To follow up on the latest Pho·tog Friday post about Brandon Stanton's project Humans of New York, I'd like to address a key factor behind why his work has become so successful over the past four years. In today's society, we, as humans, are starved for "new material". I believe the driving force behind Stanton's images that demand the public's attention in comparison to other Street Photography, is that he is more than just an observer with a camera. Street Photographers have historically been known to look for unique moments, people or light and capture it. With a "click" of one's shutter, a street photographer's subject might disappear in a flash.
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| Stanton, Brandon, Untitled, 2013. |
Stanton seems to have "tapped into" a sub-genre of Street Photography by making sure that his subjects do not quickly disappear. Stanton makes a conscious decision to introduce himself to his subjects, hold conversations with his subjects and essentially, learn more about their story.
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| Stanton, Brandon, Untitled, 2013. |
It can be a very challenging thing to photograph people on the street whom you do not know. Many photographers often have a hard time getting over this challenge when s/he first attempts; there's a certain level of "shyness" that needs to be addressed. In the fifteen minute video below, Stanton discusses the strategies that he uses to approach those he meets on the street:
01. Stanton, Brandon. "Humans of New York." Humans of New York. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May. 2014.
02. "On How I Approach Strangers in the Street | Humans of New York Creator Brandon Stanton | UCD, Dublin." YouTube. UCD - University College Dublin, 24 Apr. 2014. Web. 04 May 2014.