Scrolling aimlessly through Facebook’s timeline, everybody comes across hundreds of photographs a day. But ‘scrolling’ being the operative word, obviously, no one looks intently at all these pictures. But then there are those photos which shout out, "Look at me! Read my story!"
It’s quite likely that these photographs are from a Humans of… page; photographs that feature people from a particular city and their stories that are popular on social media. The trend that began with the very popular page, Humans of New York soon caught the eyes of photographers all around the world. They picked up their cameras and took to the streets to find interesting individuals who had something to share.
Chennai-based psychologist Dr Mini Rao says that the trend can impress a lot of positivity on the person who posts the story, the person featured, as well as the reader. “Viewing content in these Humans of… pages can have a very positive effect and prompt you to do something good. You need such visual content to motivate you in today's busy life, especially if you connect with it on an emotional level. Also, the ego boost that these posts give to those featured is also incredible,” she says.
But have we ever thought about the soul behind the camera that brings us these wonderful stories? Believe it or not, for some of them, these pages are not just tools of popularity but a part of their lives.
Sreya Vittaldev, who runs the Humans of Bangalore Facebook page started it three years ago, as a coping mechanism for bipolar type II disorder. For someone who found it difficult to strike up a conversation with anyone unknown, she now scours through every nook and corner of Bengaluru with a DSLR, talking to strangers, listening to their tales, and giving them a voice. "These stories remind me that whatever I’m going through is insignificant and there are bigger issues. The more judgmental we are, the more it stops us from moving forward. It helps me understand people better and be a better human being," she says. Through the page, she was even able to raise funds to renovate a school that lacked even the basic facilities.
So, how do these admins verify the stories that they hear? From drawing out unheard voices to saving many lives, the Humans of Amsterdam admin Debra Barraud believes that trusting people with good intentions helps her bring out stories. "When someone shares their story with me, I'm not going to cross-check if that’s exactly what happened. I trust that people have good intentions. Also, everyone has their own version of their own story. I just listen and write down what they have to say. With that being said, when I wrote Nadia's story, the young woman whose 3-year-old daughter had been kidnapped and smuggled to India, I was given access to all the official documents. Also, this story was verified by the Dutch officials. In this case, it was important to verify the truth because I did not want to damage to the case," she says.
Following the same principle is Divyam Singhal, an engineer on weekdays and a photographer on weekends, who runs the Humans of Delhi page. He wanders through the streets of the capital with an instant camera to find her next story and does not go about verifying stories because, "It’s very easy to figure out if the person you’re talking to is bluffing or not."
Now, while most people are drawn to heartwarming stories from the cities, GMB Akash brings to us stories from the villages, slums, and brothels of Dhaka. His photo-story page, GMB Akash that was started five years ago, has close to 300,000 likes on Facebook. Ask the followers of his page and they will tell you how his stories have left them teary-eyed.
So, what is his trick to get people to narrate their touching stories? “Would you tell me or a stranger your life story in five minutes?” asks Akash. “Until I win your trust and become the one who deserves to know your story, you won’t tell me anything. The people I photograph are the same,” says the photographer, who spends days getting to know his subjects and their stories.
Photography enthusiasts from popular colleges too aren’t behind when it comes to these pages. Check out the Humans of Amity page that features the students of Amity University. The page has gained much popularity because of Uttam Poudyal, the Mass Communication student who runs it along with his girlfriend. Passionate to know more about people, he goes around the campus almost every day, observing people and then strikes up a conversation with them. “I usually look for loners or people from small towns,” says Uttam, who is all set to graduate in a month. He says that he will continue to run the page even after graduating and will find the time to visit the campus often.
