Photographer Brandon Stanton continues to travel all around New York with his camera to capture the diverse and quirky characters of the city that never sleeps for his ongoing work known as Humans of New York. The series, widely followed and updated daily on Facebook, features an eclectic mix of people caught by Stanton on the streets for an impromptu photo shoot. Each portrait displays a separate sentiment accompanied by a brief caption describing the encounter and often offering a quote or two from the subject. The series has gained so much attention that Stanton briefly took his work to other parts of the world, but ultimately returned to New York, where there is never a shortage of people and stories to be heard.
HONY has amassed over 740,000 followers on Facebook, not to mention countless awards for its captivating and insightful look at ordinary people in daily life. It shows how everyone has a story and offers a voice to those that often go unheard. Instead of avoiding people in the street, as many New Yorkers do, Stanton observes and initiates a conversation. The portraits Stanton shares often present people with eye-catching style or something intriguing about the way they carry themselves, but it’s their words that reveal greater depth about their personality. From the heartwarming to the hilarious, HONY presents quick yet intimate peeks at people that make up a great, big city.
“I never married.”
“Why not?”
“Because you didn’t come along until today.”
“Do you need the cane?”
“I need it when I’m wearing these shoes.”
One of them pointed at a passing rollerblader and said: “Why don’t you photograph him instead?”
Another one answered for me: “Because he’s not a Hasid with a chihuahua.”
“When you yell at someone, who hears it more: you or them? You’re only hurting yourself by getting angry. I want to live to be 100. I haven’t raised my voice in 40 years.”
“You get one picture, then I’m going about my business.”
“Every country is good for different reasons. They are like different fruits. But Egypt is my favorite. Egypt is like a mango.”
“What’s your favorite thing about your son-in-law?”
“He’s kind and generous.”
“And what’s your favorite thing about your mother-in-law?”
“She’s old and ugly.”
“You look kinda like Ernest Hemingway.”
“And we’re both from Key West.”
“You’re from Key West?”
“Well, I used to smuggle coke out of there.”
“We just got back from the prom.”
“Did you have dates?”
“Um, yeah.”
“What’s the best day you’ve ever spent together?”
“Probably that day on the Ponts des Arts.”
“What’d you do?”
“Just held hands.”
“Pounce?”
“It’s to remind me to be more aggressive.”
“Is that flower real?”
“Yeah, but it’s made of plastic.”
“What’s your greatest struggle right now?”
“Interacting with other people.”
“In what way?”
“In this way.”