Young Girl + Hands, Outskirts of Muş,Last Morning in Turkey, June 10, 2013

On June 10 these images were made, one day after we were introduced to each other in the street. We happened to be walking in her neighborhood the day before, looking for children to photograph. We were granted permission to photograph a couple of girls and then were overwhelmed by many more. Unfortunately the sun had set and the photography was limited. So we returned the following morning on the very day of my departure from Turkey.

As we walked closer to that same street I could see her and her friends standing on the corner. Her smile by now had become familiar to me. We talked with them for a few minutes and arranged another session. My dear friend, Ömer F. Atmaca, helped with the reflector and we photographed on the side of her friend's home. She had the most perfect combination of shyness and confidence, rarely spoke a word but expressed herself without reserve.

Looking back at the group picture of the girls and myself from the day before, she was the one next to me with her arm around my shoulders. Having visited many conservative societies in my lifetime, her act of friendship took on even more significance. As a result her name is etched in my memory: Elif.

Fittingly her name is the first letter in the Arabic, Hebrew and Turkish alphabets... and refers to the origin of the universe.

When we walked back to town she walked alongside us. When we reached that same corner, she turned to her right and started up the path to her home. As distance increased between us she waved her hands and in secret blew kisses towards us. She did so repeatedly, and this was my last memory of Turkey.

halim.ina@gmail.com
Halim Ina Photography

Young Girl, Çingene Community, Eastern Turkey, June 7, 2013

While working with a dance company through four cities in Turkey, I was given a chance to pursue my personal vision through collaborations with a few local photographers. In the beautiful city of Muş, the air was supreme, the food organic and the people breathtakingly beautiful.

Upon seeing the nomads throughout the region, I was reminded of the Bedouin living in Lebanon. Their features were so similar, the tattoos on the faces of the older women spoke of their relation to the people of India and the Middle East at large. The children were strong, defiant and at the same time quite shy initially.

The young girl above was one such child. In two exposures immediately after each other, one can see the change in her expression, two almost completely different thoughts. This is the magic of photographing people such as her community. She and I have never met, our paths have never crossed and this is our first time taking in the culture of the other.

Her hair had the same consistency of her sisters in Lebanon, and her skin was as scorched as her kin living in India. Her lips were dry, chapped and her eyes were almost without moisture. To be in front of her at this very moment is an honor and a privilege. Through these images she has joined her sisters in my portfolio and will be met with love when her sisters do see her portrait.

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Note: This image was scanned through the negative sleeves for preview only, made with a Hasselblad 555 ELD/180 mm combination. 

Young Girl, Rough Scan, Muş, Turkey, June 10, 2013

On our last day walking around the streets of Muş, brother Ömer and I returned to the same neighborhood from the previous day. The clouds had set in early the day before and we wanted to make sure we made the best portraits for the girls. It so happened that five or so girls were standing on the corner and were deeply enthused to see us, almost as much as we were to find them finished with school.

We located a white wall around the corner from the main home and used a reflector to produce the highlights/shadows in the portraits. We worked hard to make it easier for this young girl and this was one of two exposures only before her mother called her away, ending her collaboration with us.

There are good moments and there are less than perfect ones in my photography. We tried to talk with the family but they refused to allow us any further. Frustration set in even more so because of my inability to communicate with the family directly. It was clearly evident that the young girl wanted to continue as she waved her hands in the air when her older brother talked with us. She was deeply saddened but never once showed any hints of the negative towards us.

Thirty or so minutes later we were walking home when we saw an older man sitting on the side of a shop. He invited us to a conversation and allowed us to make his portrait. All of the girls happened to be following us and stopped alongside us to photograph this man. A few minutes into the session this young girl also joined us and had the sweetest, most subtle presence. She was certainly the adult in this interaction and had a calming sense about her. She made me feel that everything was fine, that she understood my intentions and the source of my frustrations, for she lives in this neighborhood and with these limitations every minute of her life.

I reached out to her as she was standing to my right, touched her gently and whispered in her language a word signifying that she was fine in my eyes. She responded with grace and kindness, through her smile. We were both at peace with ourselves.

This was scanned through the negative sleeve just a few minutes ago and cleaned up a bit, all the while my heart was beating madly. I couldn't have hoped for a more perfect image, and am thrilled that we were able to do so for her. We will return next year and hope that her family will amend their decision.

halim.ina@gmail.com
Halim Ina Photography

Man, Mosque, Muş, Turkey, May 22, 2013

In this conservative part of Turkey I would have thought entering a mosque with a camera would be looked down upon. It turned out on several occasions that all were open to the idea and allowed themselves to be photographed while in the process of their readings. For the image above the camera was placed onto the ground for the long exposure.

One never knows the reactions of people to the work, and I was pleasantly surprised to have been allowed to document this man. Both film and digital media were used, and he went on with his reading without pause. In the less conservative regions to the west I was advised to refrain from doing so, and this gave me further appreciation for my time in the east. People are at times quick to categorize a region, and the image above has taught me much about this.

One never knows unless they ask it seems. This was my first image in Turkey, and happened to be in the part of the country that made my photography feel most at home. People were most receptive to the work, and the camera in itself was a source of fascination. Of course the image is commonplace all over Turkey, but the presence of an outsider in this part of Turkey was less so. As a result the emotions garnered were true and genuine, and the relationships formed most beautiful.

This I have learned is the reward of following the path less travelled.

halim.ina@gmail.com
Halim Ina Photography

Barber, Muş, Turkey, May 22, 2013

On my first visit to the wonderful city of Muş I walked around a bit and photographed some of the local businesses. The man above owned a shop across the street from the mosque and invited us in for tea while working. He was kind enough to allow me to document his craft while serving us with the famous Turkish tea.

The space was small but comfortable and we worked for perhaps twenty or so minutes before moving on up the street to find more faces to document. The pace of his work was incredibly fast while his cuts were most precise.

When I returned to Muş due to the protests happening in the western parts of Turkey, we seemed to run into each other almost every day. Whether this happened while I was having breakfast with a friend or discovering various hidden parts of the old city, he would always smile and wave as he walked by us. The people around me would always be surprised in that people had come to know me in such a small period of time. I found it an honor to be recognized and to have been accepted with such kindness.

halim.ina@gmail.com
Halim Ina Photography