The missing guest

This image unfolded quietly, almost too politely — three men in jackets and ties sitting at a table clearly set for four. The elegance of the setup, from the pressed tablecloth to the carefully arranged centrepiece, clashes subtly with the anticipation suspended in their posture. Nobody makes eye contact. One reads the menu, the others look downward, pretending focus. The empty chair becomes the central subject without needing to move.

Framing was tight on purpose. I let the olive oil bottle in the foreground stand, blurring into obscurity and giving some depth and texture to an otherwise sharply focused core. That slight intrusion also reinforces the perspective: I wasn’t part of the scene, I was observing it. The exposure holds up — natural ambient light, well balanced without pushing the ISO too far. The whites are warm, not clipped, while the shadows fall just enough to create a mild separation between the subjects and their beige backdrop.

Technically, I favoured a soft f/2.8 aperture to pull the viewer toward the centre but left enough depth to keep their clothing and hands readable. The slight distortion at the edge, introduced by shooting close with a 35mm lens, gives the image a subtle energy — an unease that echoes the absence of the fourth guest.