What is Humans of New York?
In the summer of 2010, photographer Brandon Stanton equipped with a camera and an idea, ventured out to the New York streets to take portraits of citizens and share their unique stories. Humans of New York (HONY) is the name of this undertaking, and similar projects have appeared in other cities following the “Humans of ____” moniker. The Facebook page has over 7 million likes and continues to stimulate meaningful conversations while reminding us of the humanity behind each face.
With all this success, one has to wonder: How does he do it?
Since I was introduced to HONY by my fellow Youth Are Awesome bloggers, I have been intrigued by how Brandon has been able to approach strangers on the streets. Not only does he convince them to take a photo, he also somehow capture the essence of that person, whether it be light-hearted joke or a deep personal story.
Fortunately, I stumbled upon this video, where Brandon explains his technique after thousands of interviews.
As someone who has nervous breakdowns when it comes to interviews, I’ve found Brandon’s advice to be valuable. However, his tips are just as applicable in your everyday interactions with friends and strangers alike.
Some of his main points are: your energy is more important than what you say, treat it like a conversation with anyone else, and start with broad questions and narrow it down.
Links
HONY Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork/timeline
HONY Official Site: http://www.humansofnewyork.com/photographer
HONY Twitter: https://twitter.com/humansofny
10 Ten Humans of New York, by YAA blogger Davinder: https://youthareawesome.com/top-10-humans-of-new-york/
