I found this interesting  photographer Danny Santos. He likes to take photos of strangers: http://www.dannyst.com/gallery/portraits-of-strangers/

Here are examples of his work and interestingly, he includes a couple of lines to describe the encounter.

“She was sitting alone with very fashionable outfit, listening to music through her headphones. When I approached her if I could take her picture, she asked “whyyy?” with a very high pitched but very cute voice. When I explained about the project, she said yes. I’m glad she did.”

“She was with her friend, walking in the street with the grace and carefree aura of a model. When I approached her, they were very cool about it. As she posed for the camera, I knew immediately she was comfortable in front of the lens.”

I liked how he makes these normally awkward encounters with strangers into pleasant stories.

What I noticed in his photography was that all the focus was on their face. His photographs are very intimate considering he has only just met these people. I liked this approach as it really makes the unfamiliar seem familiar. Upon first glance you would think he knew these people. It really communicates that strangers are like friends you haven’t met yet which is very true for one of his photos:

 

“I saw her sitting on the stairs outside of a mall, talking with her friend. It seemed like a lively discussion. She was the first girl I’ve approached for this project. When I asked “Is it ok if I take your picture?” she comfortably said “Sure.” I was pleasantly surprised, but was still very nervous. As I took this photograph, I was actually struggling.. thinking: “Steadyyy… man, I hope she doesn’t notice my camera shaking.”

A year and a half later, I got to connect with her through Facebook. I asked if she’d be willing to do a photoshoot with me. She said yes again.”