Even if you don’t happen to be a photography enthusiast or lover of human interest stories, chances are that at some time in the last year or so you have at least heard of or seen one of the many photography pieces, from the now famous, Humans of New York (HONY) Facebook page. For those of you who may not be familiar with the online photography project, Humans of New York is a photoblog started back in 2010 by founder, photographer, and New York resident Brandon Stanton.
On HONY’s Facebook page, where you can enjoy new postings every week, Brandon explains how he started the project in order to “create an exhaustive catalogue of New York City’s inhabitants.” In addition to photographing the various citizens he meets along the streets of New York City, Brandon often interviews his subjects, following their photographs with words of inspiration, stories of heartache and life’s struggles, or simply one word that describes an entire personality. The Facebook page has gained millions of followers over the years, and has even lead to the publishing of Humans of New York the Book. Looking through the photo series is bound to induce all sorts of emotions, you will find yourself laughing, on the verge of tears and relating to many of these “ordinary” people and their stories.
This past summer, Brandon took a 50 day trip across the globe in partnership with the United Nations. With an itinerary of ten different countries, HONY expanded beyond the United States and photographed members of the global community. Much like the New York focused postings, the photographs released over this 50 day period featured humans in their purest forms, with the settings and backgrounds of different areas of the world. The difference in this 50 day project, in comparison to Brandon’s usual postings, are that they aim to open his fans’ eyes to the reality of poverty, warfare, illness, and the beauty and tragedy of life on a global scale. The photographs are meant to unite us as “citizens of the world”, and they appear to do just that. In case you haven’t had the opportunity, or don’t have the time to check out all of the photos from HONY’s 50 day tour, we have picked the top 5 photos from the project which are found to be particularly inspirational.
1. August 13th, 2014 – Amman, Jordan
“My grandmother remembers the Arab world much differently than people view it today. She remembers a place known for its music, innovation, and intellectual abilities. I may be naive, but I want to help work toward unity in the Arab world– both between other countries and within our countries– so that we can get back to that place again.
2. August 17th, 2014 – Kasangulu, Democratic Republic of Congo
“I’d like them to be ministers or business people. But this one is supposed to start school this year, and I don’t have the money to send him.
3. September 3rd, 2014 – Tongping Internally Displaced Persons Site, Juba, South Sudan
“When the fighting started, we ran and hid in a school. But soon, they pulled up a car with a large machine gun mounted on the back. They began to fire through the walls. My children and I ran in different directions. I ran into the bush and cried for four days because I was sure they were dead. But when I finally made it here, I found them here too.”
4. September 7th, 2014 – Kyiv, Ukraine
“We had our first day of kindergarten yesterday, and I’m already starting to mentally prepare myself for the first boyfriend.”
5. September 10th, 2014 – New Delhi, India
“”What’s your biggest dream for your child?”
“We’ll let him dream for himself.”
If you are interested in exploring more of the incredible photos from this series, check out the Humans of New York Facebook page.
In addition to this global initiative, the University of Ottawa has its own HONY inspired projects happening right here on campus. Love Is. and Humans of the University of Ottawa (HOUO) are two other photo-based Facebook pages capturing the daily lives of students at the University of Ottawa. Not only do the two Facebook pages feature some incredible photos, but they also let you take a look into some of the lives of the amazing people who walk our campus every day.
Love Is. is run solely by student Katya Moussatova, when asked about the project, Katya described it as “start[ing] as a simple project when campus got really negative and it was geared to bringing people together and giving them something to smile about. I think that the one thing that everyone could relate to is the notion and definition of love.” The Love Is. Facebook page features photos taken of various students across campus, all giving a definition of what the word “love” means to them.
“Love is being so passionate about someone or something you get emotional”
HOUO, another peer run and organized Facebook page, acts as the University of Ottawa’s own personal HONY. The page’s founder explains that they “started HOUO because I thought it would be an awesome idea to get a snapshot of different people’s lives at uOttawa. There are so many variations of HONY that I figured why not have one specifically for the University of Ottawa?” The page now has over 1,700 followers, and can be checked out here.
“What do you like most about each other?”
“I like her energy, there’s this positive vibe and happy energy I get when I am around her. Love her company and most especially love going to bed with her by my side and waking up next to each other.”
“I love the way he makes me laugh and how he makes me feel like a queen. I like the way he accepts me for who I am, just the way I am. I love everything about him. He is the best. Happy one year!”