Smiling Eyes: Beautiful photo series that captures the friendly spirit of the world

In his beautiful series Smiling Eyes, Mike shows us how a smile and a bumbling attempt to speak the local language allows him to make friends, and tries to capture their spirit and zest for life through his lens.

Mike explains: "I’ve always been fascinated by photography. As I began dreaming and plotting my first escape abroad, I began browsing all the Lonely Planet guidebooks. And just like that, stuck in suburbia, I was hooked – by their pictures that evoked all the feeling and wonder of exotic lands and cultures.

"Now, I’ve as big a weakness for stunning landscapes and architecture shots as anyone – but my mind always remembered the portraits. Two people, who could connect over a shared moment across cultures – helping me tackle local street food (especially fried giant grasshoppers – eat the body but never, ever the head) to steering me to the right path with a grin and a wave as I got a bit lost off the beaten track.

"Now, I’ve become a bonafide photography geek – bringing my dSLR everywhere I go. With digital photography, snapping a picture can now be a shared experience, as both photographer and subject can instantly share the results. And I always email or print and mail copies to them as soon as I can."

These ‘Smiling Eyes’ are some of Mike's favourite travel portraits. He adds: "I’m hoping they might inspire other potential travellers to go beyond their comfort zone… to get up, grab their passports, and just go!"

Via direct submission | All images courtesy of Mike Hawkins