Yu 1 Dwelling in the Past What Is the Purpose Of
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Yu 1 Dwelling in the Past What is the purpose of photography? Is it to share experiences with peers? Or is it to create “souvenirs” out of experiences? For tourists, both of these are valid purposes for photography. Susan Sontag makes a various claims about the relationship between tourism and photography in her essay, “On Photography.” She asserts that tourists capture pictures in order to show evidence that trips were made. By capturing these pictures, tourists can take possession of a space that they feel insecure in. Furthermore, Sontag mentions that photography is a method used by travelers to relieve anxiety when they aren’t working (Sontag 177). In essence, photography is not only used to remember moments in time, it is also used to satisfy human insecurities. By these qualifications, the photographer behind “Human’s of New York,” Brandon Stanton, is a tourist. “Humans of New York” (HONY) has grown into one of the most widely regarded blogs of our time. Brandon Stanton, the photographer behind it, takes pictures of common New Yorkers and then asks them a few simple questions. With his photography and his blog, Stanton can be considered a tourist himself. To understand how, a brief explanation of his background is necessary. Brandon Stanton found himself in an unfamiliar place when he was laid off from his job in 2010, and in turn, transitioned his life and began his photography career. Rather than striving to find another well-paying viable job, Stanton wanted to find something that he enjoyed: he decided that photography was the direction to turn to. The photographs he initially took were amateurish at best; he captured images of buildings, street signs, and other everyday objects. Stanton’s images didn’t receive wide acclaim until he decided to shift his focus from taking pictures of everything to specializing in human portraits (Stanton, “Behind the Lens”). The approach to HONY is unprecedented by any other blog in past times. In creating his blog, Stanton was essentially creating a new type of genre for the world to see. Unlike other photography blogs, HONY puts an emphasis on the story behind the photography. Stanton even describes his project as “more of a storytelling blog than a photography blog” (Jones). This previously unestablished genre parallels the foreign areas that tourists visit. In other words, Stanton himself was a tourist in this newly constructed genre. As a tourist, Stanton had insecurities, and his insecurities stemmed from the very natural human fear of rejection (Goodyear). Because his project involved approaching random strangers and asking them for permission to take a portrait, there was always the possibility of rejection. To “take possession of Yu 2 this space,” Stanton was resilient in his efforts and posted the pictures onto his blog. With every picture he posted, Stanton was able to garner more followers. This number started from “zero to 3000 in one year, then 3,000 to 300,000 in the next” (Kaplan). The sheer popularity of his blog added to his confidence. This popularity acted as a constant reminder that people were supportive of his efforts in photography. Even though sometimes Stanton still gets “rejected about 10 times in a row,” he doesn’t register the sting of rejection anymore (Jones). By following his dreams and staying resilient, Stanton was able to take control of this “insecure genre.” Beyond his background story, Stanton’s photography also supports the claims that Sontag makes about overcoming an insecure space. In taking his pictures, Stanton captures the insecurities of other people as well. In an interview with The New York Times, Stanton mentions that: “There’s a comfort, an affirmation, a validation in being exposed to people with similar problems” (Bosman). From here we can see how Stanton’s insecurities are alleviated by the assurance that he is not the only one. Everyone is insecure about his or her own issues; these photographs show people that they are not alone in their search for a place of security. The picture on the right shows a father and his son standing side by side. The quote with the picture reads: “What’s the hardest part about being a Dad?” “Probably just realizing that my time with him is going to run out.” (Stanton, “Humans of New York”) Many people on Facebook commented on the relatability of the quote. For example, Schannon Dial mentions: “I feel the same way with my son. He's already 14 and I'm already thinking about how hard it's going to be when he is off to college” (Dial). Stanton is able to overcome his own insecurities with photography, but he also helps those who relate with the photograph overcome theirs. In doing so, Stanton takes Sontag’s claim to a different level. Stanton shows how he is not only a tourist, but also a tour guide as well. He is able to lead others past their insecurities by sharing portraits of “people with similar problems.” He shows how photography can be used as a Yu 3 tool that relieves more than just the insecurities of the photographer/tourist: it can be used to relieve the insecurities of all those who relate. Tourists are also known for stepping out of their natural habitats to visit a new location for a short period of time (Sontag 177). Stanton had to break social bounds in order to capture the portraits that have made him so famous. The common New Yorker lives his day without giving a second thought to anyone that walks by. On the other hand, Stanton disrupts this routine by approaching strangers in New York and asking them personal questions. Instead of visiting a physical location, Stanton is a tourist by visiting the lives of strangers for a brief period of time. He is able to take a glance into the lives of others and captures the moment with a camera. These images “offer indisputable evidence that the trip was made, that the program was carried out, that fun was had” (Sontag 177). In the picture on the right, Stanton captures an image of a man casually sitting. Next to the picture, Stanton includes his conversation. “I’m taking a 3 month memoir-writing course." "So what’s the most intense moment of your memoir?" "When I was 17, my best friend died in my arms of an MDMA overdose" (Stanton, “Humans of New York”). The image itself serves as a reminder that the occasion actually occurred: the quote serves as a glimpse into the person’s life. This particular conversation expresses the social boundaries that Stanton crosses. With his question, Stanton receives a very personal piece of information, thereby traveling further into the man’s life. These very personal responses help Stanton travel into the lives of the subjects that he photographs. Sontag also makes a claim that for tourists, photography is a good way to relieve anxiety. Most people need “[to appease] the anxiety which the work-driven feel about not working” (Sontag 177). Stanton takes an interesting approach on this because he is actually working at the same time that he is capturing portraits as a tourist. Rather than representing a split between work and enjoyment, Stanton is combining these two aspects of a tourist. When he lost his job Yu 4 back in 2010, he faced a decision between looking for a new job and taking on photography. For him, this was never an issue. After losing his job, Stanton responded to his decision in an interview: “Everything began with a love of photography. I loved taking photographs. When I used to work in Chicago, I’d spend all my time photographing the city. So as you can see, everything traces back to a love of photography. The pieces fell in place one at a time” (Morris). Stanton’s love for photography was so strong that he didn’t feel anxiety when he wasn’t working at his old job. He just continued following his passions and staying true to his goals. Now, by taking pictures as a hobby and for his career, Stanton is able to relieve anxiety while being a tourist and worker at the same time. Most people feel an anxiety about not being able to find a job, about not earning money. Stanton, however, sees money in an entirely different perspective. He asserts that he loves “taking these pictures, and it’s what [he] would do if [he] had all the money in the world” (Kaplan). He feels no anxiety toward making money; he only wants to follow his passions in photography. Because of his acclaimed HONY blog, Stanton no longer needs to worry about the anxieties of being jobless and not earning money – instead, he is able to work while living the live of a tourist. Generally, tourists take pictures for the purpose of remembering and sharing various experiences. However, Sontag touches upon another point: taking photographs is also a way of refusing experiences (Sontag 177). Stanton isn’t refusing the fact that the experience occurred; rather, he is refusing to capture the experience in its natural setting. With every subject, Stanton “positions them on a stoop, crouches down, [and] reels off a few shots” (Kaplan). He disrupts the norm, and intervenes with what’s happening in the scene. Instead of capturing the experience as a whole, Stanton captures altered images that he constructs. Furthermore, with HONY, Stanton doesn’t capture the experience of New York in its entirety. Stanton targets a small quantity of people: “his pace quickens when he spots three female African American chefs wearing toques and whites” (Kaplan).