Michael Itkoff, a former intern of Annie Leibovitz, has traveled the world since 2002 taking portraits of everyday people in the street. The subtle twist to these portraits is a small makeshift white backdrop that is held behind each of the subjects. The backdrop (a technique often used by fashion photographers) accentuates the individual quirkiness of each of the models — and draws our attention to the cluttered urban environments that surround the scenes.

See more photos, and read a review of the new photobook, here in Lens Culture.