On Reading, Again
Inspired by André Kertész’s On Reading, in the digital age, I look for the few who is reading on paper not phones.
I recently read On Reading by André Kertész, a collection of 66 photographs taken between 1915 and 1970.
It made me think about how rare it is today to see people reading books — our eyes are mostly glued to our phones.
In this age of distractions, reading a paper book feels almost out of place.
I want to start a project to pay tribute to Kertész’s work and call it - On Reading, Again.
The photo below was taken on Front street, Toronto, an autumn day in October 2025.
I spot this bus driver reading a book with sunglasses while waiting for his ride. The sunglasses make him super cool. It looks like his next ride is coming in a second and he has no time to take off the sunglasses.
I take this photo with my iphone 12 pro max. The pixels are not great.
This is my first time catching a moment of a bus driver reading like this!
Statement of On Reading, Again
In an age where every hand holds a screen, the simple act of reading a book has become almost invisible.
Inspired by André Kertész’s On Reading, this project looks for readers in the modern city - those rare moments when someone still choses paper over pixels.
I photograph people reading in subways, cafés, parks, libraries, rooms, by windows, stairs, benches, rivers, lakes, and on street corners - quiet, almost forgotten gestures of attention.
Each image is a small resistance against distraction, a reminder that focus can still be beautiful.
On Reading Again is not just about nostalgia. It's about presence - about slowing down in a world that moves too fast, and finding ourselves again between the lines of a page.