Gorgeous Photos Of New York's Streets From A Self-Proclaimed 'Instagram Activist'

Photographer Ruddy Roye considers himself an "Instagram activist," tasked with telling the stories of New Yorkers whose stories would otherwise go untold.

The more than 2,700 photos on his Instagram profile accomplish just that. Roye photographs the people he sees on the streets, most often when he's driving to and from dropping his sons off at school in Brooklyn's Fort Greene and Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhoods.

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The people in the photos have stories to tell. There are the two hungry men waiting outside a bodega for their reduced food stamp benefits. Then there's Sidahi, the former Alvin Ailey dancer who complains of hearing voices. And there's Andrew, the veteran addict looking for work.

"All the people I photograph have interesting stories," he said to Business Insider. "My aim is to tell them as best as I can."

He hopes that his stunning, gritty portraits can spread a message of inclusiveness in his community.

"I want people to be more aware of their surroundings and communities. I want to help change the way we look at people," he said. "I want the images to humanize a face that we scorn [and] ignore for whatever reason, and I want us all to judge less because we all have a story to tell."

Roye grew up in Jamaica, an upbringing that had a significant impact on his growth as a photographer.

"We would all sit around, telling stories that are older than my grandparents," he said to DNAinfo. "So for me it's in my blood to tell stories I see on a day-to-day basis."

For Roye, Instagram has proven to be the most direct way to share those stories with his audience.

"It is a platform that does not have the usual gatekeepers. It is the great equalizer," he said. "I am allowed a voice here."

He shared some of his photos with Business Insider. They are shown here with the original captions from his Instagram account.