of the region. Each girl stood for her portrait for a few minutes, then walked away from my lens never to be seen again. My next visit to Lebanon will include a search for this exquisite spirit.

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

Elder Man, North Bank, The Gambia

He sat on the side of a service station, and mostly remained quiet during negotiations for the portraits. Although slight in build, his features impressed me deeply then and even more so now. He was hundreds of miles away from his family and did so in order to make a living. I wonder where he is now, and if he has rejoined his family.

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

Claudia, Artist, San Miguel del Padrón, Cuba

She loves to paint and in life happens to be the quietest of girls. Her presence in front of the camera however is without equal and she has over the past two years spoken through the visual image unlike any other in my experience. We met one day while looking for her sister from the previous year, and instantly fell in love with her spirit. She has the humility that the lens adores, and the kindness that allows me to continue documenting. Before leaving her home, she invited me to her room with the permission of her father to witness her paintings. I sat on the floor next to her bed while she passed her paintings one by one for my review. The colors were magnificent, and I felt like an explorer seeing a landscape for the very first time. As we ended our visit she handed a painting to me as a gift, a gesture that touched me beyond my ability to respond verbally.

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