December 2013. I was on a photography trip to Bikaner, in the deserts of Rajasthan, India. Near the busy train station, I saw a man I wanted to photograph. I hesitated. The look in his eye and his stony, stern look intimidated me. It's always that moment of hesitation that kills a shot! I ended up avoiding him and photographing other subjects until I heard his jovial voice, "Take my picture too!". Camera lens focused, my finger poised to fire. 'Smile', I called out. And he was transformed. His face radiated warmth, his eyes sparkled with a humor I had completely missed. Even his posture softened. I knew then what my next project would be. So I asked them to smile was born. I wanted to document the effect of the human smile on a strangers face. In the days, months and years that followed, I asked random people on my photography adventures (mostly on the streets of India) to pose unsmiling and with a smile. These images are the heart of my project. Its goal is to recreate the mindset from which we view a stranger, and then witness as our assumptions transform with their smile. So there are no names. No occupations. No confirmed religions or ethnicity. No intriguing life lessons or heart strumming anecdotes. Just one human face. Without, and with a smile. More info: Facebook | Instagram 1 Tyrna Village, Meghalaya, India 2 Kakhsar Village, Gujarat, India 3 Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India 4 Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India 5 Danda Village Jetty, Mumbai, India 6 Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India 7 Juhu, Mumbai, India 8 Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India 9 Hampi, Karnataka, India 10 Kisama, Nagaland, North-east India 11 Bandra, Mumbai, India 12 Kakhsar Village, Gujarat, India 13 Ral Village, Uttar Pradesh, India 14 Near Almora, Uttarakhand, India 15 Bagru Village, Rajasthan, India 16 Juhu Beach, Mumbai, India 17 Juhu Beach, Mumbai, India 18 Khonoma, Nagaland, North-east India 19 Danda Village Jetty, Mumbai, India 20 Jagannath Puri, Odisha, India 21 Pune, Maharashtra, India 22 Kisama, Nagaland, North-east, India 23 Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India 24 Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India 25 Tyrna Village, Meghalaya, India 26 Barsana, Uttar Pradesh, India 27 Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India 28 Outside St Xavier's College, Mumbai, India 29 Pune, Maharasthra, India 30 Ral Village, Uttar Pradesh, India 31 Kakhsar Village, Gujarat, India 32 Jagannath Puri, Odisha, India 33 Latikynsew Village, Meghalaya, North East India 34 Kohima, Nagaland, North-east India