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Humans of New York
A beautiful, heartfelt, funny and inspiring collection of photographs capturing the spirit of a city
In the summer of 2010, photographer Brandon Stanton set out on an ambitious project: to single-handedly create a photographic census of New York City. Armed with his camera, he began crisscrossing the city, covering thousands of miles on foot, all in an attempt to capture New Yorkers and their stories. The result of these efforts was a vibrant blog he called "Humans of New York," in which his photos were featured alongside quotes and anecdotes.
Humans of New York is the book inspired by the Internet sensation. With four hundred color photos, including exclusive portraits and all-new stories, Humans of New York is a stunning collection of images that showcases the outsized personalities of New York.
Surprising and moving, Humans of New York is a celebration of individuality and a tribute to the spirit of the city.
In the summer of 2010, photographer Brandon Stanton set out on an ambitious project: to single-handedly create a photographic census of New York City. Armed with his camera, he began crisscrossing the city, covering thousands of miles on foot, all in an attempt to capture New Yorkers and their stories. The result of these efforts was a vibrant blog he called "Humans of New York," in which his photos were featured alongside quotes and anecdotes.
Humans of New York is the book inspired by the Internet sensation. With four hundred color photos, including exclusive portraits and all-new stories, Humans of New York is a stunning collection of images that showcases the outsized personalities of New York.
Surprising and moving, Humans of New York is a celebration of individuality and a tribute to the spirit of the city.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2013
About the author
Brandon Stanton
9 books728 followersBrandon Stanton graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in History. He traded bonds in Chicago for three years, before losing his job and moving to New York. In November of 2010, he started the photography blog Humans of New York. Today HONY is followed by nearly one million people, and is the fastest growing Arts and Humanities page on Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,595 reviews
February 5, 2024
This is the first book in the Humans of New York series.
Brandon Stanton will take you on an extraordinary journey through the photos of the people living in New York. His photos will tell you a lot about the City, its culture, its heritage, and its tradition.
Each photo is meticulously selected and will make us think more deeply about our life. The cosmopolitan nature of New York City can be easily visualized in this book. This is a must-read book if you love “The Big Apple” or want to see and know more about human behavior and emotions.
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Brandon Stanton will take you on an extraordinary journey through the photos of the people living in New York. His photos will tell you a lot about the City, its culture, its heritage, and its tradition.
Each photo is meticulously selected and will make us think more deeply about our life. The cosmopolitan nature of New York City can be easily visualized in this book. This is a must-read book if you love “The Big Apple” or want to see and know more about human behavior and emotions.
—————————————————————————
You can also follow me on
Instagram ID - Dasfill | YouTube Channel ID - Dasfill | YouTube Health Channel ID - Dasfill - Health | YouTube Malayalam Channel ID - Dasfill - Malayalam | Twitter ID - Dasfill1 | Snapchat ID - Dasfill | Facebook ID - Dasfill | TikTok ID - Dasfill1
June 5, 2020
“Photography felt like a treasure hunt, and even though I sucked at it, I’d occasionally stumble upon a diamond. And that was enough to keep me wanting more.”
This was exactly the kind of photography book I’ve been looking out for. With four hundred color photos, including exclusive portraits and all-new stories, Humans of New York is a stunning collection of images that showcases the outsized personalities of New York.
Looking at the pictures and putting together a story when there weren’t any captions was such an exhilarating experience.
However, when there were captions featured it was at times both funny, inspiring and heartwarming.
It was seriously impossible to put down, and I think I nearly took a picture of everything because I didn’t want to forget anything.
Brandon Stanton captured New Yorkers and their stories in the most heart-rending way. And it’s truly an incredibly crafted collection.
Of course, as a result it was pretty heard trying to figure out which pictures to feature, but I managed to narrow it down (out my 80+ pictures):
(I have a huge fear of pigeons, so the above picture amazes me to no end.)
Overall, this heartfelt collection took me on a journey in just over 300 pages, and I’m still in awe.
I highly recommend giving this one a go.
*Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying Humans of New York, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!*
This review and more can be found on my blog.
This was exactly the kind of photography book I’ve been looking out for. With four hundred color photos, including exclusive portraits and all-new stories, Humans of New York is a stunning collection of images that showcases the outsized personalities of New York.
Looking at the pictures and putting together a story when there weren’t any captions was such an exhilarating experience.
However, when there were captions featured it was at times both funny, inspiring and heartwarming.
It was seriously impossible to put down, and I think I nearly took a picture of everything because I didn’t want to forget anything.
Brandon Stanton captured New Yorkers and their stories in the most heart-rending way. And it’s truly an incredibly crafted collection.
Of course, as a result it was pretty heard trying to figure out which pictures to feature, but I managed to narrow it down (out my 80+ pictures):
(I have a huge fear of pigeons, so the above picture amazes me to no end.)
Overall, this heartfelt collection took me on a journey in just over 300 pages, and I’m still in awe.
I highly recommend giving this one a go.
*Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying Humans of New York, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!*
This review and more can be found on my blog.
February 11, 2017
10 stars plus more. I was a happy customer when I stumbled into an independent bookstore on a recent trip to Canberra. I went for a quick stroll whilst waiting for a food order at an eclectic little café. I didn’t even realise it was on my TBR when buying it, such is my book obsession.
This book is based on the premise of the author’s blog, which being anti-social media I didn’t realise, and I guess, most people are aware of the blog and not the book.
I love New York so this was good for me, and even though I’m terribly non creative, I appreciated this and can see how clever he is and how he 'gets' people. To capture not only the picture, he must be a gentle soul.
Here are some favourites from me, and I do most highly recommend this book. It would make a lovely gift and a striking book for display.
The author travels and takes pictures, and sometimes adds the story. I loved them all but would like to tell you about these ones. This book is for owning, not borrowing. I had tears.
“I always work my dog’s name into my closing argument.
That’s so awesome.
Yeah, but you never want me as your lawyer.
Why’s that?
Cause that means you’re in deep, deep fucking trouble”
“I’ve been married fifty years. If it was to give one piece of advice to young couples, it’d be this: Never lose your temper at the same time. If somebody’s really mad, the other one better make a retreat”
“I found these two hunched over on Broadway, just like this. It seemed like an interesting moment, so I quickly snapped the photo, then approached them to find out what was so interesting about today’s paper. The man seemed sheepish when he answered: ‘My film just got reviewed by the New York Times,’ he said. ‘So I’m showing my daughter.’”
Of a young couple in love: “They were happy with how this photo came out, if the shrieking was any indication”.
“I never had any family growing up, but I still went to school every day. One day, when I was in the eleventh grade, my English teacher came up to me and said ‘If you graduate, I’ll adopt you. I’ll show you the life. You’ll do things you never dreamed of.’ And he kept his promise. He made it legal and everything. On the day I graduated, he was the only family I had there. He’s taken me everywhere since then. I’ve done all kinds of things.”
“After they finished kissing, she took off the blue cape and laid it over a woman sleeping on a nearby bench. It was such a poetic moment, I actually chased them down to fact-check. ‘Excuse me’ was that your blue blanket?’ ‘Yes’ ���And you just gave it to her?’ ‘Yes, why?’
An older couple, one with light skin, one with dark. “He does absolutely everything for me. I’m completely spoiled” “I used to be a butcher she used to come into my store. Every week I would set apart the best piece of meat for her. And look how it turned out – I ended up with the best piece of meat of them all.”
This one is lovely. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment if you wish. Sometimes we need to chat about the 'good' things out there.
I discovered a photogenic vacant lot in Soho, but was unable to convince anyone to pose in it. After several minutes, I finally came across this father and son from Paris. They barely spoke English, yet agreed to park their wheelchair and stand for a portrait.
The gorgeous maybe 8 year old boy with radiant carrot coloured hair is beaming - standing as tall as his legs would allow next to his dad, proud as anything. The boy is radiant, dad serious. So so so so great. I am thrilled that this author/photographer has put his stuff out there for us to witness.
This book is based on the premise of the author’s blog, which being anti-social media I didn’t realise, and I guess, most people are aware of the blog and not the book.
I love New York so this was good for me, and even though I’m terribly non creative, I appreciated this and can see how clever he is and how he 'gets' people. To capture not only the picture, he must be a gentle soul.
Here are some favourites from me, and I do most highly recommend this book. It would make a lovely gift and a striking book for display.
The author travels and takes pictures, and sometimes adds the story. I loved them all but would like to tell you about these ones. This book is for owning, not borrowing. I had tears.
“I always work my dog’s name into my closing argument.
That’s so awesome.
Yeah, but you never want me as your lawyer.
Why’s that?
Cause that means you’re in deep, deep fucking trouble”
“I’ve been married fifty years. If it was to give one piece of advice to young couples, it’d be this: Never lose your temper at the same time. If somebody’s really mad, the other one better make a retreat”
“I found these two hunched over on Broadway, just like this. It seemed like an interesting moment, so I quickly snapped the photo, then approached them to find out what was so interesting about today’s paper. The man seemed sheepish when he answered: ‘My film just got reviewed by the New York Times,’ he said. ‘So I’m showing my daughter.’”
Of a young couple in love: “They were happy with how this photo came out, if the shrieking was any indication”.
“I never had any family growing up, but I still went to school every day. One day, when I was in the eleventh grade, my English teacher came up to me and said ‘If you graduate, I’ll adopt you. I’ll show you the life. You’ll do things you never dreamed of.’ And he kept his promise. He made it legal and everything. On the day I graduated, he was the only family I had there. He’s taken me everywhere since then. I’ve done all kinds of things.”
“After they finished kissing, she took off the blue cape and laid it over a woman sleeping on a nearby bench. It was such a poetic moment, I actually chased them down to fact-check. ‘Excuse me’ was that your blue blanket?’ ‘Yes’ ���And you just gave it to her?’ ‘Yes, why?’
An older couple, one with light skin, one with dark. “He does absolutely everything for me. I’m completely spoiled” “I used to be a butcher she used to come into my store. Every week I would set apart the best piece of meat for her. And look how it turned out – I ended up with the best piece of meat of them all.”
This one is lovely. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment if you wish. Sometimes we need to chat about the 'good' things out there.
I discovered a photogenic vacant lot in Soho, but was unable to convince anyone to pose in it. After several minutes, I finally came across this father and son from Paris. They barely spoke English, yet agreed to park their wheelchair and stand for a portrait.
The gorgeous maybe 8 year old boy with radiant carrot coloured hair is beaming - standing as tall as his legs would allow next to his dad, proud as anything. The boy is radiant, dad serious. So so so so great. I am thrilled that this author/photographer has put his stuff out there for us to witness.
January 3, 2018
Fantastic. Interesting people doing interesting things.
January 16, 2016
This book was an unprecedented experience. I've been a fan of HONY for as long as I can remember, and this book definitely delivered priceless stories, quotes, and, obviously, photographs. I cannot recommend Brandon's work enough: he is brave and a master at collecting detail and eliciting emotion through his work. I highly anticipate getting my hands on his second book!
June 17, 2014
The three stars is not for Stanton's HONY photographs, which are fascinating, gorgeous, heartbreaking, humbling, and yes, human. Rather the lower score is for the layout and format of this book. It seems like the designer had no idea how to present photographs, the publisher lost a battle over the format, and an editor cut the captions with too heavy a hand. Too many beautiful pictures are broken awkwardly over the gutter, destroying their impact, and the squat, vertical trim is all wrong for showing photographs. Even the paper sucked up the colors which are often so dazzling online. Most hurtful, though, were the truncated captions, which often reduced the sentiment to jokes, or worse, mockery of the subject . . . which is something alien to the spirit of Humans of New York. So five stars for Brandon Stanton's photographs, and a mere three stars for their physical presentation. I sincerely hope they fix the issues in the next collection. (And meanwhile, I'm buying a few copies of this book to present to friends.)
Read
February 21, 2017Many of my GR friends have exclaimed about the talent of Brandon Stanton and his project Humans of New York. Suzanne’s Review finally convinced me I needed to experience this book.
Photographs record moments in time that otherwise would be lost forever. Nothing portrays the personality of an individual as their photograph. In this collection Brandon Stanton set out to capture through his lens the people he calls ”The Humans of New York”. He captions each photograph with a story, either his own or that of the person in the photo.
Humans of New York can be read easily in one day but warrants a look back to study the faces and character of Stanton’s subjects.
My favorite story depicts a young girl walking through her hurricane-damaged neighborhood with hat, flowered raingear, colorful boots and her trick or treat Halloween pumpkin.
”I FOUND THIS GIRL A FEW DAYS BEFORE HALLOWEEN, WALKING THROUGH A HURRICANE-DAMAGED NEIGHBORHOOD. NOBODY WAS HANDING OUT CANDY, SO I ASKED HER DAD WHEY SHE WAS CARRYING A BUCKET.
‘SHE’S AN OPTIMIST,’ HE REPLIED.”
My favorite photo? I can’t pick just one and my bet is that you won’t be able to either.
Photographs record moments in time that otherwise would be lost forever. Nothing portrays the personality of an individual as their photograph. In this collection Brandon Stanton set out to capture through his lens the people he calls ”The Humans of New York”. He captions each photograph with a story, either his own or that of the person in the photo.
Humans of New York can be read easily in one day but warrants a look back to study the faces and character of Stanton’s subjects.
My favorite story depicts a young girl walking through her hurricane-damaged neighborhood with hat, flowered raingear, colorful boots and her trick or treat Halloween pumpkin.
”I FOUND THIS GIRL A FEW DAYS BEFORE HALLOWEEN, WALKING THROUGH A HURRICANE-DAMAGED NEIGHBORHOOD. NOBODY WAS HANDING OUT CANDY, SO I ASKED HER DAD WHEY SHE WAS CARRYING A BUCKET.
‘SHE’S AN OPTIMIST,’ HE REPLIED.”
My favorite photo? I can’t pick just one and my bet is that you won’t be able to either.
June 7, 2014
It seems I'm always late to these things. Humans of New York had long existed as a blog with tens of thousands of loyal followers by the time I discovered this book. It was a thrilling discovery all the same, and better late than never as the saying goes.
When I found out about the book I checked out the blog immediately starting about 10:30 at night. At 2 am I was still riveted. I literally could not stop looking. It's since become one of my newer addictions/obsessions. It appeals to the people watcher in me, to the girl who truly believes the right picture can be worth a thousand words, and the small town Canadian who imagines New York City as the epicenter of all that is gritty, inspiring, crazy and authentically human.
I think HONY is an inspired project by a beautiful mind. History told through the photographic lens has always been one of our most powerful, evocative mediums since its invention. I also love that Stanton has tried to put these photographs into some sort of context by the very human questions he asks of his subjects (and the illuminating -- sometimes heart-wrenching -- answers he receives).
If I'm ever stranded on a desert island, I want my copy of HONY to keep me tethered in some fundamental way to my human life and what it means to be human.
When I found out about the book I checked out the blog immediately starting about 10:30 at night. At 2 am I was still riveted. I literally could not stop looking. It's since become one of my newer addictions/obsessions. It appeals to the people watcher in me, to the girl who truly believes the right picture can be worth a thousand words, and the small town Canadian who imagines New York City as the epicenter of all that is gritty, inspiring, crazy and authentically human.
I think HONY is an inspired project by a beautiful mind. History told through the photographic lens has always been one of our most powerful, evocative mediums since its invention. I also love that Stanton has tried to put these photographs into some sort of context by the very human questions he asks of his subjects (and the illuminating -- sometimes heart-wrenching -- answers he receives).
If I'm ever stranded on a desert island, I want my copy of HONY to keep me tethered in some fundamental way to my human life and what it means to be human.
April 5, 2016
I read this in one sitting. I was engrossed in every story. Real people. Real stories. Authentic thoughts and feelings and interests. You never know what someone is or has been going through. It was like people-watching with Cliff's notes. I'd love to see another edition and I'd love to see this done in other cities. What an outstanding project!
October 27, 2023
I've been following Brandon Stanton on internet since ages it seems, sometimes regularly, sometimes less, but still. To get my hands on this album was such a fete for my eyes and my soul. Beautiful people, beautiful souls and a hard life for too many, it seems. Highly recommended.
May 29, 2017
I now have officially read all of the Humans of New York books! My favorite book was the Humans of New York: stories. I also enjoyed this book (the first one), but it did not have explanations with every photo, which I prefer it did.
November 24, 2016
A beautiful, heartfelt, funny and inspiring collection of photographs capturing the spirit of a city
I just wanted to add this to my GR shelves. I don't think I need to introduce this internationally sensational book to anyone.
I received the book as a Christmas gift in 2014. What can I say ..... THRILLED BEYOND BELIEVE would probably be accurate.
Believe me, you have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what I am talking about.
Me and New York. You don't understand! God struggles too and I don't blame Him. :-))
I just wanted to add this to my GR shelves. I don't think I need to introduce this internationally sensational book to anyone.
I received the book as a Christmas gift in 2014. What can I say ..... THRILLED BEYOND BELIEVE would probably be accurate.
Believe me, you have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what I am talking about.
Me and New York. You don't understand! God struggles too and I don't blame Him. :-))
January 18, 2015
I had not even considered writing a review of this book ----[its easy to forget to publicly acknowledge books like these, when I mostly read novels].....and I have not taken the book into my own house.
I don't own a copy --nor did I check it this out from the library ---(I cheated I suppose).....but I have read through this book a half dozen times since it first was released it stores). Its been my 'go-to-keep-me-company', book in the coffee shop in my neighborhood book store while having tea. They know my name at this book store ---(the staff does not seem to mind when I 'borrow' their books for a few hours). I spend money there too!
When I first looked through "Humans of New York", I thought back to approx. 25 years ago (at least), when the photo books of AMERICA were so..............."one of a kind" "A Day in America".
Seems to me, we don't get the pleasure of seeing books like these often. I must be outrageously expensive to print. I hope those who can afford it --BUY it ....(its beautiful) ---
People are beautiful ---The author captures the human spirit with his photos in New York.
I don't own a copy --nor did I check it this out from the library ---(I cheated I suppose).....but I have read through this book a half dozen times since it first was released it stores). Its been my 'go-to-keep-me-company', book in the coffee shop in my neighborhood book store while having tea. They know my name at this book store ---(the staff does not seem to mind when I 'borrow' their books for a few hours). I spend money there too!
When I first looked through "Humans of New York", I thought back to approx. 25 years ago (at least), when the photo books of AMERICA were so..............."one of a kind" "A Day in America".
Seems to me, we don't get the pleasure of seeing books like these often. I must be outrageously expensive to print. I hope those who can afford it --BUY it ....(its beautiful) ---
People are beautiful ---The author captures the human spirit with his photos in New York.
March 8, 2017
I should begin by acknowledging that I did not realize when placing this book on hold that it was a book of photographs. (In fact, for some reason I was under the impression that it was a book of short stories.). I also failed to realize it was connected to a blog. (Historically, blogger books haven't worked for me.)
At first glance, I didn't love this book. It reminded me a little of the popular eighties photojournalistic series A Day in the Life of...but more posed. After going through the book a second time, I have decided that it is the set-up that I find lacking. I don't feel the layout showcases the photographs or the project well. The mix of captions didn't work for me. Many simply identified where the picture was taken (but always with "Seen in..." preceding the location or "Seen on the subway", with the latter in most cases being pretty obvious). Other captions were either what seemed to be the photographer's comment or title for a particular photo OR a story about or a quote from the person photographed. My challenge was figuring out which type of caption I was reading...did the subject say that or was it a title for the shot? This often was unclear. I also found many difficult to see.
All in all, as a body of work, this is a fun idea. The photographer captured a diverse collection of images and certainly has an eye for that. I also respect the time that went into this endeavor. I just wish it had been laid out differently. 3 stars.
At first glance, I didn't love this book. It reminded me a little of the popular eighties photojournalistic series A Day in the Life of...but more posed. After going through the book a second time, I have decided that it is the set-up that I find lacking. I don't feel the layout showcases the photographs or the project well. The mix of captions didn't work for me. Many simply identified where the picture was taken (but always with "Seen in..." preceding the location or "Seen on the subway", with the latter in most cases being pretty obvious). Other captions were either what seemed to be the photographer's comment or title for a particular photo OR a story about or a quote from the person photographed. My challenge was figuring out which type of caption I was reading...did the subject say that or was it a title for the shot? This often was unclear. I also found many difficult to see.
All in all, as a body of work, this is a fun idea. The photographer captured a diverse collection of images and certainly has an eye for that. I also respect the time that went into this endeavor. I just wish it had been laid out differently. 3 stars.
October 9, 2016
"As a people photographer, my first response to something new is not aesthetic judgment, but rather thankfulness. Without the risk takers, I’d have nothing new to photograph."
I've been a fan of Humans of New York for a long time now. Seeing Brandon's pictures in my facebook feed or on tumblr is one of my favorite things. He's himself stated that the blog didn't truly take off until he started adding the quotes and the commentary to the pictures, and I can understand why. It adds so much extra depth to a picture. It tells us a little snippet of someone's story and leaves us to imagine the rest.
"When my husband was dying, I said: ‘Moe, how am I supposed to live without you?’ He told me: ‘Take the love you have for me and spread it around."
What he does is a beautiful thing. He roams the street of New York with only a camera and a humble desire to catalogue, not the people, but the humans of the city. Humans with everything that entails, the good, the bad, the tragic, the hopeful. It's astounding what a brief meeting, a photo and some conversation can unearth.
"It was easier than I thought it’d be."
It's, truly, one of the most beautiful websites on the internet. A lot of that is Brandon's doing. He comes off as an extremely down to earth guy, who will ask the people he meets, who strike his eye, if he can take their photograph. And then he talks to them and let's them tell about themselves, and he doesn't discriminate. Not with the people he photographs or the stories they tell. Anything goes.
If you've ever been to his facebook site, and looked at the comments on his photos you'll be surprised how positive it is. It's amazing, really, but perhaps not really surprising that such an honest site, should encourage such a positive attitude among its followers. We sympathize with the people behind the screen, we understand, we see ourselves in them. He invites us to look at everyone we pass with an open mind, and he shows us that you never know quite what to expect.
"They’re the coordinates of the cabin in Arizona where I almost died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Just a reminder."
Taking all that and putting it into a book? What daunting work to undertake. But it's gorgeous. Both its physical appearance, from the cover to the glossy paper and beautiful full-color pictures. There are plenty of new portraits to feast your eyes upon, as well as new thought-provoking comments from those same people, and some you might have seen before (but who will complain about having them to be admired in physical form?). Not all my favorites are there, but I still love this book. I love that it exists, that he got to make it and going through it was an absolute pleasure.
I will continue to admire and follow Brandon's work. This is without a doubt one of my favorite releases of the year. It is, in short, a book that shows us, in a most peculiar way, what it means to be human.
I've been a fan of Humans of New York for a long time now. Seeing Brandon's pictures in my facebook feed or on tumblr is one of my favorite things. He's himself stated that the blog didn't truly take off until he started adding the quotes and the commentary to the pictures, and I can understand why. It adds so much extra depth to a picture. It tells us a little snippet of someone's story and leaves us to imagine the rest.
"When my husband was dying, I said: ‘Moe, how am I supposed to live without you?’ He told me: ‘Take the love you have for me and spread it around."
What he does is a beautiful thing. He roams the street of New York with only a camera and a humble desire to catalogue, not the people, but the humans of the city. Humans with everything that entails, the good, the bad, the tragic, the hopeful. It's astounding what a brief meeting, a photo and some conversation can unearth.
"It was easier than I thought it’d be."
It's, truly, one of the most beautiful websites on the internet. A lot of that is Brandon's doing. He comes off as an extremely down to earth guy, who will ask the people he meets, who strike his eye, if he can take their photograph. And then he talks to them and let's them tell about themselves, and he doesn't discriminate. Not with the people he photographs or the stories they tell. Anything goes.
If you've ever been to his facebook site, and looked at the comments on his photos you'll be surprised how positive it is. It's amazing, really, but perhaps not really surprising that such an honest site, should encourage such a positive attitude among its followers. We sympathize with the people behind the screen, we understand, we see ourselves in them. He invites us to look at everyone we pass with an open mind, and he shows us that you never know quite what to expect.
"They’re the coordinates of the cabin in Arizona where I almost died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Just a reminder."
Taking all that and putting it into a book? What daunting work to undertake. But it's gorgeous. Both its physical appearance, from the cover to the glossy paper and beautiful full-color pictures. There are plenty of new portraits to feast your eyes upon, as well as new thought-provoking comments from those same people, and some you might have seen before (but who will complain about having them to be admired in physical form?). Not all my favorites are there, but I still love this book. I love that it exists, that he got to make it and going through it was an absolute pleasure.
I will continue to admire and follow Brandon's work. This is without a doubt one of my favorite releases of the year. It is, in short, a book that shows us, in a most peculiar way, what it means to be human.
January 10, 2017
"Every time I force myself to go outside, something wonderful happens."
This extraordinary book of photographs will renew your faith in the human spirit, and make you see things with new eyes. The beauty of his subjects -- and their often quirky commentary -- is a delight, and it's amazing the wide range of personalities Photographer Brandon Stanton has been able to capture here.
Stanton didn't begin life as a photographer, but instead as a trader in Chicago. The switch from focusing on money to focusing on his environment is a gift to us all. He began with a camera in Chicago, taking photos largely of buildings (a great place for that), then decided to do a cross-country tour. When he got to New York, however, something changed. Images of people replaced landscapes (although many of his subjects' backgrounds are worth examining closely).
Then came a website, then social media, and the next thing you know, Stanton had an online following of hundreds of thousands of people. And this book deal. He's moved from collecting images to collecting stories, both on his blog and in book 2 (which I am looking forward to) called Humans of New York: Stories.
Speaking for this book, however, I assure you that you will get so much pleasure from these photos. Even if he had never produced another image, or book, he would have accomplished something to be proud of, something great. These photos help Stanton followers (as well as those who simply stumble upon this book) experience the joy of what it means to be an individual, alive, and making your mark on the world.
This extraordinary book of photographs will renew your faith in the human spirit, and make you see things with new eyes. The beauty of his subjects -- and their often quirky commentary -- is a delight, and it's amazing the wide range of personalities Photographer Brandon Stanton has been able to capture here.
Stanton didn't begin life as a photographer, but instead as a trader in Chicago. The switch from focusing on money to focusing on his environment is a gift to us all. He began with a camera in Chicago, taking photos largely of buildings (a great place for that), then decided to do a cross-country tour. When he got to New York, however, something changed. Images of people replaced landscapes (although many of his subjects' backgrounds are worth examining closely).
Then came a website, then social media, and the next thing you know, Stanton had an online following of hundreds of thousands of people. And this book deal. He's moved from collecting images to collecting stories, both on his blog and in book 2 (which I am looking forward to) called Humans of New York: Stories.
Speaking for this book, however, I assure you that you will get so much pleasure from these photos. Even if he had never produced another image, or book, he would have accomplished something to be proud of, something great. These photos help Stanton followers (as well as those who simply stumble upon this book) experience the joy of what it means to be an individual, alive, and making your mark on the world.
December 26, 2013
I’ve been following Humans of New York on Facebook for some time now. As a long time NYC-ophile, it captures everything I love about the people-zoo that is my vision of New York. Although I’ve become a devoted library user in the interests of space, economy and the minimally lived life, I recently decided I needed to make both space and budget for those I’ve been following for free on-line (The Oatmeal, Hyperbole and a Half and Sylvia, to name some others) and Stanton’s newly published collection from his HONY work was at the top of the list.
Humans of New York is a collection of a wide range of his works, both ‘earlier’ in his photography career and more recent. The only word I have for the variety of images is ‘amazing.’
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I love Stanton's work, which is why I've reviewed here. But you can catch my full, forever uncensored review at:
http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/1...
AND
http://carols.booklikes.com/post/7380...-
Humans of New York is a collection of a wide range of his works, both ‘earlier’ in his photography career and more recent. The only word I have for the variety of images is ‘amazing.’
*************************
I love Stanton's work, which is why I've reviewed here. But you can catch my full, forever uncensored review at:
http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/1...
AND
http://carols.booklikes.com/post/7380...-
January 7, 2014
I hesitate to rain on the parade of laurels being heaped upon this book. I enjoyed looking at these photos. It was inspiring and warming to see the vivacity and diversity of New York's humans.
But I have several serious reservations.
Firstly, Stanton is not a great photographer. He admits as much in the introduction. He takes GOOD to AVERAGE photgraphs of very interesting people and scenes. So as I made my way through the book, I felt sort of cheated. I kept waiting for a "whoa" inspiration and instead felt lots of "hmmms."
Second, I admit that the commentaries and interviews might be better on Stanton's blog; but I'm judging this book on its own, and the captions included here run from just plain informational ("seen in Central Park East,") to INCREDIBLY vapid, telly, and sentimental.
Lastly, because Stanton is NOT a great photographer, he tends to hunt for subjects who make up for in noise what he lacks in compositional skill. Rather than say, Edward Hopper-esque photographs of "everyday" people in thoughtful or mysterious moments, Stanton relies on mohawks, transexuality, and "diversity" to maintain interest. I have absolutely NOTHING against any of those subjects or people--the problem is that Stanton would have us believe that these people inhabit these pages because he's seeking a TRUE photographic "census" of the humans of New York City. I'm cynical about that. As I said, Stanton is not interested in SHOWING us something interesting ABOUT these people through his medium, so I come away from these pictures, ESPECIALLY the ones of people living alternative lifestyles, feeling voyeuristic. There is a grand total of ONE photograph of men in suits near Wall Street. This is an "accurate" view of the humans of New York? At times, it's as though we're looking through the photo album of a child who toured New York with his parents for the first time and said "Look!!! A Hasidic Jew! Look two gay men!!! I heard about those!"
So why the three stars? New York is New York and even Stanton's lazy lens can't subdue the beauty of her inhabitants in all their colors and glory.
But I have several serious reservations.
Firstly, Stanton is not a great photographer. He admits as much in the introduction. He takes GOOD to AVERAGE photgraphs of very interesting people and scenes. So as I made my way through the book, I felt sort of cheated. I kept waiting for a "whoa" inspiration and instead felt lots of "hmmms."
Second, I admit that the commentaries and interviews might be better on Stanton's blog; but I'm judging this book on its own, and the captions included here run from just plain informational ("seen in Central Park East,") to INCREDIBLY vapid, telly, and sentimental.
Lastly, because Stanton is NOT a great photographer, he tends to hunt for subjects who make up for in noise what he lacks in compositional skill. Rather than say, Edward Hopper-esque photographs of "everyday" people in thoughtful or mysterious moments, Stanton relies on mohawks, transexuality, and "diversity" to maintain interest. I have absolutely NOTHING against any of those subjects or people--the problem is that Stanton would have us believe that these people inhabit these pages because he's seeking a TRUE photographic "census" of the humans of New York City. I'm cynical about that. As I said, Stanton is not interested in SHOWING us something interesting ABOUT these people through his medium, so I come away from these pictures, ESPECIALLY the ones of people living alternative lifestyles, feeling voyeuristic. There is a grand total of ONE photograph of men in suits near Wall Street. This is an "accurate" view of the humans of New York? At times, it's as though we're looking through the photo album of a child who toured New York with his parents for the first time and said "Look!!! A Hasidic Jew! Look two gay men!!! I heard about those!"
So why the three stars? New York is New York and even Stanton's lazy lens can't subdue the beauty of her inhabitants in all their colors and glory.
January 20, 2023
New York Tendaberry
Brandon Stanton’s “Humans of New York” (2013) captures the joy, diversity, and promise of American and New York City life in a book of 400 glossy color photographs. Taken over a three-year period, the photographs show people of all ages, races, economic classes ,religions, and conditions of life. There are photographs of people alone, with their pets, with lovers, or with friends and family. Some of the subjects are homeless street people while others clearly live a life of opulence. People are shown at work and play, dreaming, talking fighting, extroverted and meditative. The photographs in the volume are all taken with the knowledge of the subjects and thus, to a greater or lesser degree, posed rather than candid.
The variety of New York City, with its busy downtown streets, residential areas, apartments, bridges, buildings, parks, and some surprisingly quiet places serve as the background. The focus of the book is on people – on their faces, clothes, hands, and jewelry. The city locations, however, constitute an integral part of each photo. A short caption accompanies most of the photographs. In many cases, the photos are accompanied by a short anecdote or story about the subject.
Many readers came to this book through an extensive blog of an even larger collection of photos that the author took and maintains. I did not know of the blog until I found the book. I was glad of the opportunity to enjoy and respond to the book fresh in seeing it for the first time rather than to come to it with expectations of its content from viewing the blog. I found effective the arrangement of the photos, the use of captions, and the relatively spare use of stories to accompany the pictures. The photographs speak for themselves.
Brandon Stanton the author, developed his talent for photography in an unusual and pressured way. He had been working in the financial markets of Chicago as a bond salesman and received a camera a gift. The gift allowed Stanton to begin taking pictures of buildings and places in Chicago as a hobby and then to branch gradually into photographing people.. When he lost his job, Stanton decided to make a career change. He began to move from city to city, including Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, taking photos with his interest moving to photographing people. Stanton became fascinated with New York City and its opportunities, moved to the City, and began to photograph in earnest. He soon received widespread recognition on media which translated into this book. Thus, Stanton’s photos of a city and its people reinventing themselves parallel s his own reinvention of himself and his path in life.
Many artists, poets, novelists, and photographers have been fascinated by the speed and diversity of America’s greatest city. With all its predecessors, Stanton’s book is poignant and alive. The book speaks of optimism, diversity, and hope for the city and its people.
Of the many allusions this book could suggest, the one that came to mind was “New York Tendaberry” a 1969 album by singer, composer, and pianist Laura Nyro (1947-- 1997). Nyro’s album with its eleven songs is essentially an ode to New York City. In particular, in the title track, Nyro writes of New York:
“Sidewalk and pigeon
You look like a city,
But you feel like a religion to me.”
Nyro's song concludes in a paean to the city:
“Where quakers and revolutionaries
Join for life, for precious years
Join for life through silver tears
New York tendaberry.”
Stanton’s photos have the intimate feel of Laura Nyro’s song. The book and the song convey messages of hope about the ideals of American urban life and of the American experience.
Robin Friedman
Brandon Stanton’s “Humans of New York” (2013) captures the joy, diversity, and promise of American and New York City life in a book of 400 glossy color photographs. Taken over a three-year period, the photographs show people of all ages, races, economic classes ,religions, and conditions of life. There are photographs of people alone, with their pets, with lovers, or with friends and family. Some of the subjects are homeless street people while others clearly live a life of opulence. People are shown at work and play, dreaming, talking fighting, extroverted and meditative. The photographs in the volume are all taken with the knowledge of the subjects and thus, to a greater or lesser degree, posed rather than candid.
The variety of New York City, with its busy downtown streets, residential areas, apartments, bridges, buildings, parks, and some surprisingly quiet places serve as the background. The focus of the book is on people – on their faces, clothes, hands, and jewelry. The city locations, however, constitute an integral part of each photo. A short caption accompanies most of the photographs. In many cases, the photos are accompanied by a short anecdote or story about the subject.
Many readers came to this book through an extensive blog of an even larger collection of photos that the author took and maintains. I did not know of the blog until I found the book. I was glad of the opportunity to enjoy and respond to the book fresh in seeing it for the first time rather than to come to it with expectations of its content from viewing the blog. I found effective the arrangement of the photos, the use of captions, and the relatively spare use of stories to accompany the pictures. The photographs speak for themselves.
Brandon Stanton the author, developed his talent for photography in an unusual and pressured way. He had been working in the financial markets of Chicago as a bond salesman and received a camera a gift. The gift allowed Stanton to begin taking pictures of buildings and places in Chicago as a hobby and then to branch gradually into photographing people.. When he lost his job, Stanton decided to make a career change. He began to move from city to city, including Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, taking photos with his interest moving to photographing people. Stanton became fascinated with New York City and its opportunities, moved to the City, and began to photograph in earnest. He soon received widespread recognition on media which translated into this book. Thus, Stanton’s photos of a city and its people reinventing themselves parallel s his own reinvention of himself and his path in life.
Many artists, poets, novelists, and photographers have been fascinated by the speed and diversity of America’s greatest city. With all its predecessors, Stanton’s book is poignant and alive. The book speaks of optimism, diversity, and hope for the city and its people.
Of the many allusions this book could suggest, the one that came to mind was “New York Tendaberry” a 1969 album by singer, composer, and pianist Laura Nyro (1947-- 1997). Nyro’s album with its eleven songs is essentially an ode to New York City. In particular, in the title track, Nyro writes of New York:
“Sidewalk and pigeon
You look like a city,
But you feel like a religion to me.”
Nyro's song concludes in a paean to the city:
“Where quakers and revolutionaries
Join for life, for precious years
Join for life through silver tears
New York tendaberry.”
Stanton’s photos have the intimate feel of Laura Nyro’s song. The book and the song convey messages of hope about the ideals of American urban life and of the American experience.
Robin Friedman
April 5, 2014
I don't even know how one would rate a book like this.
I just know I'm fucking glad I bought.
It reminded me about inspiration.
About how I used to, and still do, modify things to my own taste: clothing, decorations, whatev.
It stokes my continuing passion for photography. There's something about capturing a moment. There's so much more to see, to read, to feel in a still. I can always find new colors or tiny details or unintended stars.
I don't care how cheesy it sounds, but it shows that every good person deserves to both express and have recognized their particular talent for that expression. Actually, even if you're a bit of a jerk, you can't hide you're ability for redemption when it's caught in the snap. Try as you might, it's all revealed.
It's been too long since I've just wandered around taking pictures of whatever random patterns or shadows or shapes pull my gaze. That's what I like capturing and Brandon's book is a trigger to do it again.
I wish I could have found online somewhere the image of the one that has stuck to me and will never leave. It's simply called THE COPILOT.
Time to go take some pix.
I just know I'm fucking glad I bought.
It reminded me about inspiration.
About how I used to, and still do, modify things to my own taste: clothing, decorations, whatev.
It stokes my continuing passion for photography. There's something about capturing a moment. There's so much more to see, to read, to feel in a still. I can always find new colors or tiny details or unintended stars.
I don't care how cheesy it sounds, but it shows that every good person deserves to both express and have recognized their particular talent for that expression. Actually, even if you're a bit of a jerk, you can't hide you're ability for redemption when it's caught in the snap. Try as you might, it's all revealed.
It's been too long since I've just wandered around taking pictures of whatever random patterns or shadows or shapes pull my gaze. That's what I like capturing and Brandon's book is a trigger to do it again.
I wish I could have found online somewhere the image of the one that has stuck to me and will never leave. It's simply called THE COPILOT.
Time to go take some pix.
March 16, 2019
All smiles!
February 1, 2015
I love the book premise. I've been following them on fb as well. The photographer takes random photos of anyone and everyone in NY and posts it along with a bit of their conversation. People's wishes, losses, difficulties, and other bits of their life's journey are laid bare for people to see and read. Each vignette can be funny, inspiring, sad, fascinating, mundane, odd, young, old, and so much more. It is mesmerizing.
I have since found other fb pages -- "people of" you name it. It's so eye opening and inspiring.
I have since found other fb pages -- "people of" you name it. It's so eye opening and inspiring.
June 21, 2018
Love HONY! I've been reading his blog for years..
November 14, 2013
Humans of New York - so good I'd buy it twice.
I'm proud to be one of the first people who started following the Facebook page Humans of New York. I introduced my husband and son (who are both photography students) to the page and they in turn introduced others to Brandon's work online.
And this is how Brandon Stanton's book became a New York Times bestseller on pre-orders. Because all over the world people like me fell in love with his way of portraying people photographically and fusing those images with respectful, thoughtful and thought inspiring snippets of text which made everyone who followed his page feel a connection with everyone else who followed it and with the people who appeared in the pictures and indeed with Brandon himself.
So when we had a chance to own a 'real' book which we could then show to others and share the experience still further - of course we ALL wanted that book.
In fact I'm trying to get hold of another copy and it is tricky because the copies available to the UK have all sold out as far as I can tell.
I'm proud to be one of the first people who started following the Facebook page Humans of New York. I introduced my husband and son (who are both photography students) to the page and they in turn introduced others to Brandon's work online.
And this is how Brandon Stanton's book became a New York Times bestseller on pre-orders. Because all over the world people like me fell in love with his way of portraying people photographically and fusing those images with respectful, thoughtful and thought inspiring snippets of text which made everyone who followed his page feel a connection with everyone else who followed it and with the people who appeared in the pictures and indeed with Brandon himself.
So when we had a chance to own a 'real' book which we could then show to others and share the experience still further - of course we ALL wanted that book.
In fact I'm trying to get hold of another copy and it is tricky because the copies available to the UK have all sold out as far as I can tell.
September 6, 2022
Captivating scenes of stirring little moments, offering glimpses to diverse and delightful set of fascinating individuals and their shared anecdotes.
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Reading updates.
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Reading updates.
July 8, 2019
Y'all! This was beautiful!
I never thought I would love a book containing only pictures of people this much. A millisecond of a person's life captured with the lenses of a camera, frozen forever in time. Beyond all these faces is a story; there's whole entire life. We're all similar, but we're not the same. And you can see this human uniqueness in each and every photo in this book.
How the eyes of these people show you their heart, and how you can stare at a photo for hours and still find something new about it. How close you can feel to a person oceans away from you.
I really love Brandon Stanton's eye and how he sees so much beauty in everyday life. Or how he goes after this beauty and captures it.
This book was filled with beauty and I have been smiling like an idiot into these pictures for hours, losing all sense of time. I even got teary eyed at times. To say that I loved this book is an understatement.
This book had more stories contained inside its pages than a lot of the novels I read. Honestly, it was beautiful and I will always want more.
I never thought I would love a book containing only pictures of people this much. A millisecond of a person's life captured with the lenses of a camera, frozen forever in time. Beyond all these faces is a story; there's whole entire life. We're all similar, but we're not the same. And you can see this human uniqueness in each and every photo in this book.
How the eyes of these people show you their heart, and how you can stare at a photo for hours and still find something new about it. How close you can feel to a person oceans away from you.
I really love Brandon Stanton's eye and how he sees so much beauty in everyday life. Or how he goes after this beauty and captures it.
This book was filled with beauty and I have been smiling like an idiot into these pictures for hours, losing all sense of time. I even got teary eyed at times. To say that I loved this book is an understatement.
This book had more stories contained inside its pages than a lot of the novels I read. Honestly, it was beautiful and I will always want more.
August 13, 2016
AMAZING! So unbelievably proud of Brandon and loved the book!
April 29, 2015
Amazing and interesting.
November 19, 2015
Funny, Witty, Touching & Inspiring! A Beautiful Read! I Loved It!
July 7, 2024
When I saw this in Goodwill for 2$ I snatched it up as the treasure I knew it to be. I thought I would pass it on to my daughter for her birthday but no way am I parting with this. Brandon Stanton restores my faith in humanity and I find lately I really, really need that. I also love the palpable vibe of New York that shines through these photos and though I’ve never visited and probably never will, this book gives a little slice of New York life that I really enjoyed. Definitely a keeper. Sorry, but not sorry 😁
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