You’ve likely come across the Humans of New York photography series online at some point. The storytelling platform has over thirty-million followers, and started in 2010 as a photography project prompting honest and fascinating stories of random people on the streets of New York City. 

Which had us thinkin’–what would it look like to tell the stories of diverse Albertans through photography? We at Read Alberta think it would look a lot like the portraits and stories of the 2024–25 Alberta Magazine Awards categories for photography. Here are the stories of several Humans of Alberta, starting with a look through the camera lens in the pages of local magazines.

As Lisa Kozleski describes in the story, the image depicts Alejandra Jiménez Pérez, Johana Sabogal González and Mauren Gaitán Pérez. “They had spent years in their home country of Colombia organizing meetings, protests and workshops supporting the LGBTQ+ community and causes. But now that work had provoked credible death threats from the “Black Eagles,” a paramilitary group that was known for targeting social leaders….So they left…. The journey they faced was risky – at one point they were literally lost in a desert – but with a cousin waiting in Lethbridge, the three eventually made their way to Canada.”

Writer Rachel von Hahn tells us about the history of the mascot, and more specifically the work of Mount Royal University alumnus Grant Kelba, who introduced MRC’s official mascot Calvin the Cougar: “The entirety of Kelba’s mascot training consisted of how to get dressed. Thankfully, he had a natural knack for performing. ‘I was very much an introvert, but also very much an athlete. I had the right demeanour for someone inside a costume.’”

Ten-year-old Edmontonian Zeher Assaf ran the length of the Gaza Strip (40 kilometres) as a fundraiser. “Throughout the horrors of this conflict, streamed live over social media, many adults have shouted, while others have stayed silent or hopeless in their refrains of ‘it’s complicated.’ But for Zeher it was simple—she would help,” writes Amber Bracken.

In the January/Febrary issue of Avenue magazine,  writer Dominique Lamberton describes what drives the backyard rink-maker: “…it’s a passion for the game, and a passion for passing on that love for the game to their kids, that fuels the desire to get out there, even on the coldest Calgary nights.”

Writer Caitlin Crawshaw shares a thoughtful profile of Audrey Poitras, president of the Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA): “‘It’s important for people to understand who we are as Métis people,’ [Poitras] says. ‘We’re as proud of our Aboriginal ancestry or Indigenous ancestry, as we are of our European ancestry. Our ancestors took the best of both of those worlds, and made us who we are.’”

A uniquely compelling portrait of a person or group of people is award-worthy in and of itself. But it’s only when this photograph is accompanied by a powerful story that we can truly understand the Humans of Alberta.