Still Together

Still together, like the very first day. I saw them before they saw me — leaning slightly towards each other, their posture neither rigid nor slouched, but comfortably suspended in the shared gravity of the table between them. The wine glasses, half-filled with rosé, spoke of time already spent; the unopened bottle on the side suggested more still to come.

From a compositional standpoint, I worked with the geometry of the setting — the square table, the vertical lines of the wall, and the quiet interruption of the stone column — to anchor the frame. The couple sit on opposite sides, yet the line of sight between them is unbroken, bisecting the image and tying it together. I left a generous amount of negative space above their heads to avoid crowding the moment and to keep the viewer’s attention gently oscillating between their faces.

The lighting, soft and indirect, came from outside the frame, giving the scene a natural warmth without pushing the whites of the tablecloth into overexposure. I exposed for the mid-tones, making sure the skin tones remained honest and that the shadows held enough detail to avoid flatness. Depth of field was kept moderate — enough to keep both figures sharp while allowing the background to soften just enough to suggest place without competing for attention.

What makes the image work is its lack of artifice. This is not staged intimacy; it is the unselfconscious ease of two people who have travelled a long way together, still finding reason to look each other in the eye.