Candid Portraits of People Peering at Their Own Reflections

If you think the expression on these people’s faces don’t look like ordinary street portraits, it’s because they’re actually looking at themselves in a mirror. Moa Karlberg captured these unique candid portraits of strangers by using a one-way mirror, capturing what it looks like when people look at reflections of themselves.

Karlberg writes,

The project ”Watching you watch me” is discovering how a photographer can get as close as possible to others, without acting illegal. I have taken portraits of people through a mirror, when they are totally unaware of the camera inside. This way I get shots of people watching themselves.

Since the pictures are taken in public spaces, I can publish them however I want to. At least in Sweden, where the laws are generous to journalists and artists. But in which forums and publications does the single individual feel insulted? “Watching you watch me” is an effort to create debate on laws and ethics within the photographer’s role.

You can see more photographs from this series on Karlberg’s website.

Image credits: Photographs by Moa Karlberg and used with permission