People in the lens of Brandon Stanton and their mini-stories

The currently famous photographer and blogger from the USA, Brandon Stanton, became famous after he came up with his project called “People of New York” (“Humans of New York”). This idea came to him almost immediately after he lost his job. The amateur photographer moved to the "Big Apple" - as the Americans call New York - and began to walk around the city and take pictures of passers-by. Then it dawned on him and he decided to add a short description to each picture - a mini-story of the person who got into the lens. And that's how he became famous.

This year the author of the project decided to expand his geography and went to the Middle East, just like in New York, to photograph ordinary people on the streets and find out how they live. And although these are such different worlds - America and the Middle East - it turned out that the stories told by people from the east are not so different from the stories of Americans.

21 PHOTOS

1. New Yorkers: a girl who is terribly happy that someone photographs her and a man who, despite his disability, tries to take from life as much as possible. (Photo: Brandon Stanton).

The popularity of Brandon's blog was brought precisely by interesting and sometimes funny entries under photographs of people. In several sentences, the author described the story of passers-by in such a way that each of them became interesting and inspiring.

2. The story of the woman in the photo (New York, USA): “Once my mother saw how our stepbrother hit my sister. And although my mother was then seventy years old, she got up from her chair, walked across the room, and began to beat him with her stick. “I was a black woman in the 40s and we didn’t have any laws than to protect ourselves,” Mom said. (Photo: Brandon Stanton).

3. The main characters of the project are not only people. Brandon also photographs the animals he encounters on the street. Especially if they intrigued him with their behavior or appearance. “He wants to go home,” explained the owner of the bulldog (New York, USA). (Photo: Brandon Stanton).

4. In the photo: a young woman who works with New York families. “Most of my day consists of having fun and dancing with the kids,” she says. (Photo: Brandon Stanton).

5. A woman from the city of Kasangul in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “The woman in the photo said she would let me take a picture if I bought her some nuts. When I did, I asked her if she remembered the saddest moment of her life. Then she started laughing and said, "You'll have to buy me more nuts," is how Brandon described the picture. (Photo: Brandon Stanton).

Brandon Stanton traveled to the Middle East - Iraq and Jordan - to learn more about people who live in difficult conditions. What was the surprise of the author when the passers-by he met did not tell about the hardships of life and sad memories of the war, but, on the contrary, optimistic stories testifying to the strength of mind and steadfastness of these people, despite difficult circumstances?

6. A man from the city of Shaqlaq in Iraq. “I have a good life, I run my own business. Although many hotels persuade me: "Come shine your shoes for us, we will pay you more." In response, I ask them: “Why should I agree? After all, now I am free, ”says the man with the photo. (Photo: Brandon Stanton).

7. In the photo: teenagers in the shopping center in Erbil in Iraq. “Guys, what do you want to be when you become adults?” - “Doctors”. “And what interests you the most now?” “Mathematics,” the teenagers answered Brandon's questions. Internet users who commented on these photos were surprised not only by the "western" style of the boys' clothing but also by the fact that there are large and modern shopping centers in Iraq. (Photo: Brandon Stanton).

8. The heroine of this photo from Amman in Jordan said the following: “My grandmother remembers the Arab world in a different way than people see it today. In her time, it was a world known to all for its music, intellectual potential, and innovation. Maybe I'm naive, but I want to help unite the Arab world (both between our countries and within them) so that we can return to that "old world". (Photo: Brandon Stanton).

9. A boy from Kasangulu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “I listen to music about God,” the teenager told the photographer. And to emphasize the importance of this moment, he gestured for silence. (Photo: Brandon Stanton).

10. A man from the city of Petra in Jordan. “We were engaged for six months, but her parents forced her to marry a rich man,” says the subject of the photo. When asked what the last words you said to your ex-fiancee, he replied that he had done everything in his power. “I wish you happiness,” he added. (Photo: Brandon Stanton).

11. Father and son from Jordan. “When my son was little, he lived with his mother in the Gaza Strip. One evening, when I spoke to him on the phone before going to bed, he said that he wears three pairs of panties at night. I was surprised and asked why he didn't wear his pajamas? “Because I want my body not to be blown to pieces if a bomb falls on me,” the son replied. (Photo: Brandon Stanton).

12. “I sweep the streets. I used to work as a lifeguard at an exclusive hotel on the Dead Sea, but I lost my job. Why? Because I brought some dirt from the beach, as my cousin said that it has a beneficial effect on the skin. When the manager found out about this, he said, “Hey. We could sell it, you stole the dirt from us,” said the man in the photo from Jordan. (Photo: Brandon Stanton).
Netizens were moved by his story and called for a boycott of the hotel from which the man was fired.

13. A girl from Erbil in Iraq. “She can speak so many different languages, more than anyone else in our family knows. And all because she plays with all the children on the street, ”her parents say about her. (Photo: Brandon Stanton).

“When I asked them what they intended to do with these banks, they said they were building a car. I smiled. But when I returned to them a few minutes later, I saw that in fact, they managed to build a small car, ”writes the author of the picture. (Photo: Brandon Stanton).
Children from the Dahuk refugee camp in Iraq. They belong to a religious minority - the Yezidis, whose members, according to radical Muslims, are "devil worshipers" and "should be destroyed."

15. “I want to be a pilot. Then I could fly everywhere,” a boy from Jordan dreams. (Photo: Brandon Stanton).

16. These boys from the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan had a very important mission. “We are trying to get to Grandma,” they told the photographer. (Photo: Brandon Stanton).

17. “I have five daughters, and they also have five daughters. And all granddaughters love to spend time with their grandmother, ”the smiling woman said about her family. (Amman, Jordan). (Photo: Brandon Stanton).

18. Children love to be the center of attention regardless of background or geographic location. In the photo: a little Iraqi girl happily poses for a photographer. (Photo: Brandon Stanton).

19. “I found him in a dumpster and named him Shadow because he follows me everywhere,” said a young man from New York about his cat. (Photo: Brandon Stanton).

20. “One day your life will end, dear. I take everything I can from life. I am an international cougar woman,” said the lady in the photo to the photographer. (Photo: Brandon Stanton).

Cougar women or female cougars are a new social phenomenon in America. These are ladies of mature age who are looking for partners among younger men.

21. Brandon's project aroused great interest among Internet users. His Facebook profile is followed by more than 9 million people. In 2013, Brandon's first book of photographs was published, which immediately became a bestseller.

The story of the author as well as his characters is very interesting and inspiring. An unemployed man who simply took pictures of passers-by became famous and rich. In short, the American dream has come true. (Photo: Brandon Stanton).