A photographer listens past boundaries
Photographer Brandon Stanton set an ambitious goal for himself: to visit as many places as he could and meet as many people as he could en route. He did it. It took him five years to cover 40 countries, from England to Vietnam to France to Iraq.
In the preface to his stunningly illustrated “Humans” (St. Martin’s Press, 435 pp., $35), Stanton notes: “This book is what it was always destined to be: the collected conversations of a single photographer.”
Separately, he says, “Human connection is the one resource that is currently in the shortest supply. And if there’s one thing that humans attempt to provide, it’s connection.”
What follows is a sample of the University of Georgia graduate’s keen eye, sensitive ear and gentle witness to an owner walking a cart-riding dog in Rosario, Argentina:
“She lost her back legs when she got hit by a car,” explained her owner. “She’d already been returned to the shelter twice already. She’s a lot of work. It’s almost like having a child. You need to be very patient. You always need to change her diaper. It’s very hard to find a babysitter. But I’ve had her for one and a half years now and I can’t imagine life without her. Everyone loves Lucy. And Lucy loves everyone. She can’t wag her tail, so I was worried that I’d never know if she was happy. But she tells me with her eyes.”
In the photo, she kisses Lucy’s nose, their eyes locking.
Another one: A woman in Rasht, Iran, stands on the sidewalk. “I’ve fallen in love with literature. I try to read for one or two hours every day. I only have one life to live. But in books I can live one thousand lives.”
These are indeed windows on the world.
Stanton concedes the approach is the most important element of the work: “It’s the process of getting through to the real person. Only then can you present what you find to others. If our shields are what separate us, it’s what’s behind our shields that connects us. …
“We connect to the vulnerabilities of other people. If only we’re allowed to see them.”
Notably, these examples:
Two older women sit on a bench in New York, United States: “We don’t have any hobbies. But we do try to get together a few times a month to judge people and complain about things.”
A father in Tokyo, Japan, is holding his infant son: “In a lot of ways he’s just like an animal. He doesn’t seem to have many thoughts. Only whether he feels good, or doesn’t feel good. He seems so simple. But there was a time when he was only a month old, and it was just me and him, and I looked over, and he was making an expression that I couldn’t quite place. It seemed reflective. Almost melancholic. Like an old person makes when they’re thinking back on their life. And I wondered: ‘Could he be remembering something the rest of us have forgotten?’ ”
A child in Madrid, Spain: “People take you to fun places when you’re five, but unfortunately you also have to study difficult topics. Today I had to write ‘toothbrush’ in all capital letters.”
And last, a photo of a man with his father in Jaipur, India: “When I was twelve years old, I really wanted a bicycle. So he bought one for me. Shortly after that, I noticed that he wasn’t wearing his favorite ring. He told me that it was being repaired. When I became an adult, I asked him again: ‘Where is that ring? I want to make one just like it.’ Finally he told me: ‘I sold that ring to get your bicycle.’ ”
ACROSS 1 Not yet bought 5 Kvetch
10 Mushroom sought by mushroom hunters
15 Econ. barometer 18 Bar on a truck
19 Swiss luxury brand
20 Butler’s love
21 Provider of
expert advice
22 Swindler
24 “It’s hopeless”
26 Subs
27 __ fly: runscoring out
28 World’s largest tennis stadium
29 Social media profile picture, often
30 Clue follower
32 Muralist Rivera
34 Cybertruck maker
35 Rod’s partner
37 “Over here!” 40 Hoods at a monastery
43 Meat brand spelled out by a four-year-old in ads
48 C-SPAN addict, say
50 Miley Cyrus label
51 Noisy bunkmate
53 Prepare for another drive
54 Holiday lead-in 55 Conspiring faction
58 Italy’s cont.
59 “Look before you leap,” e.g.
61 Advanced teaching deg.
62 2009 aviation biopic
64 Authoritative code
66 Art __
68 Timely mnemonic, or what the circled letters depict
75 Arcade giant 76 Rear-__
77 Hand at sea
78 Improv bit
81 Coordinated
84 Closest peeps 86 Texas site of Pizza Hut headquarters
87 Helen Reddy’s “__ Woman” 88 Flood control 89 Big name in bowling shoes 92 Dudes
93 Some Nehi drinks 96 It may be cracked with a key
99 Suite spot
100 Mount Rainier’s Native American name ... and a Microsoft typeface
102 Soothing succulent
103 “Look before you leap,” e.g.
105 Ethereal glows 108 Whitman’s dooryard bloomers
112 Pelican State campus
114 Backfire sound
116 Co-star with
Chevy and Gilda
118 Open veranda
119 Cable company offering
121 Fugitive trackers, at times
123 Big party
124 Caffeine-rich nuts
125 Curling venue
126 Vending machine inserts
127 Rapper Lil __ X
128 Look after
129 Exorcist’s target
130 Overly curious
DOWN
1 Has staying power
2 Stand out
3 Heartthrob
4 Deep-fried Japanese dish
5 Boxer’s warning
6 Turns
7 Trojan War saga
8 Joe who played the thief Harry in “Home Alone”
9 Phone routing no.
10 Rainy season
11 “I know! Pick me!”
12 Utility bill figure
13 Jazz or swing
14 Time-__
15 Gunpowder Plot participant of 1605
16 Hamburger’s three
17 Free of contaminants
21 Pump measure
23 Autumn blossom
25 Coast Guard mission
28 Before now
31 Sewer’s bottoms
33 “Reader, I married him” governess
34 Taco truck fare 36 The Beatles’ Penny, e.g.
38 It’s driven on a trail
39 Has a balance due
41 In real time
42 Piece inside a pumpkin
43 Seal-hunting swimmers
44 Whippersnapper
45 Pole thrown by Scots
46 “Seriously?”
47 Wild throw, usually
49 Crown collection 52 Wine and dine 56 Elite guests
57 Airport screening likelihood
60 Pie crust ingredient
61 Gas brand with a red “o” in its logo
63 Team from College Station, Texas
65 Stefani of No Doubt
67 Show appreciation
69 Selection process for MLB All-Stars
70 Crusoe creator
71 Swiss coin
72 National rival
73 Shaped like a
megaphone
74 Danish coin
78 Sound of resignation
79 Syrup used in pecan pies
80 “It puzzles me”
82 Jon of “Chicago P.D.”
83 “You betcha!”
85 “Look, señorita!” 88 Stanford who co-founded Stanford University
90 Winter Palace monarch
91 Prison division
94 Intellectual nitpicker
95 Scoundrel
97 Sheer linen fabric 98 Grayish-yellow green
101 Clown for the camera
104 Tech whizzes
106 Put on a pedestal
107 Capital SSW of Portland
109 Not allowed
110 Batting practice sites
111 Spacek of “The River”
112 Texter’s parting
113 Where the iris is
114 Farm bundle
115 Med school subj.
117 Barcelona boy
120 “The Simpsons” bartender
121 Launch site
122 Spam holder