SONDER | BY HARRY HO
Sonder is a photo series born from a quiet realisation. Every random passerby, every silhouette, lives a life as vivid, complex, and layered as our own. Each person carries dreams, struggles, and memories we may never know, yet we cross paths for a brief second in the shared rhythm of a city day in day out..
I left home in the summer of 2023 to pursue my studies in Scotland. Over the past two years, I found myself drawn to the simple act of people-watching, in cafés, on morning commutes, or just walks after lectures.
With my camera always around my neck, I spent two full years documenting life as it moved around me. Rain or shine, across all four seasons, I captured moments in Glasgow and Edinburgh — two of Scotland’s busiest cities, where thousands of stories overlap quietly every day.
This series features 20 photographs that reflect what sonder means to me:
“Strangers, yet familiar. Distant, yet connected.”
Author's Note :
Living 6,600 miles away from home, I've found myself drawn to a quiet, unspoken art people-watching. Have you ever paused to wonder about the strangers around you? The man on the bus lost in thought, the woman at the café with her unfinished coffee what stories do they carry? What joys, struggles, or fleeting moments shape their days?
I find this notion deeply intriguing. The idea that every passing figure lives a life as complex as mine, full of untold stories I'll never know-is both humbling and haunting. This feeling, sonder, is what I've sought to capture through my lens: the quiet poetry of the unnoticed, the way solitude and connection intertwine in a world that never stops moving
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H.H.
"Golden Hour Conversations"
Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow. (2024)
As the light bathes the park, people scatter across the grass, lost in their own worlds. Some are deep in conversation, others sit in quiet reflection, and a few simply bask in the warmth of the sun. Strangers, yet all part of the same shared scene, each with stories untold, worries unseen, and dreams unfolding. Photography isn’t just about capturing light; it’s about capturing presence. And in this rare Scottish sunshine, presence was everywhere.
"Ghosts of the City"
Scott Monument, Edinburgh. (2023)
The Scott Monument stands still, an unshaken witness to time. Around it, blurred figures silhouette through the streets—passing shadows, fleeting moments, lives intersecting for mere seconds before fading away. The city moves, but the monument remains. An observer of time, watching generations come and go, stories beginning and ending in its silent presence.
"Lost in a Dream"
Argyle Street, Glasgow. (2024)
A little girl wanders through the rain, dressed as a princess yet surrounded by a world far from a fairytale. Her tiny steps ripple through puddles, each one a reflection of the world she sees and the one she imagines. I don’t know where she’s going or what story plays in her mind, but for this brief moment, she is lost in a dream—one that belongs only to her.
"One Light, One Life"
High Street, Glasgow. (2025)
In a towering block of uniformity, one window glows orange. A solitary figure stands, framed by the night—a life seen but unknown, a story imagined but untold. We share the same world, yet we live in it in different ways. Each window holds a different reality, a life unfolding behind closed curtains, invisible until the light reveals its presence for just a moment.
"Paths of Light"
Princes Street, Edinburgh. (2023)
The city breathes as figures move through light and shadow, each casting a story in elongated form. The streets of Edinburgh glow with the warmth of a fading sun, momentarily pausing the rush of life.
"Frozen in Transit"
Bus Station, Edinburgh. (2024)
A glimpse inside the fogged-up windows of a double-decker bus—commuters lost in thought, conversations unfinished, strangers sharing a ride yet remaining distant.
"Crossing Shadows"
Byres Road, Glasgow. (2024)
A high-angle view of a busy Byres Road, where long shadows stretch behind wandering figures, each walking their own path, unaware of the patterns they create from above. For a fleeting second, their lives intersect. Strangers brushing past one another, sharing a street, a moment, a shadow—before continuing on their separate journeys. A silent choreography of lives in motion, seen but unnoticed.
"Unfinished Thoughts"
Caffè Crostini, Glasgow. (2025)
A collection of half-finished drinks in a café sink—a trace of conversations had, thoughts shared, and moments passed. A story told not through people, but through what they leave behind...
"Between Seasons, Between Moments"
Kelvin Way, Glasgow. (2023)
For a brief second, time stands still. A child, caught in the joy of autumn, watches as leaves tumble around them—each one carrying a story, a cycle of change, a quiet farewell to the season. I don’t know who they are or where they are going, but at this moment, they exist in perfect harmony with the world around them. The laughter, the crisp air, the golden leaves—it’s all fleeting, yet it lingers, just like sonder itself. Somewhere in between seasons, in between moments, a life is unfolding, whether we notice it or not.
"The Lonely Traveler"
Kelvin Way, Glasgow. (2025)
A lone figure stands in the middle of Kelvin Way, umbrella in hand, as dim street lights cast shadows on the rain-slicked pavement. A mystery, a journey, a story unfolding in the dark—perhaps searching for a trail to follow?
"1 Degree Celsius"
Argyle Street, Glasgow. (2024)
A passerby with their loyal companions turns to meet the camera—an unspoken exchange in the stillness of winter. In this fleeting second, our paths intersect, yet we will continue moving in different directions. We are both here, feeling the same chill, standing in the same city. Yet, their world is not mine, and mine is not theirs. Different lives, shared seasons.
"The Silent Orchestra"
Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow. (2024)
Glasgow’s skyline watches over a field of strangers, each lost in their own story. From above, the city breathes. The trees frame a quiet gathering—people scattered like notes on a sheet of music, composing their own unheard symphonies. They may never notice one another, yet in this fleeting moment, they move to the same rhythm, unknowingly connected in the harmony of the city.
"Back in 1055"
Butchershop, Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. (2025)
Under the glow of a neon sign, a lone figure lingers in the night. The trench coat, the tilted hat, the shadowed gaze—it feels like a scene pulled from another time. Was it yesterday, or was it decades ago? A fleeting glimpse, a moment suspended. Perhaps just another night in the city, or perhaps a story waiting to be told. In passing strangers, we sometimes see echoes of the past—remnants of lives we will never fully know.
"A Tune for the Passing"
Royal Mile, Edinburgh. (2024)
The bagpipes sing. He stands still, rooted in tradition, as the city moves around him—faces blurred, footsteps fleeting. Some pause, drawn into the melody. Others pass without a glance, too lost in their own stories to notice. Yet the tune continues, played not for applause, but simply for those who happen to hear it.
"Shall We?"
Princes St, Edinburgh. (2024)
A mother and daughter stand together, gazing at the ride ahead. Excitement flickers in their eyes, hesitation lingers in their stance. A decision, a shared moment, a question left unspoken—Shall we? For now, the world pauses, holding space for the answer.
"Shadows We Leave Behind"
Byres Road, Glasgow. (2025)
From above, the city unfolds like a canvas, painted not with colors, but with silhouettes. Each passerby moves unaware of the shadows trailing behind them—elongated figures stretching across the pavement, momentary echoes of their existence. For a second, their paths intersect, their outlines merging before drifting apart. A reminder that we all leave something behind, even if only for a fleeting moment.
"Between Departures"
Glasgow Central, Glasgow. (2025)
Trains rush past in opposite directions, carrying lives forward, each on its own timeline. A woman waits, still among the motion, caught in the pause before movement. A man approaches, a train departs, another arrives—constant motion, constant transition. Here, in this fleeting moment, life exists between departures.
"9.07 PM"
Partick, Dumbarton Road, Glasgow. (2024)
"No Names, Just the Game"
Partick, Hyndland Street, Glasgow. (2025)
Here, backgrounds don’t matter—only the rhythm of the ball against concrete, the sound of sneakers skidding, the unspoken language of the game. Strangers become teammates, opponents become friends, and for a moment, nothing else exists but the beauty of play. No introductions, no histories—just the ball game.
"Between Us, a Second"
Glasgow Central, Glasgow. (2025)
Rushing footsteps echo through the station, urgency woven into every movement. For a fleeting second, our paths align—we share the same space, the same urgency, yet remain unaware of one another. Some walk with purpose, others lost in thought, yet none aware of how they form part of the same mosaic. Chasing trains, chasing time. Between us, only a second.
“Perhaps each person is a film I will never get to finish..”
SONDER.