Surprisingly, many of them say yes.

The results are stunning. The Belgian photographer—an associate member of Magnum Photos—makes touching and intimate photos that provide a rare peek into the every day lives of people around the world. It is remarkable how much people open up to her in just 24 hours or less. One photo shows a couple embracing in bed, for example, while another reveals a suicide letter a woman had written but kept hidden from her husband.

"I think part of people letting me in has to do with the fact that they know I'm going away next day," says Depoorter, 28. "It's sometimes a lot easier to share personal things if you know you'll never see this person again."

She's already published a selection of her photos from Russia in Ou Menya, and her work from the US appears in I am About to Call It a Day. Both are full of quiet moments—a family watching television, children playing in their room—that reveal more about her subjects than a carefully composed portrait or a "big moment shot" ever could.