Nada + Room, Refugee Camp, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 2019

Last month I visited Lebanon once again and photographed the children of the children I used to photograph over two decades ago. The Syrians living in Lebanon back then were migrant searching for a better life. Now they have lost their homes back in Syria and are facing a hostile environment in their host country. 

We were so fortunate to have had this room for our session on this morning. In this room the woman of the house made sure that the boys remained outside, and out of the way! 

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Syrian Girl + Camp, Lebanon, 2018

Contrasts exist in some of least likely places, like this young girl's camp. The picture on one of the homes had propaganda with a young woman in a short dress. The community which lives in this camp is conservative, where women cover themselves according to their religion. A dress such as the one in the advertisement is forbidden.

This young girl lives in the very camp which gave birth to my photography nearly 22 years ago. Her mother was a young girl then. Last September was my most recent visit and her portrait was made inside of her home, with only the sun coming through the window.

She and her community have lived in Lebanon for over three decades. At first they fled their country as economic refugees, and have now become refugees of the brutal war in their homeland of Syria.

She is as sublime as any in my work, and her love is as pure as the sky in Lebanon during June. Anyone visiting Lebanon in the summer knows that the sky is perfectly blue every single day.

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Los contrastes existen en algunos de los lugares menos probables, como el campamento de esta niña. La imagen en una de las casas tenía una propaganda con una joven con un vestido corto. La comunidad que vive en este campamento es conservadora, donde las mujeres se cubren a sí mismas de acuerdo con su religión. Un vestido como el de la propaganda está prohibido.

Esta joven vive en el mismo campamento donde comenzó mi fotografía hace casi 22 años. Su madre era una niña en ese momento. El último mes de septiembre fue mi visita más reciente y su retrato se hizo dentro de su casa, solo con el sol de la ventana.

Ella y su comunidad han vivido en el Líbano durante más de tres décadas. Al principio, huyeron de su país como refugiados económicos y ahora son refugiados de la guerra brutal en su tierra natal de Siria.

Ella es tan sublime como cualquiera en mi trabajo, y su amor es tan puro como el cielo en el Líbano durante junio. Cualquier persona que visite el Líbano en verano sabe que el cielo está perfectamente azul todos los días. 

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Young Student + Madrasa, Shamli District, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2017

This past visit to Shamli was filled with hope, and we held onto this as we visited village after village. With the help of our host Imdadullah and the guidance of Nirvana Bodhisattva, we were able to document the students.

Face after face, student after student, they came forward. This was for most their first time in front of a camera. Their expressions touched me deeply, as this was their chance to communicate from someone outside of their community.

She was as strong in front of my lens as any model has ever been. In front of her headmaster's office she stood, with the field behind her school as a backdrop. We hope to introduce a sewing class to her school, and hope to include the older girls from the village.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

Students + Me, Shamli District, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2017

It's been two weeks and the memories are still fresh in my mind. This image was made by my brothe Mukesh during our last weekend in Uttar Pradesh, India. We had finished our formal portraits and the girls were having fun with the small camera, expressing themselves alone and with friends. I was walking over to get some film and stopped for a second behind the girls, while Mukesh made this portrait. For those of us involved in these schools, these are two of the students in the new interfaith effort guided by our dear brother Nirvana and Imdadullah.

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Note: This image was made by a Sony RX100M3 by my dear friend Mukesh. 

Mukesh + Students, Shamli District, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2017

An excerpt from March 20, 2017:

It's a bit past 10:15 in the evening and the lights have already been out in the village for the past three hours. We arrived about four hours ago and were immediately greeted by a handful of the students in the path leading to the madrasa. They were as happy as we were and made for an incredible reception. 

Our hosts made sure that we were comfortable, and we had dinner shortly thereafter thanks to the wonderful women of the household. Mukesh and I have decided to stay at the school for the next ten or so days, so as to get closer to the students and also learn the ways of the village.

For those of us involved in the new school, we share this image. It shows Mukesh with the students of a nearby village, one which we will visit over the next few days as well. We share this image in order to show the type of people working on this project, and what it takes to connect with the students. Without Mukesh the documentation of these villages would be nearly impossible. He does more than drive me to the area, more than hold a reflector for me and more than translate as well. This is a snapshot of this man's dedication to this work, and what true community engagement means to me.

We had finished with the photography for the afternoon and Mukesh, rather than watching me pack my cameras, sat down with the girls and was having a great time. Of course I knew nothing of what was being said, but such was unnecessary in order to understand the joy that was being shared. This is what the work is about, and I am honored to work with this good man.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

Young Student + Landscape, Madhya Pradesh, India, 2016

Last year we had the privilege of visiting MP with the guidance of Humana India. Thanks to Mukesh Poswal, we were able to make some memorable portraits. Mainly we visited schools set up by Humana India, in order to help out of school children mainstream into the government system. We were able to visit more than a dozen schools... and make include the children in the photography.

My hope is that these children were able to mainstream into the existing school system, and that the work of Humana People to People India benefited the communities in the intended manner. Perhaps next year we will be able to visit once again, and thanks to that visit we will be able to proceed with the program in Uttar Pradesh in a more learned manner.

This past week we have had fruitful conversations with the four communities and hope to proceed as planned. In one village the existing madrasa is poised to include a formal curriculum, while in the other three sewing classes have been discussed as an entry into the communities. For those of you who have donated your efforts on behalf of this movement, we thank you and will share images soon.

We began with one, and now have four included in the conversation!

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

Young Student + Field, Village near Kairana, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2016

Continuing the series from this region of India, this student's portrait is presented. Thanks to our generous hosts Imdadullah Nadvi Imdadullah Nadvi Imdadullah Nadvi and Munshad Ali Chauhan, we were able to spend a week in this troubled region of India and make portraits of the most exquisite children. 

This school happens to be the school in their village. These two brothers are now in a position to change the system of education in their region, as one is an Islamic leader while the other is the political leader. They both hope to make serious advances on behalf of their community, and especially the children.

Soon we hope this young girl will have access to a full education, in addition to her traditional training. Her portrait was made just behind the mosque, right before their classes began. Her expression is etched in my mind, and moves me to fulfill my end of the conversation from earlier this year.

The place is beyond my ability to describe adequately, and upon seeing it for the very first time I knew this was a place I needed to be. Next year when we do return we will return with a plan, and the funds to help that plan come to fruition. I can feel it in my bones, as real to me as her image is to all of you.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

Two Students, Village near Kairana, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2016

These two boys stand to benefit from the school being proposed here. Like so many boys in my work from around the world, they are a mix of naughty and innocent, making for wonderful snapshots truly!

We look forward to establishing a model school in their village, one which will then gain traction in village after village like a virus with a noble purpose. What makes this incredibly important to me is that the community presented this idea to us, rather than the other way around.

Although we only have the view in the direction behind them, rest assured that the entire region looks as beautiful. Fields of wheat extend into the horizon in every direction, up to the shores of the magnificent Yamuna River... where "Krishna and the Gopis also used to play on the banks of the Yamuna as children" like these two very boys.

With your collective help we will establish annual funding for this school, and I will visit in four months to bring the good news to these two boys, and the elders in the previous post.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

Young Syrian + Sky, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 2008

Following yesterday's posts is yet another young girl from the same camp. This was where it all began for me, and will continue to be a part of my photography. LIfe has changed dramatically for the Syrians living in Lebanon certainly, as they have tragically lost the homes in Syria to which they used to return in between seasons.

These images are from more innocent times, when Syria and Lebanon were stable, as stable as recent memory could remember of course. These families lived in the Bekaa Valley and worked odd jobs, earning more than they could have earned back in Syria.

I used to drive my uncle's car to their camp on my own, and walk around the camp without question. They have known me for almost two decades now, well before this young girl was born. Often times we had dinner together, and always had tea. They are as generous as any in my life, and will always be remembered as the ones who had first accepted me as a photographer.

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Note: This image was made with a Canon G10.

Migrants + Brick Factory, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2015

On our way up to Uttar Pradesh we decided to venture out on our own in search of communities. We had tried to document two brick factories in Haryana but had little luck doing so due to the suspicions of the owners.

We decided we'd try one more time and were met by a very interesting family, the owners of this factory. They welcomed us with smiles, served us tea and then gave us the freedom to do as we wished with our photography. We decided that we'd come back in the morning for the best light, and the owners left us in the hands of their capable managers.

When we arrived in the morning, the sun was just coming up and we slowly began making photographs of the factory itself… making sure that we were demonstrating our interest in their establishment. We then quickly walked to the end of the brick homes and walked in between them in search of families.

Immediately we ran across people working, and asked permission to photograph the families. There were of course many children, and we included them as well. Most of the families were migrants from the eastern states, traveling here in search of work. What is almost unimaginable is that life for them back home is that much harder.

Here they are, toiling under the hot sun and making bricks for an amount barely equal to their sustenance. Their children cannot attend schools in the area, and they lack the rights of residents as well. Once they begin working in these factories, there is a debt that they need to pay off as well. Their choices are very few since there are hundreds of thousands ready to take their places.

It was a truly heartbreaking setting, and on our way out we sat down to speak with a few of the families. These two beautiful spirits were there, watching as the conversations unfolded. Of course the desire to photograph both was mounting, and I began with the smaller one since that was an easier request. The bricks behind her are the work of her factory, used to build the humble home in which she lives.

The approach to photograph the second girl was more complex, since we needed to ask without seeming overjoyed. While she smiled at the request, she must have also known that approving would seem inappropriate due to her age, and the men looking on. The community however was supportive, even though they wondered why I would be interested in photographing a girl with an obvious physical defect, in their view that is.

This portrait was very important to me, both to show the community that her beauty is as significant as any other… and also to express my respect for this young girl who must endure so much difficulty in an already difficult life.

Can we ever imagine how her life must be?

Outside of the fact that she works in this brick factory, she must face societal pressures that the majority of us cannot even come close to imagining.

She is an inspiration to me, and I am honored that she allowed me to make this portrait of her.

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Note: These portraits were made with a Hasselblad 555 ELD/180 mm combination, scanned for proofing only.

3 Girls + 6 Portraits, Shamli District, Uttar Pradesh, 2015

These portraits were made on April 18 of last year, and represent my first sole visit to this beautiful area. Prior to this my trip included a driver and my wonderful friend, Asrar Ahmad. This time around my friend was unable to come, so we (me and my trusted driver) took the chance and headed to this contested area on our own.

To say that our hesitation was unfounded would be an understatement. Our hosts treated us like princes, and took us to some of the camps from the previous year, as well as some of the villages. We were able to photograph some of the most beautiful children in the world, including these three girls.

Sometimes I forget how difficult the lives of girls are in this part of the world. It takes a documentary at times placing girls such as them in the same footage as the Taliban for me to realize that they face some of the most difficult scenarios in the world.

I get enchanted by their exquisite expressions in front of the lens, and the isolation of their simple portraits. Once in front of the lens they are in a different world, it is theirs to possess. In this world they can communicate their feelings, smile when they want to and do so without repercussions.

It takes a stern man walking by to snap them back into their world, and for me to see the change. Such are the expressions in this series, as the girls are walking a thin line between two worlds… one in which they are nearly invisible and one in which they are revered as the highest forms of the girl spirit.

So here are three girls and six expressions, as they presented themselves to the camera over one year ago.

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Note: These images were made with a Hasselblad 555 ELD/180 mm combination.

12 Frames of Laughter, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, 2015

This young girl lives in an impoverished section of Jaipur, far from the gleaming, pink walls for which this city is known. The entire slum is illegal yet the families do what they can to survive. They are migrants from the east and have come to Jaipur in search of work.

In the midst of this however the most beautiful spirits exist, such as this young girl. While we were photographing a few others in the neighborhood she walked over to take a look at the scene. Of course we invited her for a portrait.

She was unstoppable, and everyone enjoyed her energy. The proof from yesterday's scans says it all!

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Note: This roll was exposed using a Hasselblad 555 ELD/180 mm combination.

Student + Islamic School, Kairana, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2013

Here is yet another portrait from that single day in the Islamic School located near Kairana, Uttar Pradesh. In just one day, we made photographs of over 120 students in various settings… from the subtle light of a window to the glorious rays of the sun. Most of the boys were dressed in white fabric, yet this young boy was different. He was quiet, and photographed beautifully when placed next to the window.

Our last visit in 2013 introduced us to a local family and their good works. Like a few families in the area, they have given their land for the sake of the refugees, and have even built more permanent homes for them in addition to handing over the deeds to the land. Our host for the weekend had built this school financed completely from his own pocket, and would like to go even further should funds be available to do so.

The school is in the middle of a very conservative village, without which we would have never been able to make such portraits. Even my friends in India were quiet surprised when seeing the images, thinking that such was impossible. The family in less than one year has been able to change the mindset of those around them, to include the girls in their quest for education and to show that Christians, Hindus and Muslims could work together seamlessly like in the team making this image.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M2, using natural light only.

Refugee + Home, Uttar Pradesh, India, April of 2013

After we finished photographing the girls formally, we walked around and made some spontaneous images. The refugees in this camp had escaped ethnic violence just a few months earlier, and such could be felt through the expressions on the faces. In this image a young boy stood in front of his home, with this fragile fence as his protection. He lived without electricity, running water, education and medicine.

This is the face of those enduring the effects of violence the world over, he is the one that suffers while those with power wage campaigns to maintain their position. He will never understand what brought him to this place, what forced his family to abandon its home hundreds of miles away to live like refugees. We have a long way to go before we can hold our heads up high in his presence.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M2.

Syrian Girl + Flower, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Summer of 2009

This is the face of the Syrian refugee crisis. Although the portrait was made over seven years ago, she was living in Lebanon along with her family as economic refugees. They were from Halab, a city now laying in ruins. When people speak of the refugee crisis, she is about whom they are speaking. The war, the violence, the hatred, the disassociation and the rejection are cruelest to her and those like her… for they have contributed nothing to any of these nouns.

My hope is that the next time someone speaks of the refugees, that they make the time to look at them as individuals rather than as a collective, and to think twice before repeating some phrase or quoting some so-called pundit.

Our show at the Cleveland Print Room in less than three weeks is dedicated to her and those like her in Rajasthan, India. My hope is that the world becomes less cruel, and more open to the simple gesture of a flower placed under the shawl of this priceless girl.

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

Daughter of Migrants, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Summer of 2009

For this evening a portrait of yet another Syrian living in Lebanon is shared. She sat for her photograph in the same spot as the boy from yesterday's post, in front of the sheikh's home and with a plant to her side. She was both shy and confident, an incredible combination.

They live just outside of Zahle, in the valley below. The women and girls pick vegetables all day long, while the men and boys work in the factories, restaurants and service stations nearby. These families do what they can, since there is so little economically for them back home in Syria. 

Their homes lack running water and toilets, and have the most basic of electricity taken from the main lines. The children need to walk to a field to go tot he bathroom, and bath in the open. There sleep without insulation, as temperatures dip to freezing in the winter months. There is little protection from the rain, and various insects and animals have free access to them as they sleep.

I admire these children deeply, for they endure a life most cannot imagine… yet have never judged me nor my work. They accept both with open arms, and have faith in the meaning behind the images.

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Note: This image was made with a Canon G10.

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.

Child of Migrants, Humana People to People India, Uttar Pradesh, India March 17, 2015

This young girl lives the life of a migrant, yet life few migrants has an opportunity to attend classes thanks to Humana People to People India. The privilege of photographing her was made possible by this incredible foundation, and the team responsible for the school in her village.

She and the other children in the slum attend classes in a local temple. What they walk through on a daily basis on their way to school would make most hold their breath. Mounds and mounds of garbage separate their hamlet from the temple, and provide an almost nauseating odor all day and night.

When we arrived to photograph the children on this morning, we were welcomed immediately. All of course knew the foundation's team, and accepted me thanks of course to this existing relationship. The beautiful children were immediately ready, and had the most incredible look of surprise as they learned of our intent to document them.

We set up in the narrowest alley, and asked the children to stand for their portraits one by one. Like in countless villages, what amazes me most is how strong, how honest and sincere their expressions are... how natural. 

Here is her expression... what was on her mind? Each viewer will have their own interpretation of course... but my hope is that none will deny the purity of her expression.

www.halimina.com


Note: this portrait was made by a Sony RX100M2.

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!

www.halimina.org

Note: This image was made with a Canon G10.

Young Girl + Islamic School, Uttar Pradesh, India, April of 2015

Once again from that very same day in the same Islamic School  in Uttar Pradesh another portrait is being shared. The faces that emerged from only one village near Kairana overwhelmed me, and proved once again that such beauty and resolve exist in every village.

Here were people who had never seen me before, and some who had never seen an outsider in their young lives prior to this day. Yet they stood in front of the lens without hesitation and expressed themselves with an honesty that is many times missing in parts of the world where the camera has become ubiquitous; where everyone has one and where images are made endlessly.

This little girl is without access to traditional education, lives in an area where the government schools are considered so useless that the parents would rather keep their children at home. So my host from last year has set this school up for almost 200 children, and has begun teaching the basics of the Koran to the children of this community. 

He yearns to also present a traditional curriculum to the student body and has the resolve to do so, now working on the financial end of the equation to hire more teachers. Yet he needs help regarding a curriculum, teaching materials and so on. We are working on arranging a relationship with another foundation whose strength happens to be this man's weakness, and whose presence would present a strong Hindu-Muslim unity in an area sorely missing such.

I hope to make the connection in the near future, to bring such a curriculum to this village and to see such unity flourish for the sake of all involved, especially this beautiful student.

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Note: Anyone interested in helping in this matter may feel free to contact me at any time and through this forum of course.