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

For those of us involved with this new school, and for those interested in joining, these two students share their smiles. Thanks to the guidance of Nirvana and the hard work of his team at Nirvanavan Foundation, much of the groundwork has already been accomplished and we are poised to join Imdadullah and his community in Shamli District.

While the education of the students is of primary importance, we have arranged to establish sewing centers in four villages as well. This will provide an alternative to the parents who may feel uncomfortable sending their girls to secondary schools far away from their villages, as is the case in this region.

The school in which these two stand will also be painted beautifully this year, as a gesture of goodwill to a community which has given so much. The children are truly selfless and give of themselves without hesitation. Their elders have been so kind, and have taught me many lessons over the past four years.

Early next year I will join these very girls in this room, and share the love from this very circle with them... thank you all!

Website

Tumblr

Twitter

Facebook
Instagram

Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

Second Article, Onfilmphoto, December 3, 2016

I am honored to have been selected for an article on this esteemed page once again, and hope that the stories reach an even larger audience soon.
Onfilmphoto Article

"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 roads 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 children's faces 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?"

Website

Tumblr

Twitter

Facebook

Friend of a Friend + Sand, Santa Maria Del Mar, Cuba, Summer of 2013

On this afternoon with Paola she asked two of her friends to come along at our request. We saw them hanging out in front of their homes and wondered if they would be interested. Well they were and loved the thought of heading out to the beach for the afternoon.

This young woman however enjoyed the beach a little less due to the restrictions placed on her by her family due to her most recent religious progression. While she loved being with her friends, and the sun on her face, she was itching to go into the water. Nonetheless she was so pleasant to document and had this way about her with the lens, soft and deeply moving.

Hopefully she loves the images scanned today and will allow me to photograph her once again, this time in the water.

This image was made on the beach at Santa Maria del Mar just outside of La Habana, Cuba… with natural light and a Hasselblad 555 ELD/180mm combination onto Fuji Neopan Acros 100 ISO film.

www.halimina.org

Refugee + Camps, Uttar Pradesh, India, November 24, 2013

The first quarter of film has been scanned so far, and the excitement has increased with every face. Looking through the scans is like reliving the travels, seeing the images turn positive two months later is indescribable. 

Seeing this young girl's spectrum of expressions made me pause tonight. She has seen so much over her lifetime, and even more so since she was forcefully removed from her home almost eight months ago. Violence between religious communities has once again affected those most vulnerable, and now only thin plastic sheets separate her from the cold nights.

Knowing a little about her experiences makes me feel that this series is reversed, that her smile should be fading rather than building. This is a tribute to her strength and has proven to me once again that those seemingly defeated cannot be counted out by any means.

She is, like her sisters throughout my portfolio, peerless. These images were made without a moment's notice, yet she is as flawless as any ever photographed. 

So much more than this she is, and I remember myself scrambling for rolls as she stood so confidently in front of the lens. A small pond was behind her, with tall grasses acting as a backdrop. Her expressions were as serene as the scene around us. Making her image from a distance seemed natural, but my instinct was to get close to her to allow for a more intimate exchange. Seeing these images has left me speechless tonight.

Our host family has provided her community with land on which more proper homes could be built, and structures have already been started. During my week alone four homes were built, and more were on their way. I hope that her new home is a peaceful one, and that one day she can return to her original community.

Note: This series made with a Hasselblad 555ELD/180mm combination, and roughly scanned for this preview through the negative protective sleeve.

www.halimina.org