We rush about our days with our heads bend down staring at our phones. We have our ear buds, blocking out the sounds around us. We don’t talk to strangers, we walk right by without even looking at them. Mom always said, “Don’t talk to strangers.” Richard Renaldi, a New York City-based photographer, started a photography project he called “Touching Strangers.”

He goes out on the street and finds random people and asks them to pose for a picture. The poses he puts them in are – well, intimate. Some people are locked in an embrace, some are holding hands and staring into each other’s eyes. But they just met a few minutes ago! At first, a lot of people were clearly uncomfortable, but looking at the finished shots, they don’t look like strangers!

Every person felt something, a connection or comfort. The rest of us can start simple, smile at a stranger! Share away, people!