There are hundreds of websites that have grown into viral sensations over the years, but none with the same unique concept as the blog “Humans of New York.” Humans of New York is a visual blog that features a daily photograph and story from a stranger.
The founder, Brandon Stanton, explains that the blog first started out as a photo blog, simply featuring a photo a day. Then, he got inspired by the strangers he met along this journey, and began incorporating quotes and stories along with the photos, and now it features people in many
(Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon, Vietnam)
other places, not just New York.
The site features over 6,000 portraits so far, and has developed a following of 10 million people on Facebook.
Stanton lived in many different states in the U.S before his passion for photography finally lead him to New York where he reached his dream in an unexpected and overwhelming way.
The blog is still running today, producing daily content and staying true to its original purpose, which is showcasing the amazing humans in the city if New York. Since it’s start in 2010, it was turned into a book, which became a best seller. The blog won an award for “Best Use of Photography” at the 2013 Webby Awards. It also won the People’s Voice Award for “Best Cultural Blog,” and Stanton was named as one of the 30 people under 30 Changing the World by Time Magazine.
Now that the site has garnered a wide audience, Stanton has traveled to other places besides New York to capture photos and stories from strangers of the world. He visited Boston after the Boston Marathon Bombings in 2013, he visited Texas during the SxSW conference, and he traveled internationally to Iran for 2 weeks. Currently, he has plans for a 50 day “World Tour” in order to collect photographs and stories from humans in countries such as Iraq, Jordan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Ukraine, India, and Vietnam.
“What’s your biggest weakness as a fighter?”
“No weak points. Just the fear before the fight.”
(Jerusalem)
Stanton has used his extraordinary success a way to contribute philanthropically to the world. He raised money for Hurricane Sandy relief, and the power of his photographs, along with the support of social media sites such as Tumblr and Indiegogo, helped raise over $300,000. According to the Daily Dot, “all of the proceeds were given to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a family-run charity that played a major role in the Hurricane Sandy Relief efforts. The money was used to provide the necessary resources for those in need.The Daily Dot acknowledges Brandon’s photographs of the New York citizens after the storm because they show a different side of victims that goes unnoticed to the public due to how they’re portrayed by the media. Although the media shows the victim’s heartache, shock and despair, Stanton’s photos show ordinary people that won’t allow a storm to deter their faith and personalities and they also evoke how powerful individuality and humanity is.”
(Dharamshala, India)
Watch the video to get a better glimpse at what the blog is about, then CLICK HERE to check out the actual blog yourself to see the inspiration and beauty that it shares with the world every day.
