Photographing strangers can be a very effective way to get to know and engage with a community. Closeness and understanding — of people, and of a place (maybe your own community) — is the basis for making portraits that are intimate and revealing. But it can be difficult to photograph people you don’t know, to overcome the fear and uncertainty that comes with approaching and photographing strangers. In this course, we’ll examine the tools you need to navigate and overcome those fears. We’ll delve into questions and concerns that arise from the desire to photograph people we don’t know — people we’d like to know better, beyond just making a likeness of them. In our sessions, along with regular assignments, supportive critique, and discussion, we’ll take a deeper look into the work of Judith Joy Ross, Walker Evans, Christine Osinski, Joel Sternfeld, Alec Soth, and others — all of whom have worked in the tradition that we are navigating and adding to.