Chronicling The Little Humans Of New York: Q&A With Photographer Brandon Stanton

Brandon Stanton, the American photographer and creator of the blog and bestselling book Humans of New York, has just released a companion children’s book, Little Humans of New York. This exciting new work features portraits of a diverse group of little New Yorkers alongside a fun story about what makes them special.

We checked in with Stanton, who will be speaking about the book tonight at 92Y, to get the inside scoop on Little Humans of New York.

What drew you to focus solely on children for your next book?

Over the past four years, there have been hundreds of kids’ portraits on HONY [Humans of New York], and they’ve always been one of the most unique and popular parts of the blog. So I think it was only natural to put them together, especially in a way that makes HONY accessible to a young audience.

What makes little New Yorkers unique, compared to other kids you’ve met around the world?

I used to think that New York parents went out of their way to dress their children in outsized and unique ways. But having recently traveled to several cities around the world, I’ve come to the conclusion that this appears to be a very common instinct of parenthood.

Based on your previous work, it is evident that you are very much interested in the personal narratives attached to your portraits. Did you have to come up with specific questions geared for children to get their narratives? Was this difficult?

Obviously, a child’s range of experience is much more limited than an adult’s, so the responses are more limited. But really, I ask a lot of the same questions that I ask adults. It’s interesting to see how a child interprets the question, and as every parent knows, sometimes their answers can be quite insightful and unexpected.

Were parents ever skeptical about having you take pictures of their children? If so, how did you overcome this obstacle?

Sure, plenty of parents are skeptical. But plenty of adult subjects are also skeptical when I ask for their photos. I’ve actually found that contrary to popular belief, a lot of parents seem much more willing to throw their kids in front of the camera than to be photographed themselves. If a parent is skeptical, I take the time to show/explain the blog. Often they still prefer to not participate, and that’s absolutely fine.

Has this project inspired to continue working with children in other ways?

I think kids will always be an integral part of HONY. I’ve always said that I think, in general, the most unique answers come from people toward the beginning and the end of their lives.

What is your next move as far as photography goes? Do you have any idea what your next focus will be?

I just came back from 60 days of travel, so I’m looking forward to getting back to the streets of New York for a while. I’ve got a few ideas of where I’d like to take Humans of New York next, but nothing that I’m quite ready to talk about.

For more information on Stanton and his work visit his website at: humansofnewyork.com