23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
The Empty Seat

Captured in the historic village of Mazinan, near Sabzevar, Iran. An elderly man sits quietly on a weathered yellow bench, separated by a wooden pole from the empty seat beside him. His solitary presence and distant gaze suggest a deep sense of loss, as if he is feeling the absence of a departed loved one. The peeling paint and the void next to him tell a silent story of aging, memory, and the passage of time.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 07.2025
Date Uploaded: 11.2025
Photo Location: Sabzevar, Iran
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Copyright: © Seyyed Mostafa Yousefi