When I was presented with a assignment for my photography class, I immediately knew that it had to have something to do with automobiles. I decided to take portraits of people with their cars, and I was inspired by Brandon Stanton's Humans of New York to do an interview along with the photo. So here's the photos and the accompanying quotes.

Bill Cassano, 2001 Ford Expedition

"We were having another kid and we were going to be six people and we wanted to have two more seats for guests. This was the nicest car that could fit three people in the back. We had a Chrysler Town and Country Minivan. They are easier to get in and out of but don't hold as many people. I think it screams that I have a big family... but there is a bicycle rack on top so that shows I'm into bicycling."

Stuart Miller, 2003 Volkswagen Passat Wagon.

"My family has driven VWs for forty years because my grandfather bought a Volkswagen dealership. They are great cars because they handle the road really well, they are great at high speeds—even if they don't zoom from zero to sixty—and they are incredibly safe, they feel like armored cars. I dislike everything about SUVs and minivans from the looks to the image they project but especially the mileage so I like having a station wagon. My son doesn't think this car is cool enough: it's too old, it's a station wagon, and it's got nicks and scratches all over the place. But its paid off and it drives well so that's pretty cool to me."

Jo Michelli, 2013 BMW 7 Series

"I like it because its smooth, fast, cool, and roomy. Oh and very comfortable. Before this I had another BMW 7 Series, 2008. Basically the same, this [his current car] was just an upgrade. And it looks nicer I’d give it a ten out of ten.''

Jo Michelli, Remote Control car

"It can hit 55 piles per hour. I have another that can 100 but not here. I need a flat tarmac, so I go out to an airport on Long Island."

Tracy Grayson, 1998 Mercedes-Benz C280

            "It's beautifully designed, it's incredibly well-made, and it's well-made in a way that they don't make new cars. I love the new Mercedes-- they look fantastic and are undoubtedly very good cars... which I could never in a million years afford to own. But this is the last of the really great Mercedes--back then they built them to be purchased as opposed to be leased so when you purchased a Mercedes you expected it to last almost indefinitely.

            I looked at BMWs, Volvos, Saabs, all kinds of higher end European cars, and the quality of the materials in the Mercedes was so much higher. You could get an older one that is still in fantastic condition as opposed to BMWs of this vintage, which are completely worn out. It's not really about status, it's about the car, it's about the machine. Status doesn't mean anything-- I'm well old enough to be past that. Either the machine is good and works and looks right or it doesn't, regardless of the status. I'd rather have a perfect Camry than a beat up BMW any day of the week. I've owned about 23 cars in my life. This is the highest quality car I've ever owned."

Jenna, 1998 Volvo S90

"Its sturdy, safe, and boxy. And I actually like the shape. It was actually my mom’s car, its been passed down. It’s been in the family for a while. I like, as a mother, that I can feel like my kids and I can feel safe in it."

Martin, 2004 Porsche 911 Turbo

            "It has been a trusty steed. It is reliable and it's fast. Before this I had a Boxster. That's a great car, this is more powerful and has more room but the Boxster could probably beat this on a track because it corners really well with the engine in the middle.

            The backseat is useful only occasionally, in a pinch. It's not a very practical car at all. I kept it in storage most of the time but the Pep Boys on Third Avenue put my Toureg on the lift and didn't lock the air suspension and blew it out and the car was totaled. My first car was a Chevy Celebrity wagon, which was a fabulous wagon; it was my parent’s car. I love wagons. I'm in the market for a wagon now."

Angie, Volkswagen Golf

            "We got it two and a half years ago. I like it because it's small and easy to park especially in the city and cleaner than taking the subway. The mileage is okay.  Before this I had a Nissan Altima and a Lincoln Town Car and a Toyota Tercel. This is new; the others were very used so they were horrible. This is very easy and needs no maintenance. Right now with the baby seat it's a little difficult to fit a lot in the car but it's okay."

Elizabeth Marvel & Bill Camp, 2001 Volkswagen New Beetle.

Elizabeth: "We were living in L.A. and our Toyota got totaled."

Bill: "We wanted an orange Beetle but she just walked in and bought this."

Elizabeth: "They didn't have orange on the lot that day  and I was impatient. Green was my second choice. It has been perfect for us. This car is so solid and the Toyota was tinny. The trunk is surprisingly large and the back folds down. With a family it's great. We're thinking of replacing it with a new one."

Brian, Chevrolet Avalanche

"It's a big durable truck it runs good and has a lot of space, I carry a lot of equipment. I had a GMC Yukon before this. It's just as big. This is just newer. That was just old. I loved it too. I use it mostly for work. I'm a court officer for New York State, I carry equipment around and I can throw it right in the back and not worry about messing up my interior. My first car was a 1988 Nissan Sentra. I'm a big guy for me this is a lot more comfortable than the Sentra was—it was a struggle to get in and out of that. I would never go back to a small car."

Kevin Mulcahy, Subaru Forester

"We had a 1998 Ford Taurus that had been handed down in the family. But we parked it for [two months] at my dad's garage and when we retrieved it and turned it on it started smoking and then there were flames coming out of the trunk and then the whole car was engulfed. We realized there was a possum nest in the engine When the car was fully engulfed in flames the possum stopped playing possum and ran out. So we had to get online and get ourselves a new used car.

            We were looking for a used car that we could have in the city and park on the street and not have to worry about it getting stolen and beat up so we wanted something a little rough. When you park a car on the street a lot of things happen, which we know from experience. We once parked the car in a legal space and when we went to get it was not there. We thought the city had towed it for some reason but they said no so we had to conclude that it was stolen, which we thought was surprising because it was an old Ford Taurus. We reported it stolen, went through the whole process and even got a check from the insurance company but before we could cash the check we got a call from a detective who said he'd found our car on Atlantic Avenue where it had been parked for two months, placed there by a city tow truck that had moved it so a movie could be shot in our neighborhood. The city admitted they were at fault. They gave us some compensation and we ripped up our check and moved on.

            This Subaru was available on Craigslist for $2000. That's a very low price for a car that works and it only had 108,000 miles. I like the Subaru. If we get another car I would look for a newer Subaru. It holds five people easily plus good, easy trunk space in the back but it's not big so it parks easily."

Gal Beckerman, Honda CRV

"I have little kids and it had enough space in it and it seemed like a safe car. This car reveals that I'm a boring middle-aged parent. There's nothing that sexy about it. I'm not someone who really fantasizes about cars. I grew up in Los Angeles and had cars there but not here for many years. My first car there was a Jeep Cherokee—that's a little bit more adventurous than this."

Noal Melendez, Toyota RAV4.

"It's a seven-seater and I have a large family. The number one thing is safety. If you have seven family members in the car you want to feel like if you get into an accident you won't really get hurt."

Duffy Magesis and Peg Terry, 1988 Volvo 240 DL.

Duffy: ''The car's name is Betsy. It just seems like a Betsy. Our daughter came up with the name. We got the car right after 9/11.''

Peg: "It belonged to a friend whose husband had died. My friend Diane said Duffy has always wanted a car, this will show him. So we bought the car and it hasn't shown Duffy because he loves the car."

Duffy: "It's one of the last cars made of all steel, everything is welded. When we got insurance we had to pay more because of the damage we would inflict on other cars. It's virtually indestructible. It also has the crank windows, it has a cassette deck, there's no computer stuff in it. It's a great car."

Peg: "It has a broken odometer and a broken speedometer and a broken gas gauge. We don't take it out of the city anymore."

Bruce Herman, 2003 Land Rover Freelander

" I got this car because the back window rolls down. Well, when I was a kid all station wagons had back windows that rolled down and they stopped that. I had another car it was being fixed and they gave me a loaner and it was one of these and I said, 'What's this button for' and the back window went down and I said, 'That's it, keep that car I'm getting one of these.'

            I'm never getting another car without a back window that goes down. The ventilation is definitely part of it and also I put things in that stick out so its extremely useful that way. I take it off road a lot. I have a house upstate which is at the end of a dirt road and that road is often in pretty bad condition and this car does really well there—on snow, ice I've never had a problem. Land Rovers are a real pain in the ass and are not well made and break down a lot but I won't give it up.

            The car  before this was a Volvo station wagon because the Land Rover I had before that was stolen and it was a moment of stupidity. The minute I got in that Volvo I hated it and it took me two-and-a-half years to figure out why I hated it—it was because I felt old, like an old suburban guy. I feel 75 years younger in this car."

Christopher Gaby, Toyota Prius

"I bought it for the gas mileage, my last car was a super gas guzzling Grand Cherokee Laredo-- that got 10 miles to the gallon ten years later, this one on the highway I get close to 52.             I like to consider myself with the times, less of a carbon footprint and all that stuff while the truck definitely fit my lifestyle as someone who surfs a lot and also being in the fire department and having a lot of gear to throw in the back. But ultimately, financially, ecology-wise and living in this neighborhood I feel like the Prius is a pretty good fit.

            It's a little harder with surfing but I put racks on it. It was a lot easier just sticking them inside but I make do. It's not fast by any means but surprisingly when I get it on the highway its very aerodynamic and efficient and it actually stays its speed a lot better than I thought it would. Originally I thought these cars were kind of lame but I'm really impressed."