Waiting For The Patrons – 1

Rows of empty tables fill the frame, each one neatly set with glasses, cutlery, and the small black silhouettes of salt and pepper shakers. The chairs—red and blue—alternate without any strict pattern, giving the scene both order and disorder at once. The repetition draws the eye deep into the image, yet the absence of people leaves it eerily still.

In the background, columns rise like structural sentinels, breaking the rhythm of the tables. Behind them, white sheets hang, blocking whatever lies beyond. These barriers, makeshift and plain, add to the sense that this place is on pause—prepared for service, yet suspended in anticipation.

The light is soft, diffused, and without drama. It makes every glass sparkle faintly, catching on the rims and edges, but never casting strong shadows. This neutrality of light heightens the emptiness: the setting is ready, the stage is lit, but the actors have yet to arrive.

Photographically, it’s about geometry and waiting. Lines of tabletops create grids that the eye can navigate. The colour contrast of the chairs punctuates the scene, keeping it from slipping into monotony. And yet, beyond the composition, there’s the unshakable feeling of a silence that is not natural to this place—a silence that will break suddenly, noisily, once life returns.