Not long after Tribeca resident Marlon Moskowitz took up photography, she began focusing on portraits of pedestrians, often in Soho and Tribeca. “At first, no one would stop and smile,” she says. “People would speed past me and cover their faces. Many street photographers hide from their subjects or use telephoto lenses. But the involvement of the subject in the photo engages my creativity far more than the idea of subterfuge.”

Judging from the intimacy achieved in her portraits, Moskowitz must have grown very adept at persuasion. She says that it helped when a photographer friend gave her some advice: “When you get a person’s permission, there is a moment when the sitter will stand still for just a single second, forget about his obligations and pose for the photo, and move on as if nothing took place. And if someone will let you take their photo from seven feet away, often they will let you move in five feet more for a genuine portrait.”

And now she has a show of around 40 genuine portraits opening on Saturday. It’s this weekend and next (Oct. 18-19 and 25-26), from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 383 Canal (between W. Broadway and Thompson).

So if someone holding a camera stops you on the street, don’t rush by—maybe you’ll be featured the next show. “Going out on the street and taking portraits is a daily ritual for me,” says Moskowitz. “And rarely does anyone ask for anything in exchange, not even a copy of his or her photo.”

All images copyright Disarming Photography, LLC 2014.