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

This past visit to Shamli was filled with hope, and we held onto this as we visited village after village. With the help of our host Imdadullah and the guidance of Nirvana Bodhisattva, we were able to document the students.

Face after face, student after student, they came forward. This was for most their first time in front of a camera. Their expressions touched me deeply, as this was their chance to communicate from someone outside of their community.

She was as strong in front of my lens as any model has ever been. In front of her headmaster's office she stood, with the field behind her school as a backdrop. We hope to introduce a sewing class to her school, and hope to include the older girls from the village.

Website

Tumblr

Twitter

Facebook
Instagram

Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

Sisters + Embrace, Shamli District, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2017

This year we spent considerable time in this beautiful part of India, and visited many villages thanks to our wonderful host Imdadullah and family. It all began in 2013 when we were invited to document the refugees in the region, and continued through last year when we were asked to take part in an interfaith effort.

These two sisters attend traditional classes in their village's madrasa, and look forward to a fuller curriculum thanks to their headmaster's desire to provide such. This idea has been made possible thanks to the generosity of those on here who responded to my posting a few months ago. We have organized a small group of people, and have begun the process of helping this village achieve its goal.

The girls loved the spontaneous sessions, when they would be called up from the classes below to make photographs on the rooftop of the school. At first holding each other seemed a stretch for them, especially in front of a lens and their friends. After a few days however they took to the closeness and allowed their expressions to flow freely.

These sessions were so popular that the girls allowed me to do my film work without any hesitation, knowing that the fun images were to come next!

Website

Tumblr

Twitter

Facebook
Instagram

Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

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

For those of us involved in the effort to establish a school in this region, we present this young girl's portrait. During my three weeks in this region we were able to visit more than a dozen madrasas in order to sense the pulse of the region. Some madrasas had large buildings with many teachers, and some had one room. Hers was of the latter variety, yet had the most passionate headmaster and a wonderful teacher as well.

The single room had three walls made of brick alone, with a metal rooftop. It lacked electricity, and was in the middle of a field just to the side of the road. Yet the classroom was very organized, and all were attentive to the teacher. The students came from two adjacent villages, and a small 'bus' took the majority of the students to the further village. All this was being done with a shoestring budget, and with incredible effort.

While we are working with three villages presently, we hope to include this small madrasa next year and will present this effort to those interested soon!

Website

Tumblr

Twitter

Facebook
Instagram

Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

Two Refugees + Camp, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2013

This was the scene when I first visited this region in 2013, as these beautiful people were paying the price for the sectarian violence placed upon their shoulders. The families were doing their best to just provide shelter for their children, to provide a plate of food. Our hosts did something remarkable then, they gave their land for the sake of these refugees, actually signed the deeds to their land. It was this act of generosity which helped me decide that my work will continue here, and inspired me to present this new school to all of you!

They were displaced due to the riots in the Muzaffarnagar region of Uttar Pradesh. A short summary is included below from Wikipedia for everyone's review, and of course is only a basic reference. My experience was firsthand, and showed me the best of humanity in the midst of the worst. The scene of course was created by the latter, yet the resources put forth to aid the community showed the best of the former. 

When I returned to the region two years later, most of the camps were dismantled and the families had returned to their original villages. Although as a photographer I missed the children photographed two years earlier, I was truly happy that the were missing and back home.

Website

Tumblr

Twitter

Facebook
Instagram

Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M2.

According to Wikipedia:

The clashes between the Hindu and Muslim communities in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, India in August–September 2013, resulted in at least 62 deaths including 42 Muslims and 20 Hindus and injured 93 and left more than 50,000 displaced. By 17 September, the curfew was lifted from all riot affected areas and the army was also withdrawn.

The riot has been described as "the worst violence in Uttar Pradesh in recent history", with the army, as a result, being deployed in the state for the first time in last 20 years. Supreme Court of India while hearing petitions in relation to the riots held the Akhilesh Yadav led Samajwadi Party, prima facie guilty of negligence in preventing the violence and ordered it to immediately arrest all those accused irrespective of their political affiliation. Court also blamed the Central government for its failure to provide intelligence inputs to the Samajwadi Party-ruled state government in time to help sound alerts.

Young Bedouin + Birds, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 2008

Does she still live in Lebanon? Had she moved back to Syria since this portrait was made? How does she look? Does her family still live as migrants? Are they now considered refugees?

These are some of the questions in mind as plans are made to visit Lebanon very soon. Certainly everything has changed in the region, and the possibility of making portraits once again is less than slim. This time around the visit is about my immediate family, while of course keeping in mind my photographic family.

I will visit her camp, and hope to see her and her sisters as well. At least we will reunite, and plan for perhaps next year when we hope the region will be free from the present tragedies.

She and her sisters are on my mind today, and will be until we see each other this Fall.

Website

Tumblr

Twitter

Facebook
Instagram

Note: This image was made with a Canon G10.

3 Students + Humana India, Haryana, India, 2016

The past three days have been spent making digital proofs of the film from India, after picking it all up from DC earlier this week. While many of the faces are familiar to me, some jump off of the screen as the most wonderful surprises. Here are just three!

On March 14 of this year these three girls stepped in front of the lens and had their portraits made. While perhaps this was their first time with someone from outside of their village, perhaps this was their first formal photograph… their presence in front of the lens was filled with confidence and strength.

Website

Tumblr

Twitter

Facebook
Instagram

Note: These images were made with a Hasselblad 555 ELD/180 mm combination onto Ilford Delta 100 film.

Woman in her Kitchen, Refugee Camp, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2013

Before we began with the portraits we walked around the camp and talked with the residents. My friend Asrar guided the way, and did his best to translate their stories for me. He told me about their plight, how they had moved to this part of Uttar Pradesh in order to escape the violence back home. 

The families were doing their best to cope with the circumstances, and were granted considerable land by the surrounding villages. Most had fabric structures but many were beginning to construct more permanent housing. As in many villages, the women cooked over an open fire from an incredibly beautiful, earthen structure.

All welcomed us without hesitation and allowed us to document their stories photographically. Although they had experienced the worst of humanity, they showed to us the best.

I look forward to next weekend's benefit at the Cleveland Print Room, and to sharing these stories!

Website

Tumblr

Twitter

Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M2.

Young Student + Shawl, Uttar Pradesh, India, 201

Earlier this year I shared her monochrome image. For next weekend's benefit at the Cleveland Print Room I am sharing her color portrait, as well as those of a few more from Cuba and India. We look forward to the benefit, and hope to see everyone there!
Here is her story:
So we visited the school of our host, an Islamic school he had opened in his own village. The building was glorious, with a spacious courtyard and incredible fields as far as the eye could see all the way around. When we stepped inside this was the first face that greeted me, and immediately made me realize that we would be staying an extra day or so.When we arrived in Kairana, India earlier this year we were told that most of the refugee camps had been disbursed and that the refugees had returned to their homes. The people thought that perhaps this would disappoint me because they were supposed to be the subjects of my photography. This was far from the truth of course, for having less to photograph in this regard would only make me happier.
She might have been as shocked as I was, but hid her reaction better than I did. She however knew immediately that I was deeply impressed with her, and gave off this most subtle smile in return. The school had about 60 girls in attendance on that day, and perhaps 40 or so boys. .
The men were wonderful and helped us with the photography. We made portraits of the boys in a small room with a window as our source of light, then switched to the walkway outside to photograph the girls with the help of a reflector. They were magnificent, including the one pictured in this image. There was something about her, how she held her head up high even though we were strangers who had appeared suddenly and asked for her portrait. 
The features of her face are etched in my mind, and deny any categorization whatsoever. She is both timeless and of this period, perfect in every manner. 
After the morning photography, we asked their instructor about two voices which we might record regarding the reading of the Koran… and he pointed to her and her friend as the two most beautiful voices to record. Later that afternoon we did so, and were treated to the most glorious reading of the Koran in my limited experience. This is what this work is about, and such has shown me that in every corner of this world immense beauty and strength exist.
Website
Tumblr
Twitter
Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M2, mounted and triggered adjacent to a Hasselblad V System

Refugee from Sectarian Violence, Uttar Pradesh, India, March of 2015

On our return to the refugee camps from two years ago, we were told that most of the camps were now vacant fields. Most of the families had either settled in the area or returned to their homes. While this was of course excellent news, for many their lives had changed very little.

Such was the case with this little girl, and her family. Over two years ago they were forced from their homes by yet another bout of sectarian violence. They had moved to this part of Uttar Pradesh and were provided land in order to begin the recovery process. A few organizations had stepped up and build public latrines and mosques, provided blankets and clothes, and even began the arduous process of documenting their stories. 

Two years later she was still living in the camp. When we arrived she was listening the Koranic lessons with the rest of the children as they gathered under the fabric of a large tent. 

The inhabitants of the camp were familiar with my hosts and allowed me to make portraits of the children. We began with the boys as was customary for our afternoon sessions, and then made portraits of the girls in front of the school. This young girl, in front of the men in her camp, had the courage to get up and stand for her portrait in front of yet another stranger. The determination in her eyes made me pause then, as it does now.

Website

Tumblr

Twitter

Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M2.

Young Student + Koranic School, Uttar Pradesh, India, April of 2015

This little classroom from an Islamic School has given me a truer sense of appreciation regarding available light. While photographing the boys a few rolls were exposed alongside the digital images. The light was magnificent, from one direction and with this wall as a background.

Two years ago we visited this area to document the refugees from a most recent eruption of sectarian violence. Our host family had done so much already for the camps, had signed over a portion of their considerable land so that the families could build more permanent homes.

Earlier this year I saw them doing even more. They had built this school, and were moving to present a more progressive school program to these very communities. The young man responsible for this movement shared with me that he would like to do more, to present art and the sciences as well as language courses. His views on the matter of education impressed me deeply, as we talked about the future of the school.

One needs to remember the environment in which his school existed. It is a mostly rural region, a distance away from the big cities. The community is a deeply conservative one, especially from the viewpoint of the girls. They face immense restrictions and walk with a sense of timidity through the alleys of their villages. When our eyes connect, it seems to me that every single one of them is trying to send a 'message in a bottle' through me, and through my photography.

It is my responsibility to do so, and one to be embraced fully.

www.halimina.org

Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M2, with available light only.

Young Boy + Islamic School, Kairana, Uttar Pradesh, India, April 19, 2015

This past weekend we spent a few days in the troubled region of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. Over the past two years violence has erupted causing tens of thousands of refugees to flee their homes in search of safer ground. Some of these families have settled in villages surrounding Kairana, and one in particular being that of our host for the weekend.

Our last visit in 2013 introduced us to this wonderful family and their good works. Like a few families in the area, they have given their land for the sake of the refugees, and have even built more permanent homes for them in addition to handing over the deeds to the land. Our host for the weekend has even built a school financed completely from his own pocket, and would like to go even further should funds be available to do so.

We were granted access to the children from the village in this safe, serene space. On this day the boys were photographed first with the subtle light of a window, one by one as they took a break from their religious studies. Some knelt facing the window, others facing the camera. Most were wearing white fabrics, some like this young boy a bit darker.

The school is in the middle of a very conservative village, without which we would have never been able to make such portraits. Even my friends here in India were quiet surprised when seeing the images, thinking that such was impossible. What the family has done in just one year has been to change the mindset of those around them, to include the girls in their quest for education and to show that Christians, Hindus and Muslims could work together seamlessly like in the team making this image. 

www.halimina.org

Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M2, with natural light.

Syrian Boy - Refugee, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Summer of 2001

The beginning of my photographic journey included this young Syrian boy living in Lebanon, surviving with his family as migrant workers. They lived a five minute drive from my family's house, but existed in a very different world. In tents they slept, without the most basic of 'conveniences' while they worked in the fields under the hot sun for less than $2 a day.

I look back at these images and try to remember the moment the shutter was released. I remember which side of the dirt path this was made, and the tent perhaps. In those days indirect light was used to make these portraits, and the interiors of rooms as backdrops.

I wonder where he is now, has he gone back to Syria and returned since then?

Note: His portrait was made with a Hasselblad 501 CM/120 mm lens combination.

www.halimina.org

Tedx Talk - Refugee, Cleveland State University, October 25, 2015

This was the face that introduced the audience to my Tedx Talk this past Friday. Her portrait was the first in a series of images shown on the big screen behind me and to my right.

'The majority in the images lack access to the most basic of necessities, and hover around the poverty line. They endure a hand to mouth existence, day to day, year after year…' were the words as the portraits bled into each other.

My hope is that the images stuck in the collective mind, more so than my words.

www.halimina.org

Refugee + Muzaffarnagar Riots, Uttar Pradesh, India, December, 2013

Another young girl from this camp presents herself to us in this portrait. Months after this was made my mind is still seeking answers, trying to understand more so her expression. Amazing she is in that she does this in front of three dozen of her friends and in front of the male members of her community watching just meters away. I am always in awe although tens of thousands of these portraits have been made over the years.

When we arrived in these camps my friend Asrar would just tell me, 'put the camera down someplace and just tell me which faces you would like to photograph.' This was difficult for me to do at first until I realized that these girls were drawn to the camera, and that my presence was a welcome one. So we did just that, put the camera down in a good spot and watched as all of them walked from their tents over to us.

Chaos would ensue at first, followed by an incredible patience on their behalf. They would sit near to us and wait for their turns without making me feel hurried, especially when the sun will only give us an hour at the most of perfect light. In this portrait she turns to her to the left, allowing that sweetest of triangles to light the shadows under her left eye.

My friend Asrar and his team have gone out to visit the camps most recently and have begun the reconstruction efforts. Soon many of these camps will be more permanent, with housing and bathrooms in addition to water wells in each area. I hope that this improves her life and allows her to begin the healing process.

Syrian + Refugee, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Summer of 2009

She lives in the very first village photographed almost seventeen years ago. This is where my photography began, in this very spot. She is sitting in the Sheikh's tent, the very person responsible for my work in this area. We took a break from working in the sun and made images with indirect light. From this point forward I am repeating this as it was the way I photographed in the beginning anyway. Marvelous children in every tent! 

I need to visit my original homeland soon to at least see her and her Syrian sisters once again. She lives in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon and is originally from Syria. She is in Lebanon with her family as migrant workers, doing the best that they can to just survive. She lives in a tent, lacks access to school and struggles on a daily basis just to make ends meet.

This is where my photography began.

She inspires me.

www.halimina.org

Refugee + Smile, Camp, Muzaffarnagar Violence, Uttar Pradesh, India, November 29, 2013

On the same day as the portrait posted before this young girl stepped to her spot in front of the lens. While most start seriously and some end with a smile, she started with a smile that never left her face. 

Most of the time it's difficult to describe the shyness in these girls, but this image displays this most exquisite quality perfectly for me. It is as if she is about to burst out of her tiny frame, yet is able to restrain herself at least until the photograph is made. Only then do her shoulders relax and her lungs let out a sigh of relief.

For a short minute she is at the center of the stage, with all of her friends sitting nearby and watching. The mood created by the wonderful group of assistants is one of respect and privacy, although we are in the middle of a refugee camp filled with boys running around and men curious to know the purpose of the work.

She sat for at least an hour before her chance came, and was overjoyed even as her time in front of the lens lasted less than three minutes. She, like her friends, asked for nothing. To be there and to experience such humility and love is an indescribable honor. Here is a young stranger to me, yet she looks at me through the lens like she has known me her entire life.

The reality is that my eyes may never see her again, but her features are etched permanently into my memory. I will always remember arriving early in the afternoon, walking up and down the small road looking for a good spot, being told that the lush side happens to be private property, and that the more arid land belongs to the refugees at the moment. 

I remember asking the adults to tell the children that we will begin in an hour and then watching the children run our way immediately. I remember the feeling inside as four dozen or so girls sat next to me, and the expressions of wonder on each of their faces. I remember feeling like the luckiest person on this earth, and hoping that the images will produce justice on their behalf.

Etched are also the smells of the camp, the remoteness and its associated hardship… the lack of sanitation and toilets, as well as the knowledge that these children will be sleeping without beds nor blankets while we are provided both at our host's home in the evening. 

This young girl's expression brings it all flooding back.

www.halimina.org

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

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

Refugee + Shawl, Camp, Uttar Pradesh, India, December 1, 2013

The faces were as endless as the stories in the refugee camps, this being just one example. This was my last day in Uttar Pradesh, and this was the last village visited as well. Like other portraits recently posted, she and her friends have lost their homes due to the most recent violence in this region of India, violence that has up to this point failed to cease.

Depending on whom you speak with, the story is different. What is painfully consistent is that the children always seem to bear the brunt of the consequences. They had nothing to do with the initiation of the fighting and have very little to do with the final outcome. 

Being a young person is one very difficult thing in this environment, being a young girl is yet another circumstance altogether. The violence perpetrated takes on another tone, and these incredible girls stand in front of the lens after experiencing something most of us will never feel. On so many levels I am unable to process their hardships, and hope that the portraits made will be of service to them and to their communities.

We photographed the girls at the end of the afternoon, when the light was just perfect. All of us gathered in a paved spot just next to the main road, in the middle of the camp. There was a field just behind them, and tents to the right and left of the path leading to it. The platform was above the main dirt paths, and the girls sat in a large group to my right and just behind me on the paved surface.

The desire to be photographed, to take part in the process, was unmistakable. How many times has someone visited their camp and made it a point to document their stories? When was the last time they were rightfully the center of attention?

If only they knew how much longer I wanted to stay, how many times I would have photographed each and every single one of them… like the young Cubans in my portfolio!

What makes them that much more incredible is that for all of their giving they receive a little less than five minutes in front of the lens. They sit for an hour or more just for this chance, and walk away without making me feel that more was needed. This never ceases to 'get me' and I am deeply humbled by each and every one of them.

www.halimina.org

Note: This portrait was made with a Sony RX100M2, hand-held and edited for size and contrast only.

Refugee Family + Store, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2013

A refugee family standing in front of the only stand on the road alongside their camp. In the background and to the left are their tents, and the only light being supplied is the single bulb along with the various fires. Only with the guidance of Asrar and the good people of these villages could the images have been made.

My dear friend Asrar told me: 'Halim, you need to visit the camps during your time in India.'

He was more than spot on, and the images made displayed an incredible level of courage, dignity and bravery on behalf of the people photographed. Instead of pushing people away, they welcomed outsiders to listen to their stories, to share their experiences. I was humbled by this willingness, and hope that these images tell their stories effectively to those in positions to improve the lives of these communities.

www.halimina.org

Note: Image made with a hand-held Sony RX100M2, edited for size only.

Girl + Refugee + Buildings, Camps, Uttar Pradesh, India, November, 2013

Among the discarded buildings they have made their homes, the refugees doing their best to recover from the most recent violence in Uttar Pradesh. I was humbled by their collective strength and the smiles shared with my lens.

We visited eight or so camps and did our best to formally document these stories. Each and every person spoke a different, visual language with the camera, each had a story to tell. This young girl was incredibly gallant, ignoring the waves of men stopping every few minutes to check on our project. She smiled in defiance and brought chills to their opposition. 

While we had the support of the elders and the leaders of these communities, there were those now and then whose voices were presented to me through their expressions. With her by my side we continued in spite of this and perhaps because of this, her story  needed to be told she demanded. 

www.halimina.org

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