Humans of Samohi

With over 3,000 students at Samo, it’s nearly impossible to know everyone. There is a new face around each corner, and with so many corners and so many faces, someone will always be a stranger. Photography students Holly Erickson (’15) and Sadie Saltzman (’15) have begun to make Samo a little smaller by creating a new Instagram account, “Humans of Samohi.” Drawing inspiration from the popular New York photo blog, “Humans of New York” (HONY), “Humans of Samohi” showcases the diverse faces and interesting stories of students around campus.HONY was started by photographer Brandon Stanton in 2010. Since then, the blog’s Facebook page has accumulated over 10 million likes and Stanton’s recently published photo-book was an instant “New York Times” #1 Best Seller. Upon its creation, HONY’s intent was to display the different outfits, environments and relationships of humans in New York City.Stanton eventually started speaking with the people he photographed and since then, every photo has been accompanied by a quote from the subject. When HONY fans Erickson and Saltzman were assigned a semester-long project on identity for their Photo 2 class, they paired up and instantly knew what they wanted to do. “Humans of Samohi” uses the same approach as HONY when collecting photos and quotes from conversations.“It’s a project based on ‘Humans of New York,’ but we’ve shaped it to a school setting, to expose the unique students that go here and those [whom] you maybe wouldn’t have ever talked to or met,” Saltzman said.Cameras in hands, Saltzman and Erickson spend lunchtime hunting for subjects; they aim to photograph both people who stand out to them and students whom they would usually not speak to. They first introduce themselves to potential subjects and explain what “Humans of Samohi” is. According to Erickson, some people are very excited to be part of the project, while others are more hesitant.“They’re never rude about it, [but] you can [just] tell by their face, you can tell that they look scared,” Erickson said. “Our intentions are not to make people uncomfortable, so we get that vibe really quickly and we’re just like ‘nevermind, it’s totally fine!’”After taking their portraits, Erickson and Saltzman have a short conversation with the student to find a perfect quote to adorn the picture. They’ll often start by asking the person a question — either specific and personal, or general and thought-provoking. For Erickson, getting inspired to ask the right question sometimes comes with taking the photo.“If they have something about them that stands out, like blue hair, we’ll [ask]  ‘why’d you dye your hair like that?’” Erickson said.Erickson and Saltzman have noticed that students are often shy at first, but begin to open up and reveal interesting sides of their lives. The quotes they collect range from philosophical to personal to humorous.The logistics behind the Instagram page have been fairly easy, Saltzman said. Due to underage modeling laws, however, she and Erickson must issue each student a model release form for his or her parent to sign. The photo cannot be posted until the slip is returned to the photographers. The page has gained over 200 Instagram followers since its creation just weeks ago. Saltzman and Erickson were recently given a grant of $200 and they plan to host a photo exhibit at The Roberts Art Gallery in early December.“We will use the money to pay for ink and paper to print the photos as well as publicity for the show,” Saltzman said. “We hope to make posters and flyers for the show in order to get the word out.”Since the project they were assigned for their Photo 2 class is only required for first semester, the two are unsure how the future of “Humans of Samohi” looks.“People still ask us questions that we don’t know the answer to,” Erickson said. “‘Is it going to be continued next semester?’ I don’t know. [But] I don’t think it will be easy to stop doing it.”For the time being, the photographers will continue seeking out their next subjects, sharing the diversity of Samo with its student body one human at a time.“I think [Samo] will gain a greater knowledge of their student body and make people feel a sense of community,” Saltzman said. “They will also find out something about people they would never have known otherwise.”