One of the most telling ‘words’ in the English language is sonder. Defined in the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, sonder is, “the realisation that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own”. It highlights the profound and often overlooked fact that everyone around us is experiencing a unique and intricate existence, similar to our own.
I don’t take many portraits these days. But over the years I’ve captured a few faces that I cause me to enter a state of sonder.
Double click on each image for a full screen experience.
Missionaries, Mercenaries and Misfits 