dilarasdad

No matter where I travel, one thing is for certain - a smile is universal. I may not be able to speak certain languages, or have the time to chat about the weather, but I have found that something as simple as a smile can convey a vast amount of information and meaning about a person, place or a situation.

Many of my coworkers thought that I may have been in the sun too long when I explained how much I loved Afghanistan. I do; I truly love Afghanistan. I may not like the politics of a particular location, but that's no reason to dislike the people, now is it? I found that if I lack the talent to express myself in linguistic terms, then the secret to universal expression is ‘a smile’. A little mental telepathy helps also – but we’ll just stick with smiles for now.

I believe a smile is a peek at the true happiness of the soul. It’s one thing to have people ‘smile and say “cheese”’ during a photo session… But it’s a whole different experience when the smile is genuine, uncontrollable and comes from within… ‘The heart is speaking to the soul’.

The following shots, although not the best as far as sharpness, are examples of how a smile simply came out of the subject. Something may have been happening off to one side, but that doesn’t matter. I saw a glimpse of happiness within the subject – and they were genuine.

Thanks for letting me share these shots and my story with you. I wish every person in the world could stop what they are doing for two minutes and think of what makes them truly happy… and smile.