Interacting with strangers is one of the most difficult things for me. I feel like I am always judging myself against other people or trying not to get in other people’s way. I feel like this has held me back as a photographer, not pushing myself to make connections with people when I don’t know much about them. This project is my attempt to push my comfort zone and interact with strangers while also giving them control of my image.

            Photography has been used in many fields as a way to exert control and possession of the way people are perceived. Through this project, I am able to take photos of strangers, interacting and earning about their daily life while also giving them control over my own image. The project shows diptychs of these interactions, with the image I took of my subject directly opposite the photo that the subject took of me. Each image holds the presence of a mirror to show the viewer the authorship of the photo. Having both participants have control over the resulting image allows the subject to be an active participant in the creation of the photo instead of having the role of subject thrust upon them. The connection and the partnership that the creation of the photos brought allowed me and the stranger a small moment of friendship.