Humans of New York

Brandon Stanton wanders around New York City taking photographs of people he sees on the streets and subways. People with interesting faces, interesting clothes, or interesting tattoos. People doing interesting things. People who look like they have interesting stories. People who happen to be nearby when he finds an interesting place to take a picture. With each photo, he includes a line or three of text, which might feature something that person said to him, or the circumstances under which he took the picture, or just a note of where it was taken.

It's all weirdly compelling, to the extent that once I started it, I just kept compulsively turning pages until I'd finished the whole book. I feel as if I should indulge in some high-brow show more speculation about why it's compelling: that it paints a vivid portrait of life in a particular place; or that you can't help but wonder about all these lives we're seeing only one tiny moment of, where these people came from and what they did after the camera was off them; or that it says something important, if hard to pin down, about the nature and diversity of humanity. But, honestly, I think it might be simpler than that. I think there might just be something in us that relishes the opportunity to stare at strangers, especially unusual-looking ones. show less

It is a photographic story that was started in 2010 by photographer Brandon Stanton. Brandon went to many of the neighborhoods in New York to capture the people who lived there. There were several stories that accompanied the stories. This book is a result of his blog, which has millions of followers.

The book is beautiful. I grew up going to New York City several times a year - taking in the sites with my family, and also attending countless Broadway Shows. One of my first cousins grew up to become a Broadway actress, and she is still there today. Now that I have my own family, we continue the tradition into New York City with our kids.

This book captures New York City perfectly. The wide variety of people who live there and who are not show more afraid to live out loud never ceases to amaze me. Me - always being one who isn't comfortable with my own skin - always envy those who are.

This book is a quick read, but if you are looking to see some amazing pictures and hear some incredible stories of real people, I encourage you to grab this book and give it a read. It is something I will treasure for years to come and constantly look at when I need a smile. show less

I received this as a Christmas present, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect as I began reading. The content is mostly photographs of people, some accompanied by a mere line of text with location, some with several paragraphs of dialogue. It didn't take me long to get pulled into the book. There's a strong awareness that every picture is a story, and we are getting a simple sneak peak into a greater truth. No wonder the blog behind the book has millions of followers. Stanton has brought together something beautiful.

Summary: Brandon Stanton lost his job as a stock trader in Chicago in 2010, and began traveling the country, taking photos of the various places he went. When he got to New York City, the thing that most inspired him was the people, and he began taking portraits of people on the street. This book is a collection of 400 of these photographs, including many not previously posted on his blog.

Review: I don't remember exactly where I first came across Humans of New York - people sharing the photos on Facebook, I'd guess. But after seeing a few of them, I decided to investigate, and since that point have been an avid follower of Stanton's work. (You can check it out for yourself at the HONY Tumblr or Facebook page.) Although he's not a show more professionally trained photographer, he gets some stunning shots (this one gets a full two-page spread in the book, and it is even more beautiful in print), and even the ones that may not be technically perfect are still lovely due the emotion, and the diversity, and the humanity that he manages to capture in each and every one of his subjects. The best part about this book is not even the photos, but the way that the photos capture New York City's incredible diversity while still reminding us that each of Stanton's subjects - and by extension, every person we might pass on the street in the course of a day - has their own story, their own struggles, their own joys and sorrows. The only reason that I'm docking this book half a star is because the captions of many of the photos are relatively short. Relatively recently, Stanton has begun captioning each of the photos on his website with a quote from the subject, the result of a conversation, and these quotes (and Stanton's gift at connecting with strangers in such a way to elicit them) are what really sets the HONY project apart. But since many of the photos in this book are from earlier in the project, I missed the longer and more elaborate captions. But still: absolutely gorgeous book, and one that I am so pleased to own for myself. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Not all blogs make for good books, and not all coffee table books have something of substance to say along with all the pretty pictures, but in both cases, Humans of New York is the exception to the rule. Definitely recommended for photography buffs and New Yorkers, but also for, y'know, people. show less

This is a terrific book! Not only are the photographs well done, but they are inclusive of all kinds of people one might see in the city of New York...in all parts of the city. It displays like a love letter to the diverse population of New York.

My favorite photos were those of the elderly and young children. However, there is enough variety throughout this book to find great photos of any human subject in which you might be interested.

In addition to the photos were those great captions. Most of them contained remarks by the subjects of the photos. Some of them were wise, some were funny, but all were thought-provoking. Some of the photos did not include captions with remarks, but those did include the location those photos were taken. show more

All subjects agreed to be photographed. Well, I guess the very tiniest of kids didn't as their parents did the agreeing for them, and some of the kids even turned away from the camera.

In this world of mine, where my own country is turning individual against individual, it is heartening to see this book, so rich in the kind of people who share my country and this world with me. I appreciate them all. . show less

A book to share and to give. It gave rise to several different reflections. (a) Groups of people seem settled, at peace, and the people alone seem to generate more interaction with the camera. (b) sexuality: what role does this play? (c) most of these folks are colorful and also happy. Correlation? or is it just colorful made a better photograph and happy is what people generally are? or only happy people allowed their photos to be taken? Or...being free enough to be outrageously dressed meant one is free enough to be happy. Could be!

When content is collected from a blog into a book, I’ve seen results that are hit, miss and meh. This one is a hit.

It’s a collection of hundreds of color photographs of people in the five boroughs of New York City, many accompanied by a short biographical caption (he’s as good an interviewer as photographer). Like another favorite, The Oxford Project, this proves everybody has a story, and it’s usually surprising.

Stanton continues to expand his collection (blog, Facebook, Instagram), and his online content often has slightly longer bios -- paragraphs instead of sentences. I’m following his blog because there he presents both image and story without additional clicks, with the image first to engage my imagination before the words.