Humans of St. Louis

Humans of St. Louis (HOSTL) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that shares photographic portraiture and first-person stories from people in and around St. Louis. Our mission is to leverage storytelling through organic interviews and portrait photography that highlight local needs, issues, and experiences from people in the region and to share these photostories with a broader audience to promote social good, civic pride, and community engagement.

Since its inception in 2014, HOSTL has told over 4,700 stories from the streets of St. Louis and throughout Missouri. HOSTL values producing and publishing genuine original stories and documentary street photography, preserving a relational and organic connection between the featured subjects and the audience to promote productive discussion. We built this platform for people to see, hear, and get to know each other. The idea is to shine a spotlight on the humanity we all have within us despite people's stereotypes, assumptions, and preconceptions.

How we do it:
1. Initiate random encounters with strangers to generate a conversational interview
2. Capture sincere images and insights to share and then moderate dialogue via social media
3. Maintain sustainability through donations, grants, print sales, speaking engagements, partnerships, and collaborations

Fun Fact:
We self-published our first book in 2022 and sold out in 3 weeks! The second print run of 5,000 copies arrived in July 2023 and can be purchased here: www.humansofstl.org/retailers.