‘Humans of New York’ heads to Iran for second time

The photographer behind hit Facebook photography blog “Humans of New York,” announced Wednesday that he will soon return to Iran to Iran, for his second visit in three years.

The photography project, which was started in 2010 and has over 14 million followers on Facebook, features portraits of people along with short quotes. Initially photographer Brandon Stanton limited the scope of the project to New York, but in 2012 he included photographs from a trip to Iran, and he has since visited many other countries, including Israel. His most recent visit was to Pakistan.

His photographs from Iran showed the country’s human side by displaying the day-to-day lives of regular Iranians.

“Iran holds a special place in my heart because it was the first international trip that I ever made with HONY. But that was three years ago, and I’ve always looked back at the collection with a tinge of regret, because HONY was still quite new and the work was pretty uncooked. I was only just beginning to include quotes alongside the photographs,” Stanton wrote Wednesday on his Facebook page.

“I always wished that I could return and do a better job telling the stories of ordinary Iranians, and I’m excited to have that opportunity.”

Following his 2012 trip, Stanton said that while he opposes many policies by the Iranian government, he encourages others to travel to Iran.

“The US Government has a lengthy travel warning for Iran. While not advising you to ignore this warning, I do advise that you balance it with direct accounts of Americans who have recently visited the country. These accounts are generally filled with superlatives– the country is beautiful, the history is rich, and the people are eager to demonstrate their almost-sacred commitment to hospitality,” Stanton wrote in a 2012 statement.

Stanton acknowledged that the Iranian government is problematic and that traveling to Iran carries its difficulties, including the fact that those who have Israeli stamps in their passports are banned from entering the country. He emphasized, however, that government policies should not prevent Westerners from traveling to the country and getting to know its people.

“Iran’s government is not its people. You can greatly enjoy a country, while at the same time disagreeing with it’s government. Travel is not advocacy of ideology or policy. Travel is travel, and it’s the single greatest contributor to understanding between cultures.”