Cuban in Front of His House, Manzanillo, Cuba, 2016

I do miss the days when we used to drive into the countryside. We’d never know who we were going to run into, and the sessions were both instant and spontaneous. For this man's portrait we drove deep into the countryside near Manzanillo and ran across a small group of houses. Both young and older people were sitting around chatting when we arrived. They greeted us warmly and we had a conversation about the area, about their neighborhood. Once it came time for the photography they agreed and we set up for their portraits. The contrast between light and shadow deep in the woods was fascinating, albeit a bit difficult to print in the darkroom. I am sincerely blessed to have been introduced to the world through photography and hope to return to this area later this year.

Etsy 

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Man + House, Campo, Cuba

I do miss the days when we used to drive into the countryside. We’d never know who we were going to run into, and the sessions were both instant and spontaneous. Great times with genuine people!

Etsy 

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Farmer and Children, Outside Alwar, Rajasthan, India, 2010

The respect that I have for the communities in rural India is immense. Having seen the hard work with my own eyes, watched families share responsibilities in the fields 24/7 and then experienced their generosity without fail has led me to these areas over and over again for the past 16 years. This man for example has worked since he was the age of these young boys, and continues to work without rest. True inspiration!

Etsy 

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Hands of Laborer, Countryside, Cuba, 2018

The printing of my time in the Cuban countryside continues this week, reliving the memories made with each image is a remarkable experience. Each represents a day in my life, and a lesson learned from the subjects. Ask about an image and a conversation begins... the gift of photography continues.

Etsy 

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Portrait in a Chair, La Habana, Cuba, 2018

Algunos dirían que esta forma de fotografía no es documental, que mover una silla o tener una conversación sobre vestuario y peinado es ocultar la verdad. Algunos dicen que esto es artificial, mostrando algo diferente a la realidad.

Les digo que todo el mundo tiene sueños y que su realidad está fuera de su control. ¿Por qué no hablar con ella y entender cómo le gustaría que la fotografiaran? ¿Por qué deberíamos imponer las nociones del mundo de su país y su sociedad? ¿Qué pasa con sus pensamientos y sueños?

Esta joven viene del campo y vive en un pequeño grupo de casas de madera. La gente de la ciudad llama a estas comunidades 'llegan y ponen', viniendo a la ciudad desde los pueblos y construyendo casas improvisadas ilegalmente.

Sin embargo, son como migrantes en todas partes, buscando una vida mejor para sus familias. Conocimos a su comunidad mientras Idiovel me conducía por el campo y terminamos conduciendo hasta su pequeño pueblo. De alguna manera terminamos frente a la casa de sus abuelos y nos invitaron amablemente a entrar.

Durante las próximas semanas regresamos muchas veces, tuvimos múltiples sesiones de fotografía con la comunidad, grabamos un video musical para su primo (una aspirante a artista) e hicimos este retrato muy especial de una joven sin paralelo en su belleza y fuerza.

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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Man + Horse, Countryside, Cuba, 2018

Hay unas semanas antes del verano en Cuba. Por supuesto, me gustaría hacer arte con los bailarines y modelos, pero también debemos incluir a los magníficos cubanos que viven fuera de la ciudad.

There are a few weeks before the summer in Cuba. Of course I would like to do art with the dancers and models, but we must also include the magnificent Cubans who live outside the city too!

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Harvest, Rajasthan, India, 2020

Having a small camera in my hands during my walks around my friend's farm was a blessing. Anything in the skies or on the ground was easy to photograph, rather than worrying about a tripod and heavy gear. For this negative just printed, I was hanging out with the family as they were working the field when I saw this juxtaposition of burned and unburned. The young women thought it funny that I would even notice, and even funnier that I'd make a picture. These are the images which will remind me forever of my time under lockdown, and the family which made that time way more than comfortable.

Thank you Nami and family! 

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Farmer + Sugar Cane, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2020

This print was made in the darkroom last month, from a negative exposed during my quarantine in India. While my flight home was cancelled and an additional six weeks were spent in the village, those weeks were spent with an incredible family and with my own room. The meals were made with love, and minus the chili thanks to my friend's family!

So much was different in India this year, including the weather. It rained more than it ever had in my travels to this country, and the skies at times turned almost black. This negative was exposed as we drove around the area looking for a group of sugarcane workers. They allowed me to walk between them and make images at the same time.

Having these negatives, made handheld with a 35mm point-and-shoot, means the world to me even more now.

Note: This negative was exposed with a Leica CM, printed onto Ilford Warmtone Fiber Base Paper and toned with Selenium.

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Sisters + Classroom, Shamli District, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2018

In less than ten days we will see these students in this very classroom once again. Thanks to Imdadullah Nadvi Nadvi and Kari Shokeen classes have been in place for the past year, in addition to a sewing center in the adjacent classroom.

These two are sisters and attend classes together. Their family runs a one-room general store in the village, selling whatever the villagers may need. A few times last year we walked to their store a few minutes from the school and purchased a bottle of soda. Each time we did the younger sister ran out of the house to see us, with the most amazing smile and more energy than one would expect in such a conservative setting!

All interested in helping us with this school would be most appreciated!

Potter Couple, Near Alwar, Rajasthan, India, 2015

During my time with Nirvana Bodhisattva and his team at NIrvanavan Foundation, I was able to venture into the surrounding villages thanks to the guidance of Mukesh Poswal and friends. Many of the young men working with the foundation are from the villages which are home to the students. So walking around with them is like walking around with family.

We happened across this couple at the entrance to one village, and they allowed us to photograph them while they were working. We only exposed a few frames, thanked them and then walked away. That simple moment has lasted however, and as we walked by many times this year they always nodded our way.

I wonder where the creation in his hand is by now, in which home it is being used to hold water. To me this is the magic of these vessels, that they are artifacts made by hand and then used daily within the same region usually.

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Note: These frames were exposed with a Hasselblad 555 ELD/120 mm lens.

Young Student + Mehndi, Rajasthan, India, 2009 - 2015

Six years ago I photographed her in her family's field, holding her brother in her arms. The sun had almost set but we had enough light to make this image, as well as more of her family.

Fast forward six years to the image of her applying her art to my arm. There are very few in my work with such intensity, who can express themselves with such honest power. When a smile graces her exquisite face the scene lights up, and all notice.

This past year we discussed the possibility of her inclusion in our program as a sewing instructor. While she loved the idea, we needed to talk with her parents to achieve their blessing. The entire time she sat behind the sewing machine listening to the conversation with absolute attention. Every time the leader of the program mentioned her name, and the idea, her smile gave her away… and was magnificent to watch.

These two images show how much she has changed, yet how she has retained her purity. The images were made within a dozen meters of each other, six years apart. Even at such a young age, her intensity is unmistakable!

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Note: She also happened to be a student in one of the schools for girls, and how is the sewing teacher for her village.

Young Student + Temple, Nirvanavan Foundation, Rajasthan, India, 2015

Earlier this year I visited our three schools in Rajasthan, India. This was their second year running, and the girls were beyond excited to see me. They had always known me as the photographer, but now were aware of our efforts on this side of the ocean to support their schools. To be treated like a prince is deeply humbling for me, but embraced fully coming from these beautiful girls. They are at the center of my world, along with their sisters from Africa and the Americas.

It was a delight to be provided a chair during my visits, to be brought sweets on a plate and the most incredible tea in the world, while being fanned by the teacher and her sister. Normally this would make me feel very uneasy, others paying such attention to me. However the source of their attention was pure love and affection, and as such every single gesture was enjoyed fully.

This young girl is the youngest of five, and endures along with her sisters without their mother who had passed away sometime ago. Her older sisters had been photographed by me, and now she attends the same school provided by the foundation in her village… now maintained beautifully by Nirvana Bodhisattva and his wonderful foundation.

She stands for her portrait in front of the local temple, one of five in this very location, adjacent to her classroom. She is incredibly smart, and recites lessons without looking at the posters on the walls. During my entire time this past year in India, this was her only outfit… as she perhaps chose her favorite with which she attended school.

In less than four weeks a benefit will be held at a friend's gallery in NYC in collaboration with Nirvanavan Foundation. We hope to raise awareness and funding once again, and will continue to work on her behalf.

www.halimina.org

Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M2.

Young Woman + Countryside, Artemisa, Cuba, Summer of 2014

One afternoon we decided to visit Artemisa, Cuba. Last year we did the same and photographed four aspiring models living in this small city. We had their prints in hand and contacted them to set up a time to meet. We made the hour and a half drive from the capital and arrived early enough to have some ice cream a block or so away. This province was chosen to formally host the July 26 celebrations for this year, while of course all of the provinces did so less formally.

When we walked to the spot of the meeting one of the young women was already waiting with her mother. It seemed odd to me at that very moment that the daughter was dressed in all white, then again perhaps she had other clothes in her bag. After ten or so minutes nobody seemed to be in a hurry to collaborate, and so the question was put forth: are we making photographs today?

The young woman was surprised, as was her mother. It was at this moment when I knew that we failed to communicate effectively our plan for the day. The look on Alejandro's face is as clear today as it was two months ago. Once again the lesson of assumption was learned, and once again we had to pick up the pieces and put a plan together for the afternoon.

Soon the second model arrived and she was as surprised as the first. We talked for a bit and hoped that they would be interested in more than collecting their photographs. The twins were yet to arrive, and so we decided to give them a call and discuss our plan before they arrive. We were still early, but by the pace of the conversation being had at that moment the sun would set before plans were realized. It was at this time that I made it clear to all that we needed to decide quickly, and that we had already located a suitable place for our photography prior to our meeting.

As we were making progress the mother of the first model decided to put forth her thoughts, which were at best unhelpful. She thought another location might be better, without having seen our choice. She spoke in Spanish thinking that perhaps none of it would be understood by me, while Alejandro knew better but kept his mouth shut.

Fortunately the others were very interested in the photography and went home to gather their clothes for the session. We then offered to put the images from last year on their flash drives, and did so while we waited for them. We even offered to do so for the troublesome mother, but she declined to leave her flash drive behind knowing that she would never come back for it.

Thirty or so minutes later the young women and their parents returned and we drove to our location little more than five minutes away. It was a dirt path perpendicular to the main road, with sugar cane fields on both sides. The young women used the cars to change and we worked for the next hour or so exposing frames for them with their chosen outfits. Farmers in the meantime rode by us as we worked, in carts and on bicycles. The scene was deeply moving, and I was in two worlds at the same time… that of fashion and that of documentation.

As we were finished the twins put their music on for us, and we enjoyed their voices as they had recorded an album earlier in the year. We returned to the city and put the pictures from the afternoon's session on their flash drives as well with smiles all around.

www.halimina.org

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

Guajiro + Tools, Matanzas, Cuba, Summer of 2014

In between photographing dancers on the beach and cars in the streets, Alejandro would take me to the countryside in search of the rural life. The results, often slow to develop, were deeply satisfying and made me regret that we waited for the last two weeks to do so.

This man was working with others to the side of the road, clearing the brush and small trees from a local farm. We asked the manager for permission, and she gave it to us without resistance. She even allowed us to make her portrait with a smile.

As I finished this man's portrait, he began to sharpen his blade, giving me a chance to make that image as well. The pace of photography in rural Cuba is different, more casual, and moves me to do much more this summer on the island. We hope to find him and his friends, and hand them these images.

www.halimina.org

Guajiro + Field, San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba, Summer of 2013

He went from a plot of land in San Antonio de los Baños to the stage of Tedx Talk this past weekend. Hundreds of people watched him smiling, as he held the handle of a shovel with his left hand, the same tool he used just a few minutes ago to make sure the irrigation was taking place properly in between rows of crops behind him.

He had taken a break to speak with Alejandro, and I took advantage of the moment to get down on the ground and make photographs in the style of the Soviet era masters, placing themselves below the workers. Knowing Alejandro's propensity to converse at length with his fellow guajiros, I had plenty of time to compose the images.

What moved me most was to be in the midst of this incredible conversation, and to be unnoticed while making a visual record of the audible. We did return that same day incredibly to hand him the photographs, and were able to see his home adjacent to these fields. He worked the fields for someone else, and barely made ends meet as described in the talk. He told us that sometimes the youth come by at night and steal the crops for sale the next morning on the road, that in one hour they steal enough to make more than he does working in the hot sun all day.

He pointed out to us that almost all of the workers in his area were older men, while the younger men had fun during the day, and stole the crops by night. Only by having such conversations can I learn about such difficult lives. Only by being with Alejandro would this man have ever shared such intimate details of his life with a stranger from up north.

www.halimina.org

Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M2, edited for size and contrast only.

Young Girl, Village near Advaita Garden, Nirvanavan Foundation, November 10, 2009

In between sessions we walked around and at times made images. The villages surrounding Advaita Garden send their children to this school, and are most generous with their hospitality to my collaboration with the foundation. Children surround us as we walk, and immediately offer their portraits whenever the tripod is pulled out of the bag.

We happened by this corner as we were walking from her left in between two homes. The spot had wonderful, soft light and we decided to make some images of the children following along. She was one of the girls and surprised me with her non-traditional clothes. Girl after girl sat on this corner and had so much fun doing so, all of them smiled.

Nirvanavan Foundation operates a school within walking distance of this village, and others like it. While the definition of 'walking distance' is different in rural India, all of the children walk to and from the school for their classes. The thin roads from the villages to the school are lined with children twice per day, and it is a beautiful sight to behold. There is something magical happening and it has been my privilege to have been a part of it since almost six years ago.

I look forward to visiting this village and those like it in this area, and to meeting up once again with the wonderful team at Nirvanavan Foundation. The readers of this story can learn more about the foundation and my experiences with it through the links below, as well as through a simple search within this blog.

Halim Ina Photography

Nirvanavan Foundation

An Afternoon of Medical Care, Chota Village, Rajasthan, India, November 14, 2009

The children huddle close to each other as they watch the good people of Humana People to People dispense medical knowledge and medicine. This is the courtyard of the foundation school, and the man supporting the small child oversees the schools in the area.

During her visits to this and other villages, the medical volunteer meets with women to discuss various medical issues ranging from prenatal care to diet and nutrition. Without her presence the women and girls of these villages would otherwise lack the most basic of medical information and care.

All of the women in this single image have been photographed by me on several occasions spanning four years. I have had the privilege to work with them in the past and hope to support the reopening of their school starting in 2013. On many occasions I have eaten in this home and tea has been served to me during every single visit.

The white wall behind them is the white wall used in my photography to achieve the white background so many people wonder about upon seeing the portraits. Having the girls stand two meters away from it allows the subtle discolorations to disappear. These girls never cease to amaze me, their curiosity is unlike any other and one can see this in the image above.

I love this about them, their lust for life and their desire to learn. This point alone drives me to move forward with the search for funding and to sit down at the end of a long day to type out these words. Should you or your friends have any interest in becoming a party to this important endeavor, you may feel free to contact me through the information below.

halim.ina@gmail.com

Halim Ina Photography

Then a Girl, Now a Woman, Humana People to People, Rajasthan, India, November 15, 2009

She remains a mystery to me, here with her new family and six years ago as a new face in my work from a collaboration with Humana People to People India. In her first portraits the smile is missing, and in her later portraits the smile is ever-present. Since her days in the Girls Bridge School of Humana People to People India, she has married and gone on to a life with her new family.

Is she holding her own child or is she smiling at my curiosity while holding someone else's child? Are they both laughing at my lack of knowledge, albeit in a sweet manner? I of course am clueless especially in light  of my missing translator, and play along while making pictures for them. It seems the most natural thing for me to do.

She attended the school for perhaps three years until it was forced to close. She at least learned to read and to write, and to see one of her own friends become a teacher. She has seen another way and will perhaps pass this onto her children. Such is the power of education, it can be transferred from one generation to another without limitations, with little need for books or a classroom. Once it is introduced into a population, the possibilities are endless.

We are hoping to help fund the school in her village once again, and look to you for support. All ten schools may be funded for less than one year's enrollment in a private university in the States. While this is a considerable amount here and elsewhere, four hundred girls will be introduced to learning in a classroom for this amount in Rajasthan.

For more of my work, please visit the newly designed website below, courtesy of Patrick Luu.

Halim Ina Photography

Girls, Students, Humana People to People India, Early in the Morning, November 17, 2009

In the previous post a story is shared regarding an elderly man from this village. The remote location of this village coupled with a certain attitude towards the education of girls in this area has made it quite difficult for the girls to attend school in the past. With the elderly man's permission and understanding these girls have had the experience of a school inside of their own village through the good efforts of Humana People to People India.

Since this image was made the school was forced to close due to a lack of funding. Humana People to People is doing wonderful work in this village as well as in dozens of villages across the countryside in Rajasthan, India. Their work has expanded to various other regions of India and encompasses solar energy projects, micro loan initiatives, farming clubs and so forth. Education is one aspect of their approach, especially the education of girls traditionally held back from going to school.

So we find ourselves once again searching for ways to fund this school and nine others like it. These girls are like girls from all over the world. They giggle for the same reasons, they laugh in the same pitch and long for a chance to become educated. Like economists all over the world, they understand the importance of this most immediate need and will pass on their education to their daughters and sons.

Just before this image we worked for perhaps two hours making portraits of each and every single girl enrolled in the school. They met me in the morning before the sun came up, shivering in the coolness of the morning. The clothes in which they are dressed at this moment are different than the clothes they chose to be photographed in earlier. They know my preference for simpler and darker clothes and blessed me with this single wish. They know my aesthetic limitations and forgive me for such.

I adore these young girls, as I adore spirits persevering when circumstances are most difficult. We will find support for their school quite soon. These are the smiles that await me later this year, perhaps early next year, when I visit them while attending class in their village.

For more of my work, please visit the newly designed website below, courtesy of Patrick Luu.

Halim Ina Photography