The Story Behind the Stranger | Úna Farrell

Una Farrell looks at Brandon Stanton, a photographer whose unique views have propelled him to the limelight.November 2010 marked the beginning of one of the most popular and influential photography blogs so far. Beginning as a project to construct a photographic census of New York it developed into a project which now has over 500,000 followers on Facebook. David Karp, founder of Tumblr, has described it as one of his favourite blogs. I am of course talking about Humans of New York or HONY for its fans.Photographer Brandon Stanton has created a space where he not only takes photos of people on the streets of New York but a space where we can glimpse into the lives of these people, these strangers. The stories he has collected along with each photo share emotions, advice and inspiration. Brandon has the unique ability to capture these strangers and give them a voice. He can capture much more than a face with a lens, he can capture the person.HONY is not limited to the streets of New York. In 2012 Brandon visited Iran and took his camera with him. Instead of the usual pictures of devastation, poverty and war we see emerging from Iran, Brandon looked for the beauty in it. His portraits showed us an insight into the people and culture of Iran without the veil of war and terror to shadow our judgement. His ability to capture more than just the figure in the portrait allowed for a collection of amazing photographs from Iran.Not only does Brandon produce such a popular blog he uses his popularity and fame to aid projects close to him. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which caused approximately $42 million worth of damage to the New York area, Brandon in conjunction with Tumblr raised over $300,000 to help victims of the Hurricane. By offering HONY prints among other Tumblr goods to those who donated they managed to raise this impressive amount while Brandon also photographed and spread the stories of those doing some amazing work to help fund resources for those affected.His philanthropy doesn’t stop here though. Most recently Brandon’s photos were used in a DKNY campaign without the consent of Brandon. This misunderstanding entitled Brandon to take legal action against this multi million dollar company but instead Brandon took this event as an opportunity to give to those less fortunate. After being offered $15,000 to use his pictures in their campaign Brandon refused this offer. Upon hearing of their use he then asked for DKNY to make a $100,000 donation to the YMCA in Brooklyn on his behalf. DKNY then agreed to make a $25,000 donation on Brandon’s behalf. In response to this Brandon once again rallied his fans and supporters and at the time of print he has raised over $50,000 in his goal to reach the full $100,000 donation to the YMCA in his local area in order to send 300 disadvantaged kids to summer camp.Brandon Stanton has created something unique. Something which has spanned across countries and continents, sparking similar projects in cities all over the world. The strangers we meet have exceptional stories to tell and HONY is their medium. Brandon himself says that this project has allowed him to meet some amazing people. I, for one, think Brandon is quite amazing himself. He not only gives us a glimpse into the lives of these strangers while creating stunning portraits he gives so much more in terms of charity and selflessness. For those amongst you yet to check out his blog, do so immediately, I promise you won’t be disappointed.