Humans of New York is a blog that was started by Brandon Stanton a couple of years ago and now has over 2 million daily followers. If you haven’t heard of the Humans of New York (HONY) blog, take a look at the short video below.
After losing his job as a bond trader, Stanton took his new camera to the streets of different cities and photographed what he saw. He soon realized that he was drawn to photographing people, especially the people of New York City.
His goal was to create a photo census of the city by photographing 10,000 people in different neighbourhoods. His blog soon had a modest number of followers. But when he began talking to the people he photographed (first asking their permission) and began posting little snippets about their lives with the photos, the site exploded in popularity.
Stanton has now taken over 10,000 pictures and his book, Humans of New York, was recently published. I’ve listened to several interviews with Stanton but this one by Jian Ghomeshi (on Q – CBC) was one of the most revealing.
I’ve written several times in the past about letting go of expectations and setting intentions instead (see links below). This week in a course I’m taking with the wonderful Julie Daley, our practice was to let go of expectations. She says,
Expectations limit our perceptions. They limit not only our perception of others, and ourselves, but also our perception of creative opportunities.
Brandon Stanton exemplifies this so well and I thought I would share some of the lessons I learned from him after listening to this interview.
1. If you have a project idea, yet it is not fully formed, go ahead and start. It will evolve with time. Stanton’s blog evolved from a photo census to a daily photo blog to a storytelling blog.
2. Set an intention but keep it broad and stay open to possibilities. Stanton sets out to photograph people. He looks for someone who might be approachable, but often it’s very random as to who he ends up photographing. He doesn’t want patterns to emerge in his work.
3. Practice every day. It’s the practice that makes us learn. After approaching 10,000 people, he has learned an awful lot about body cues and energy. At first, he was rejected by 2 out of 3 people he approached. Now it’s only 1 out of 3. But, he doesn’t take these rejections personally.
I don’t see a rejections as a reflection of that person or of me. It’s more about whatever they are going through at the moment. ~ Brandon Stanton
4. Stay focused on what you can control. No matter how big Humans of New York gets, Stanton is committed to staying true to what he can control – telling better stories and taking better photographs every single day.
5. Bring genuine curiosity to anything you do. Stanton says that most people are very open to interactions if we show genuine interest in them. He starts out by asking questions, but it quickly becomes a conversation.
6. Tell a story. The appeal of Humans of New York is around the stories it tells and what it means to the community that reads it. Stanton celebrates the humans of New York City and shares intimate moments.
I share these lessons so that you can apply them to your own photo project, not to try to recreate Brandon’s. We have to find our own projects (or style) by paying attention to our own interests and longings.
Finding your own photographic voice will be the focus of a future post.
Read More Here
How Expectations Affect What We See
A Different Kind of Intention
“Finding your own photographic voice”, this must be the most important element for any photographer, to remain authentic and true to oneself, for when we do, that comes through in the image captured: ‘authenticity’. This is our signature.
I loved reading about Brandon Stanton and seeing his interaction with the people he photographs. Wonderful!
Expectations not only limit our perception, but put us in a limiting mind-set which can lead to disappointment because we forgot to go with the changing flow!
This is such an interesting project and reading his guidelines makes me appreciate it even more. He did inspire a young woman here in Berkeley to do her own “humans of Berkeley” photo blog.
Yes, not to say that others couldn’t do a similar project where they are, but it will have there own stamp on it. It may not connect the same way Brandon’s has.
I need a new project – thanks for the list of things to consider. I definitely need to work on being aware of my own expectations and how they limit my work.
I love the hosta picture in your newsletter, Kim. It looks like a whole wondrous universe unto itself.
Also, I really appreciate the quote by Brandon: I don’t see a rejections as a reflection of that person or of me. It’s more about whatever they are going through at the moment. It’s something to remember in my sales job and in life. thanks for the many bits of noticing and inspiration as always.
I am a big fan of HoNY specifically because Brandon incorporates all these approaches so beautifully. Thank you for distilling this list; I will save it. It will serve as an essential reminder for all projects I undertake.