I remember her very well. While we waited for softer light, she insisted on being photographed right then and there. Her reason was that she needed to go home. All of a sudden all the girls wanted to be photographed right then. She had a great attitude and did her best with the sunlight!
Looking back over the past 20 years has made me even more grateful for choosing photography as a path in life. The camera has given me chances otherwise unavailable, such as meeting this Arab woman from Syria. Hers was my first camp, and she made it possible. These experiences have shaped my view of the world, and I’m thankful for that.
When Customs Officials seized my film going into Cuba, I made a quick decision to salvage my summer and head to Lebanon. From Cuba I ordered the replacement film and flew back to the States immediately, then caught the plane to Lebanon with the new film!
I was so glad that I did, because the photography in Lebanon flourished. Here connections were made with further camps and countless new children. This young girl was as exquisite as any star and had the light on that afternoon to make portraits with the classic, Hollywood light!
What an experience!
In the end all three points are irrelevant. More than Arabic as a common language, it’s the language without words that matters most.
Here she is in front of the NGO school in her camp, expressing herself with that pose and smile!
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.
I was able to spend more than two months with my uncle and aunts, walked the streets of my mother's hometown every day, and visit the camps which gave birth to my work in my twenties. The children of the children were then photographed, a testimony to the relationships built back then.
This young girl lives in a familiar neighborhood, one which I visited twenty years ago. Her parents were children back then, and now it's her turn to be photographed, to share her story. Her connection to the camera was so remarkable that even looking down it was evident. This is the image chosen for the day.
