Photos of people's faces never cease to fascinate. Some people prefer taking pictures of objects, scenery, animals, but faces are a class of their own. These are not shots of the same people in the same poses with the same smile just a different place which you can't even make out because the faces dominate the whole shot. These are shots taken when the person doesn't notice, doesn't expect, until they hear the click, or see the lens in their face (by which time it's too late).
But it's not so much the face as the eyes. You feel you can read a person if you catch him/her at the right moment, and you'll know if you've caught the right moment if they violently protest after you've taken the shot.
What's the fascination with reading someone? I don't know. Control, understanding, looking for similarities (in the wrong places)
Not too long ago I helped some a group of people take photos of themselves. It took more than 5 shots before they were satisfied (or rather, this one person in particular). Poor lighting, wrong angle, but the smiles were all the same though. Frozen in place, face muscles tightened to perfection. Perfection that is colourless, insipid and forgettable.
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