Jay Weinstein's 'So I Asked Them To Smile': Portraits that capture universality of facial expressions

‘So I Asked Them To Smile’ is a portrait photography project by Australian-born Jay Weinstein which will be exhibited for the first time at the Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai. When asked how he conceived this idea, Weinstein said, “So I Asked Them To Smile was sparked by a chance encounter with a man I hesitated to photograph. It started the moment he smiled and all my inhibitions melted away. I knew instantly that this photography project would not only be a creative challenge, but also affect positive change, starting with me.” [caption id=“attachment_4267507” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  He was guiding his empty rickshaw one overcast afternoon, down the quiet, narrow, lanes in the old temple town of Vrindavan, in Uttar Pradesh, India… so I asked him to smile. Photo credit © Jay Weinstein[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_4267509” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  He was sitting outside a home one afternoon, in a quiet neighborhood of Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India…so I asked him to smile. Photo credit © Jay Weinstein[/caption] “Photography is my tool to explore India and the world, all the while stretching myself to face fears of the unknown. It teaches me to see more, observe more, start conversations, walk down alleys I normally wouldn’t and put myself in situations that are beyond my comfort zone. Every day this project forces me to face these insecurities anew, as I meet different people in different places — this fearlessness has now become an extension of my life, thanks to the smiles of strangers,” said Weinstein. View the complete photo gallery: Jay Weinstein captures contrasting facial expressions in his photography series 'So I Asked Them To Smile'