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 |