Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton

With the people watching days of the Iowa State Fair behind us, and the shopper watching days of Black Friday still a few weeks away, if you find yourself needing a glimpse of your fellow human beings, Brandon Stanton’s “Humans of New York” is worth checking out.

Stanton took his camera to the streets of New York City, a place full of potential subjects, and snapped shots of the folks that caught his eye. The pictures that he took capture faces, clothing styles and moods of his fellow residents of NYC.

The shots are not anything technically advanced; Stanton does not use any high-tech equipment or new photography techniques—he simply stops people and takes their picture. How these people look and dress tell the story.

Some of the pictures are simply titled; while others are accompanied by short paragraphs providing some details of the people pictured and how their lives brought them to where Stanton found them and took their picture.

Many of the pictures and the stories bring a smile, or even a laugh; several are very touching as you catch a glimpse of how some people simply survive. The book is sure to keep you turning pages.