From farmers to artists and via everyone in-between, The People of Malta offers delightful insight into the lives, loves and hardships of Maltese people. As the project marks its second anniversary, Jo Caruana meets the dedicated photographers behind it.

You may be familiar with the now world-famous Facebook page ‘Humans of New York’. Launched in 2010 by photographer Brandon Stanton, it was a project that started humbly enough – the initial goal was for him to photograph 10,000 New Yorkers on the streets and to create an exhaustive catalogue of the city’s inhabitants.

“I’m 25 years old and I only need to visit four more countries to complete my journey around the world - Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and Northern Korea. I feel that I am truly a loyal citizen of the world.” – – Bernardette

But things didn’t exactly go to plan. Before he knew it, Stanton had amassed a worldwide following of people who had fallen head-over-heels for his photos and the snapshot interviews that went with them. His quickly became a beloved brand that has spawned two books and attracted over 18 million followers on Facebook alone. And as he discovered, people are drawn to looking at other people and to finding out about them, even if it’s only for a few seconds.

It’s no surprise then that Humans of New York (or HONY as it is affectionately referred to) has also inspired similar networks. Even the United Nations has contributed to the project by supporting photography and exhibitions in Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Congo, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Ukraine, India, Nepal, Vietnam and Mexico.

“If you don’t place your trust in Christ, who can you turn to? I’m no saint, but as long as I have breath in my body I will try to help others.” – Chris

Malta, too, has found its ‘human’ calling, thanks to the fantastic work of the People of Malta – a photographic Facebook group launched to share stories straight from the heart of our very own island.

It is the brainchild of Stephen Buhagiar and Roderick Vella, who started the project in February 2015 and who have since met, interviewed and photographed hundreds of people – from skilled workers and university students, to clergymen, housewives, retired people and workmen, all accompanied by well-written quotes that are translated by Maria Cremona and proofread by Loraine Spiteri. It’s become very popular too and the duo have amassed over 45,000 followers on Facebook. Recently, they started gaining ground on their newly-launched Instagram page.

“I wanted to use my own ideas, experiment with colours. It’s like looking at a Gozitan landscape from a Kaleidoscope. My style was more realistic, now I like to be riskier in my work. Because if you don’t try new styles and ideas, you will never grow.” – Paul

“The one defining thing we’ve learnt is that everyone has a story to tell,” says Buhagiar. “It is amazing how some characters lead us to others. For instance, we will meet one person who quickly advises us about another fascinating person we should meet. We even get leads from Facebook or over email. We’ve really enjoyed the experience so far as it’s been a learning curve in building relationships and understanding human behaviour.”

Since they got started, Buhagiar and Vella have met regularly and communicated constantly about the running of their project, especially as they like to vary the themes behind the stories they share. They’ve found that it helps to spend about four hours in each town or village as that gives them the time to meet people and get to know them. “We always carry a camera, notebook and pen as we have to be ready to capture anything at a moment’s notice,” Vella says.

Stephen Buhagiar and Roderick Vella.

They admit it hasn’t always been easy to approach the people they want to photograph and ask them for a snapshot – and the subjects in question found it odd on occasion too! “Thankfully, though, we’ve learnt to get past it and put our shyness behind us. Over time we built up the confidence we needed and now find that some people are eager to participate even before we ask them, since they’ve heard about the project through Facebook or from friends.”

Today both photographers look at the People of Malta as a snapshot of Maltese community and a place to meet individuals from all walks of life. It has become a platform for sharing emotions, stories, personalities, moods and contrasts, all of which are depicted in pictures and citations. It has also become a showcase of traditions, talents, nostalgic moments, values and hobbies.

At 101 Ġorġ was the oldest person the photographers ever met or interviewed, and theirs was the last photo ever taken of him.

“It gives an in-depth feeling of humanity as well as artistic sensation. From the country and language to our lifestyle,” Vella says.

In among the 800 photos that have been featured, the duo finds it hard to pick their favourites but explain that their choices would have to be the ones that come about unexpectedly.

“We’re lucky that that happens quite frequently. For instance, how could we forget the meeting we had with a group of farmers who were working their fields in Zabbar? They were so particular because they were using traditional methods that are rarely seen today. Meanwhile, another person who really caught our attention was Bernardette Zerafa Caruso, who, at just 25, has already visited almost all the countries in the world – except four,” Buhagiar says.

“One, two, three… and they’re gone! No bones in the way!” – Rose

Then, on the flipside, there’s the stories that are sad or shocking. “Interviewees often go into detail and open up about themselves to share far more than what is shown on the page,” Vella says. “They talk to us about the important decisons they have taken in life; about family and social problems, sickness and the dilemmas they had to face in life.

“Similarly, it’s very sad to hear when one of our interviewees has passed away. We recently learnt that Ġorġ Spiteri, who we featured recently, had died at the age of 101. He’s the oldest person we have ever met or interviewed, and ours was actually the last photo ever taken of him.”

Now, looking to the future of their project, both photographers say they’re working on exciting material – but refuse to reveal exactly what fans can expect. “It’s been quite a whirlwind, not just because we’ve been able to meet so many interesting people, but also thanks to highlights like working with EU House on a project for EU Day and being nominated for the JCI 2016 impactful report award. We’ve loved every moment and certainly look forward to what is to come,” they concluded.

Follow ThePeopleofMalta on Facebook and Instagram.