I really like this. It speaks volumes. I also had a look at the video linked in your sig, and I have to say I loved it. Each face told you something through the eyes... Windows to the soul indeed.
I'd like to ask about your method. Do you literally walk up to someone on the street, introduce yourself and ask politely for them to pose? How often does it work for you?
Faces On The Street: I'm often asked this question. And I have roamed the streets, looking for interesting subjects, and done exactly as you suggest. But the success rate is very low. It's difficult to approach people on the move, they are suspicious, and you can seem to be stalking them. I found a better method is to set up in one busy spot (where the light and background are good, and even put up a seamless backdrop if needed) then ask people who pass by. They always ask, "What's this for?" I tell them it's a personal project, I love people and love capturing all the different faces. (For the 5th & Main project in Los Angeles, I told them I was working on a collection of "Faces In LA"). Most people still decline, but the success rate is much higher. Here's something I wrote on this body of work for photo blogs in Rome and Lisbon (who wrote and asked me the same thing).
From April of 2006 through September of 2008 I spent many Saturday afternoons at 5th & Main Streets in downtown Los Angeles. Two years ago drug dealing crews operated on this corner: it was rough by day and dangerous at night. Today, more police walk the streets, the downtown is undergoing renewal, and new shops, galleries and cafes are opening. But in the early afternoons during this time, I would set up in the shade and ask passersby if they would stand for a portrait. Most declined my request because they were in a hurry, did not wish to be photographed, or were suspicious of my intentions. To the few who did cooperate, I gave simple directions: stand here, look into the lens, please be serious. Getting a successful portrait, one that is both personally revealing and suggestive of something larger, is extremely difficult in the minute or two my subjects allow me on the street. Always I am striving to capture a "longer period of time" in their faces. But whether I succeed with the portraits or not, I love interacting with my subjects, and I am continually amazed at how some of them can reveal things very private, even painfully so, during our brief encounters. I thank them for what they have given here, and I hope in the film you will see (or feel) what we all share in common.
Added note: On a typical 2 to 3 hour street session, I ask maybe 30 to 40 people. Of these, maybe 7 or 8 agree to stand for a portrait. Of these, I usually get one (sometimes two) successful portraits. The 31 portrait show in the YouTube video took 2 1/2 years to complete (many outings). And yet the work is so addictive, I don't feel it is done -- I want to go back and do more. One last thing: My wife wanted to see what I was doing, so I took her there. It scared her at first, but then she became addicted to the experience, as well. What's more, my success rate went up with her assisting because many people enjoyed meeting and talking to her. Trust is an important element in getting this type of portrait. And she really helped out there.
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