Humans of Zagreb
A globally famous project 'Humans of New York - HONY' was founded by Brandon Stanton in 2010. The marvellous photographs are combined with inspirational stories and thoughts of the person in the portrait in order to represent the vibes of the city where they are taken. Since Zagreb is a special city, Goran Kovačević saw the opportunity to expand this project and named it Humans of Zagreb.
Founded in 2013, the HoZ project soon became recognised on Facebook. Today, the Facebook page counts almost 39,000 likes.
The person behind the camera
Goran Kovačević (KovaZg) is a computer engineering technician with a great love for photography. This photographic census first started with portraits of friends and acquaintances. Goran felt safe to ask them to tell something about themselves. It spontaneously progressed and expanded to total strangers. More and more different faces occupied interesting HoZ shots. The key is the spontaneity. There is no quota of how many people he'll meet per week, and this kind of freedom makes it especially beautiful.
"I enjoy creating. I shoot videos and photographs. I even got some film awards. To show people something in my own way and get a positive feedback from them is beautiful! I get a kick out of everything I do, I love and enjoy everything."
-"Do you wanna say something to everyone?"
-"I'm just a kid, what am I gonna say to people?"
Image credit: Goran Kovačević KovaZg, Humans of Zagreb, Facebook page
Meeting strangers' minds
What is so special about this project is that the stories people tell are far from being trivial. People reveal details about themselves, their deepest thoughts and philosophical viewpoints. We probably pass by these people on the streets every day, perhaps wondering what they are thinking but rarely have the opportunity to stop and talk to them. Most of the people openly accept being a part of HoZ project. Many of them have already seen these pictures on Facebook so they are prepared to go into action.
Children, youngsters, yuppies and golden-agers, girls and boys, blue eyed and brown eyed – there is no discrimination when it comes to making these portraits. It is the intuition of the well-travelled photographer that makes Goran reach to the people.
"You could write a whole book about the stuff I went through during my 27 years in prison, but I don't have time for that nor do I wanna talk about it. I did all my tattoos from when I was 16 to 18, in the 1970s. I did the ones I could on my legs and my friends did the others. We burned plastic and then we would mix the soot with distilled water and antibiotics. We used a needle to draw them. I have everything - from picture books characters to even a 'Do not photograph' sign, on my left leg!" (laughter)
Image credit: Goran Kovačević KovaZg, Humans of Zagreb, Facebook page
The close-up shots
The incredible close-up shots are breaking the prejudice and spreading the lovely positivity. As HoZ represents the people of different age groups, different backgrounds and different lifestyles, it is the knowledge you gain through reading other people's experience that enriches you . The intimacy you develop with a stranger is overwhelming.
"We met a year and a half ago in a club in Zagreb and we started talking about dogs (what's the deal with talking about dogs in clubs?!) after I "accidentally" showed her a photo of my dog Errol. Errol is my colleague, a therapy dog for kids with disabilities, and a year after he brought her a little box with an engagement ring inside. How could she say no? (laughing) We had to bring balance to the "relationship", so this summer Peppa joined us. Soon she'll begin training as a helper dog. You know how the story goes. Just guess who the best man and maid of honour are!"
Image credit: Goran Kovačević KovaZg, Humans of Zagreb, Facebook page
Aside from meeting local strangers, through HoZ, you will get to know various parts of Zagreb – the city centre, parks and suburbs. To make sure the stories reach out, each of them is translated into English so you can enjoy learning about the local heroes even though you may not speak Croatian.
Image credit: Zagreb Tourist Board, Marko Vrdoljak
Author: Karla Knezevic