In the world of visual arts, it can be difficult to do something that hasn’t been done before. Even in the field of photography, where the use of existing landscapes can be blended with computer enhancement, artists are always looking for a way to do something no one has seen before. Photographer Richard Renaldi is trying his hand at doing just that.

Renaldi takes random passerby from the streets of New York and pairs them up, asking them to pose in intimate shots with perfect strangers in order to get the best emotions from them. Some subjects look noticeably uncomfortable in the finished pictures, but others look like they’ve known each other their entire lives, and that’s what Renaldi aims to capture.

“The subjects are only asked to look like they are showing a brief amount of affection, but the facial expressions and body language within the photos make it seem like these strangers not only know each other, but also share some sort of genuine bond,” writes Sean Levinson. “This unorthodox recipe for truly magical moments speaks volumes about both art and humanity.”

Check out Renaldi’s sometimes funny, almost always touching photography below.