Haley Morris-Cafiero is an associate professor and assistant dean at the Memphis College of Art.
But she’s better known for her photographs, including her most famous project Wait Watchers.
It started when she took this picture of herself in Times Square in New York City. Notice the guy looking down at her with a smirk on his face.
It was meant to be a self-portrait, but Haley couldn’t believe the guy when she noticed him after developing the film.
She was inspired to start setting up cameras around where she was and take pictures of herself when the people around her weren’t aware, capturing the judgement on strangers’ faces.
One of the more extreme examples is when two police officers walk by her, they not only look askance at her but one also teases her by floating his hat above her head.
Some of the pictures capture people’s expressions as she sits or walks nearby in her bathing suit.
Interest in the project built up naturally, but really exploded when media outlets started covering it a couple years back.
It motivated her to keep up with the project.
She eventually raised almost $25,000 to fund a book of the images, as well as new never-before-seen pictures. She plans to publish it in September 2015 through The Magenta Foundation.
