How do you return the gaze of the eyes surveying your suspicious presence? As somebody who finds themselves at home among people, with the camera dangling from one of my arms, the slow yet gnawing dread of an eventual episode of unwarranted confrontation often looms large in my head. Confrontation on account of the act of photographing strangers being so invasive.... yet so rewarding for me?! Notwithstanding all my efforts to be as invisible and physically less imposing as possible, I can't shake off the feeling of fear these days when it comes to photographing unknown faces. How much distance, physical or mental, is the perfect distance? There's so much to unpack here. And I am aware that I cannot divorce my class/caste or gender identity (whatever this is at this point) from this feeling. How much am I allowed to see?
