While the press howled at celebrities out on the red carpet and others quietly snapped candid shots inside, there was one photographer at the Met last night who had a different approach. Brandon Stanton, the brilliant mind behind Humans of New York, a website and book documenting ordinary citizens around the city, didn’t want to know who the big names were wearing, but who exactly, deep down, the people inside fashion’s biggest party were. He paced (briskly sometimes) between the “Manus x Machina” exhibition, cocktail hour inside Petrie Court, and the receiving line where Anna Wintour stood to greet the guests with cohosts Miuccia Prada, Taylor Swift, Jonathan Ive, Idris Elba, and Nicolas Ghesquière.

In the same pleasant, softly spoken manner in which he approaches strangers on the streets, Stanton managed to extract thoughtful tidbits about the love lives, habits, and hopes and fears from Met Gala personalities that ranged from the lovely employees who lined the galleries to Nicole Kidman, Grimes, and Elon Musk. He would strike up a conversation, chat for anywhere from two to 10 minutes, and then walk away with a smile—a boyish grin, really. It became clear that although this flashy evening wasn’t exactly his bag, he was pleased to finish his night at the Met Gala having learned just a little bit more about the fancy, fascinating people all dressed up inside.

Here, Stanton shares his most memorable encounters from inside this year’s Met Gala.