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Having a bad hair day or just an overall wretched day? Even if follicles or circumstances are not cooperating, Chuck Putnam will find one photogenic.
Aiming to develop camaraderie among his 1.5 million neighbors, the 68-year-old amateur photographer is overseeing Humans of Philadelphia, his three-month-old contribution to a global image-centered project that began two years ago in New York City.
“I see my endeavor as a means to show the diversity of our city in a respectful way and as an invitation to include people we might not normally include,” Putnam said Monday from his home on the 2800 block of South 12th Street. “Therefore, anybody is a potential subject.”
The North Carolina native moved to Philadelphia in 1969, settling in South Philly 10 years later. At the time of his departure from the Tar Heel State, he had amassed seven years behind a lens. The subsequent decades have deepened his affinity for snapping architecture, but a desire to upgrade his skills led to an alteration of his pastime.
“Someone asked if I had heard about Humans of New York,” Putnam said of originator Brandon Stanton’s photographic census of America’s most populous city. “Once I investigated, I found myself enthralled.”
The member of the Photographic Society of Philadelphia obtained Stanton’s permission to manage a “Humans of…” undertaking and determined to further an idea he had entertained last summer.
“I was having lunch in Rittenhouse Square and thought ‘I should photograph these people,’” Putnam said.
A symposium leader with the San Francisco-based Pachamama Alliance, which assists individuals and companies in promoting social justice and acquiring spiritual fulfillment, he started his assignment, one of at least 50 worldwide efforts, to remind his fellow humans that differences in attire, skin color and other characteristics cannot detract from a celebrated tenet of our condition.
“Everybody wants to be happy,” he said of the struggle to juggle responsibilities and the need for levity. “A photo can inspire contentment.”
Though he conceded no area can top New York’s diversity, he knew his adopted hometown would offer a plethora of variety, so, armed with a new camera, he commenced his brainchild April 28, quickly surmising an “anything goes” approach should lead him.
“I desire spontaneity,” he said as he used his computer to review many of his more than 100 images. “I enjoy discovering the subject, letting whatever catch my eye and not forcing anything.”
As Center City bore his original plan, he has made it a chief shooting location. Bearing cards explaining his objective, he refrains from sneaking up on people and always seeks permission to immortalize their faces.
“I am drawn to everything,” Putnam said, adding that his clicks serve his quest to have people refrain from judging and concentrate on the beauty and not the strain of being human.
He has sought to forge an intricate blend of simplicity and complexity in his output, achieving the first through capturing subjects candidly and reinforcing the latter by inviting viewers to adhere to the “A picture is worth a thousand words” adage.
“I can appreciate that people might seem apprehensive, but 99 percent of the people I have approached have said ‘Yes,’” Putnam, who uploads shots to the “Humans of Philadelphia” Facebook page, said.
His Internet aid, with more than 500 “likes,” is picking up momentum and draws support from his “Humans of…” contemporaries, who include representatives from Dubai, London, Paris and Rome. According to Putnam, all involved engage in the display of photographic unity only to hone their craft and to honor their brethren. Numerous treks to Center and Old City, including the latter’s multicultural series of events at Penns Landing, have produced an abundance of shots, but South Philly has proven equally inspirational, with the Italian Market, The Philadelphia Navy Yard and South Street as sectional favorites and Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park, Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, and Marconi Plaza, Broad Street and Oregon Avenue, as cherished locations.
“Friends who’ve moved out of South Philly have e-mailed me to say the Humans of Philadelphia photos give them a new connection to their old turf,” Putnam said. “This is my way, then, of thanking the city for giving me more than four decades of inspiration and for spreading a message of tolerance, curiosity and joy.”
Toting a carefree personality and his camera, Putnam, who has a non-Humans of Philadelphia piece in a group show at Old City’s Cafe Twelve, easily ingratiates himself to targets, not by coveting any possible boost to their vanity but through seeking to depict their identity, be it a downtrodden or vibrant one. He takes multiple shots of each subject, with feedback helping him to cement the proper additions to his collection. Though he makes no money off his clicks, he assists people by noting a person’s business or website on his page when applicable.
“That delights people but their biggest source of pride comes from knowing their extended human family is witnessing their vitality,” Putnam said.
Having passed the century mark, he has isolated a few favorites, preferring many pictures for their aesthetic qualities and others for their quaint natures. Owing to his yearning for simplicity, he acquires only first names through successful pitches and always strives to fuse the shot with something that will add feeling, such as a patch of flowers that complemented the flowing mane of a mother helping her daughter to celebrate her first birthday or the cozy backdrop of a home as he captured a neighbor relaxing with his dog on their porch.
“Photography is an art but too often it is lacking a look at intimacy, so to speak,” Putnam said. “If we work to find the depth of each personality, we really find photography’s purpose.”
As Humans of Philadelphia has become a welcome side project, he has refrained from considerations of how long he would like to extend it or how many images it might contain. He has gained insights from former subjects and is likely to share ideas when he and a Humans of Paris figure convene later this year.
“I have several places on my agenda,” Putnam said. “Every spot and every shot has reaffirmed for me that in this beautiful yet flawed world, we need everybody.” ■
Visit facebook.com/HumansOfPhiladelphia to see Putnam’s work.
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124. Comment at southphillyreview.com/news/features.
Staff Photo by Joseph Myers
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