Sisters + Mountains, Near Zahle, Lebanon, 2019

It’s amazing to see such expressions of friendship on my first visit to a place. One, this is a conservative community. Two, the pictures are being made by a stranger to their camp. Three, I am Lebanese while they are Syrian.

In the end all three points disappeared in the face of true friendship, between themselves and between them and the stranger with the camera. More than Arabic as a common language, it’s the language without words that matters most. 

Here are two girls simply having fun without any concern for the thoughts of others!

Etsy 

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Young Girl + Camp, Syrian living in Lebanon, 2019

Last summer I sat with this girl for a session of photography. In her camp my photography was born 22 years ago, but it was the first time specifically in this spot. To be able to sit down with these girls is an honor beyond my ability to describe. The trust their parents have in me is immeasurable, for in the end I am a foreigner with a different faith. Yet we are a family unlike any other. My love and respect for them is like that for my very family. While we were talking the leader of this refugee camp pulled out a picture I made of him over 17 years ago, and smiled with pride.

El verano pasado me senté con esta niña para tomar una sesión de fotografía. En este campo nació mi fotografía hace 22 años, pero fue la primera vez en este lugar específicamente. Poder sentarme con estas niñas es un honor más allá de lo que puedo describir. La confianza que sus padres tienen en mí es inconmensurable, porque al final soy un extranjero con una fe diferente. Sin embargo, somos una familia como ninguna otra. Mi amor y respeto por ellos es así para mi propia familia. Mientras hablábamos, el líder de este campamento de refugiados sacó una foto que hice de él hace más de 17 años y sonrió con orgullo.

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Sit-down + Camp, Zahle, Lebanon, 2004

Their community gave birth to my work 20 years ago and continues to inspire me. Back then they were migrants working the fields and factories of Lebanon, having moved into camps for the sake of a better life. Now their homes in Syria are almost certainly destroyed and they are living as refugees in Lebanon. My hope is that the violence ends and their community can find peace as well as a life without struggle. I look forward to seeing them on Monday.

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Love and Peace, Zahle, Lebanon, 2019

At her tender age she knows more than the fools in charge of the land in which she lives. She understands what we need now and displays it with her hand and her sweater. The ruling class needs to have such wisdom.

For 23 years I have had the privilege of photographing the Syrians living within Lebanon. Her camp was a new one for me last year, yet the children were as warm as those from the familiar camps. This is the expression they shared with me, such kindness! 

They are barely surviving in these strenuous times, even worse after the explosion and the failures of the economy and the ruling class. My hope is for better, for a brighter future. 

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Syrian Girls + Tent, Near Zahle, Lebanon, 2019

The darkroom has been the saving grace for this summer's inability to travel, especially to see my family in Lebanon... both blood and photographic. Moments like the one in this image are unforgettable, and inspire me to believe in a better future. These girls and their families were forced to leave their homeland of Syria due to the civil war, and have done their best to survive in Lebanon. We were finished with our photography for the afternoon and decided to have some fun with the digital camera. A bit of joking and they were off to the races with their laughter... missing moments like this, and will wait patiently until the next time! 

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Grain + Syrian Refugee, Near Zahle, Lebanon, 2019

When I began using film almost 25 years ago, grain was an enemy. Now I embrace the clusters of silver particles and enlarge an image extensively to see them!

Another day in the darkroom with her negative being printed first. The actual image is a bit further from her but it felt right to amplify her features, to showcase her strength up close. She is a Syrian girl forced to live in Lebanon, with her family doing what it can to survive. It was and is a privilege to have made her portrait, and I hope that these images help carry her message further.

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Best Friends, Syrian Girls, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 2019

There’s something magical about the darkroom, the place where light which was faithfully transmitted to film can then be transferred to light-sensitive paper. This is what film photography means to me, from the selection of the negative, to the placement under the light source, to the focus on the easel, to the test strip, to the setting of contrast and finally to the fiber print!

This was printed today, a portrait of two best friends from my time in Lebanon last year. They are Syrians living in Lebanon during these difficult times, and are on my mind as summer approaches. My hope is that their future is as bright as the light in this enlarger, and as pure.

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Syrian + Camp, Near Zahle, Lebanon, 2019

After the red eye last month from LA to DC, and the drive to CLE, it feels divine to have the processed film from this summer in Lebanon... thank you David and Dodge-Chrome, Inc. for the beautiful negatives!

Note: This is the view of the negative through a loupe, made with an iPhone.

Film + Syrians, Zahle, Lebanon, 2019

It feels good to have film once again, as these rolls were exposed last month near Zahle, Lebanon.

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Syrian Girls + Camp, Zahle, Lebanon, 2019

Last month these young girls were going about their day, perhaps playing with theur friends. I was also going about my day, driving around with a friend planning our next session.

We made our way to their camp and got permission from the leader to speak with the families. Only a few girls were present at that time, but we went ahead and set up. After 30 minutes, it was a gang of girls, then a real crowd which now included these two best friends.

At the end of our session the girls get to be spontaneous, and act as they wish rather than the usual. It was at this moment when these two best friends showed their love for each other. It is a rare view into this conservative society, but perhaps shows how similar they are to girls their age all over the world.

This is the magic of photography, once strangers then friends!

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El mes pasado, estas niñas estaban haciendo su día, tal vez jugando con sus amigos. También iba por mi día, conduciendo con un amigo planeando nuestra próxima sesión.

Nos dirigimos a su campamento y obtuvimos permiso del líder para hablar con las familias. Solo unas pocas niñas estaban presentes en ese momento, pero seguimos adelante y nos instalamos las cámaras. Después de 30 minutos, era una pandilla de niñas, luego una verdadera multitud que ahora incluía a estas dos mejores amigas.

Al final de nuestra sesión, las niñas se vuelven espontáneas y actúan como desean en lugar de lo habitual. Fue en este momento cuando estas dos mejores amigas mostraron su amor mutuo. Es una visión rara en esta sociedad conservadora, pero tal vez muestra cuán similares son a las niñas de su edad en todo el mundo. ¡Esta es la magia de la fotografía, una vez desconocidos y luego amigos!

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Omar + I, Syrian Camp, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 2018

This happened to be the scene after the photography one afternoon, as the community invited me to celebrate a wedding. The leader's daughter married and the groom's family had a full week's worth of feasts to prepare for the camp. I have known this young man for 21 years, and it was an honor to be seated next to the leaders of the community, men who once were boys of my photography. So they refused to let me leave and we dug right in a few hours ago!

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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 + My Favorite Window, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2017

Nirvana Bodhisattva and his team at Nirvanavan Foundation are working hard to establish a school in this young girl's village. Thanks to the support of brothers Imdadullah and Mushad, the community has placed their trust in this collaboration. In a little more than one week I will be in this room, a room with a most beautiful view.

This young girl lives in this very village and attends religious classes in this building, sessions provided by one of our most generous hosts. His family built this school for the sake of the children in their village, and collected the funds necessary from the villagers in order to provide the children a safe place in which to study their holy book.

Thanks to a generous two dozen friends from this very circle, the school has begun along with two sewing centers as well. The excitement is building and I for one cannot wait to see the progress myself. It has taken five years to come to this point!

She is one of the younger students in the school, and while the older students run quickly to the camera when it is pulled out of the bag, she is just as curious in her own way. What amazes me is that this is her first time in front of a camera, and in the midst of such a conservative society she is able to express herself without reservation.

It is on her behalf that my work is presented here and elsewhere. My hope is that more see the value of this movement and come forward to join us.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

Young Boy + Madrasa, Shamli, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2017

While this work began with the girls, the boys are certainly being included. This young student attends the madrasa daily, and will be attending the new classes as soon as they begin. Two of the five teachers have been located, with a promising lead on a third. While we are beginning in a humble manner, the vision is grand and we hope to include at least a dozen villages over the next five years.

In this portrait he is standing in one of two existing classrooms, facing the window to the rear of the room. We had just finished photographing the girls, and were now ready to make portraits of the boys. He was one of the first to be photographed, and was happy to be included. His smile lights up the room, as much as the light coming through the window.

The first quarter of the budget has now reached the foundation, and soon plans will turn into action. Nirvana and his team are approaching this first stage with the patience necessary for its long-term success.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

Syrian Refugee + Fabric, Zahle, Lebanon, 2017

The men driving me to the camps have been amazed by the beauty within them, especially this young girl living just fifteen or so minutes from my grandparents' home. The men have lived in this town since birth and have driven past the camps on countless occasions. Yet they had never stopped for a minute to interact with the populations within, had never seen such beauty.

Most are offended by the intense smell, or by the mere presence of the refugees within their country. In so many ways such a presence has put a strain on the country, with the economy in distress and the already fragile security more strained.

However for me these camps are the birth of my photography, for me the children within them are as beautiful, as strong and as vibrant as any encountered in my travels. They are the flowers amidst the chaos, they are the inspiration behind my work.

This young girl's smile erases the difficulty in achieving her portrait. While men look on at times in disapproval, she stands her ground and speaks her mind through her portrait. She refuses to be silenced, refuses to be ignored. If this portrait can communicate such to the viewers, then it has done justice to her spirit.

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Note: This image was made with a Hasselblad 555 ELD/180 mm combination onto Ilford Delta 100 film.

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

Having returned from a summer in Cuba, I look forward to presenting our work in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to those of us involved and interested. Under the guidance of Nirvana and his team at Nirvanavan Foundation, we are proceeding with an interfaith collaboration in the Shamli District of Uttar Pradesh. 

This is made possible thanks to the hard work of Imdadullah and his community in the region, and to the generosity of two dozen people from this very circle. By the time of my visit early next year, our hope is that we have established the new school in these girls' village, as well as three sewing centers in the area.

The funds have been raised, and the first quarter has been presented... awaiting transfer in October to the foundation. Once such is done the materials can be produced, and the new school may begin. These two young girls will soon have a formal curriculum in between their religious studies, in this very space.

The need is great, and there are literally dozens of villages in the region deserving of such a collaboration. We hope that this school can be a model for such a movement, truly.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

Young Students + Window Light, Shamli District, UP, India, 2017

Once again a portrait of two students is being shared with those of us involved in their new school. Thanks to Nirvana and his team at Nirvanavan Foundation the possibility of this school was born, and thanks to those tagged within this post that possibility has turned into a reality.

My photographic work began in this district thanks to Asrar, who had taken me there to document the thousands of refugees from the recent Muzaffarnagar riots. This was one village which we visited, and I fell in love with the area. While the children were of course beautiful and the environment surrounding the homes took my breath away, it was the generous nature of the supporting families which impressed me most.

So last year Nirvana provided me with incredible insight, making it clear to me that something needed to be done. The local elders did the same, asking for our help in the education of their grandchildren. This was the impetus in bringing the new school to your attention, and thanks to your generosity the first donation has already been sent, while the second donation is only a few weeks from being sent as well. This will allow us to remain on schedule, and all can rest assured that the first two years' worth of budget has already been put aside.

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Congratulations to all, and thank you in advance for allowing me to tag you!

Ballerina + Beach, Santa Maria del Mar, Cuba, 2016

As summer nears my mind wanders to the beaches of Cuba, and the dancers kind enough to allow this collaboration. This young dancer and her parents have been involved in my work for the past two years, and my hope is that this summer makes three. 

We were fortunate enough to have found her as we waited for one of our families in front of the dance school. That morning we were looking for a young dancer to take the role of an apprentice to our veteran dancer. She then appeared seemingly out of nowhere, on the back of her father's bicycle. We knew immediately that she was the one, and the rest is history as is often said.

On the day of this image, we picked her and her parents up from their home in Havana and headed for the beach. We were lucky enough to have sunshine in the late afternoon on the island, and took advantage of the light. She was very courageous and climbed up to be photographed, embracing her moment in the spotlight.

She lives to dance, and takes photography just as seriously. Her family's acceptance humbles me truly, and even more so in that they go out of their way to ask for inclusion in my work. I look forward to this summer, and hope to do better for her and her parents.

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A medida que el verano se acerca, mi mente vaga por las playas de Cuba, y los bailarines son lo suficientemente amables como para permitir esta colaboración. Esta joven bailarina y sus padres han estado involucrados en mi trabajo durante los últimos dos años, y mi esperanza es que este verano sean tres.

Tuvimos la suerte de haberla encontrado mientras esperábamos a una de nuestras familias frente a la escuela de danza. Esa mañana buscábamos a un joven bailarín para que asumiera el papel de aprendiz de nuestro bailarín veterano. Luego apareció aparentemente de la nada, en la parte trasera de la bicicleta de su padre. Inmediatamente supimos que ella era la única, y el resto es historia, como se suele decir.

El día de esta imagen, los recogimos a ella ya sus padres de su casa en La Habana y nos dirigimos a la playa. Tuvimos la suerte de tener sol en la tarde en la isla, y aprovechamos la luz. Ella fue muy valiente y se subió para ser fotografiada, abrazando su momento en el centro de atención.

Ella vive para bailar, y toma la fotografía con la misma seriedad. La aceptación de su familia me humilla de verdad, y más aún porque hacen todo lo posible para pedir la inclusión en mi trabajo. Espero con ansias este verano y espero hacerlo mejor para ella y sus padres.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

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

For those of us working with this school, and for those of us looking to join, we present this young student's portrait. This was her first year with us, and she took to the camera in the most natural of ways. This was her expression day after day, as she arrived to school to find us waiting.

She lives in a village near a mystical river, surrounded by the most sublime fields. The village itself is quite small, yet it has a government school and a madrasa. While all of the children are registered in the government school, few actually attend. We visited the school on many occasions to see the well-meaning teachers sitting around with perhaps a dozen students playing in the courtyard.

This is the thought of our host from the village, and it is his intention to try and change the standing of the village's children. He runs the local madrasa and would like a formal curriculum introduced. Thanks to those involved, we have begun the search for three teachers at this time, and have also organized a list of sewing students who are more than ready to begin classes.

Later this year, guided by Nirvana and his team, the formal curriculum will be introduced and the sewing machines will start turning as well!

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.