Humans of New York is a website. It’s just thousands of photos of people in the public spaces of their city. I am drawn back to this website time and again. The whacky, crazy, touching, elegant portraits taken together emanate humour, hope, and happiness but, above all, humanity. I feel a connection with the city and the people that I have no right to feel. I live in Switzerland.

Twenty-eight year-old Brandon Stanton started this project in 2010 after losing his job in Chicago. He moved to New York and simply started to take photos of people he met in the street. He has rare talent and clearly engages his subjects. His enthusiasm is infectious. No wonder his work has gone “viral.”

Stanton’s beautiful stuff digs deep into and resonates fundamental notions of humanity. I’d put money on a merge of Humans of Gaza with Humans of Tel Aviv proving to be a war-stopper.