A 'Photographic Census' Captures New York's Characters

You could say that Brandon Stanton is on a mission. You could say that he has a passion. Or you could say he is perhaps a bit…obsessive. Whatever you want to call it, Stanton, 28, has been walking the streets of New York for hours every day for a year and a half, taking pictures of the city’s people for his Humans of New York project. He estimates that he has shot about 4,000 portraits over that time, and heard as many stories. He calls it a "photographic census" of the city.

Stanton, who grew up in Atlanta, came to New York after a three-year stint as a bond trader in Chicago. He remembers the date of the move exactly: November 4, 2010. He hasn’t looked back since. Only forward, through the lens of his Canon EOS 7D. No day job. Just miles and miles of walking the city’s streets each day, looking for characters.