Picture a warmly colored but unevenly lit dining room in an old 1950s house. The camera hovers low, giving us a slight low-angle view, amplifying the stature of the room. A crystal clear bowl of lemons sit dead center on a rough-hewn wooden table, it’s the brightest and most focused object in the scene. As the dim lighting catches the curvature of the lemons, they give off a soft, golden glow. On the periphery, everything is out of focus and bathed in softer hues – dusty pinks, faded greens.
On the back wall, a large oval mirror in an antique mercury glass frame offers a warped and distorted perspective of the rest of the room. It casts a reflective glow, creating an uneven depth of field. The camera slowly pushes in towards the mirror, revealing the old timer wall clock on its reflection which hints the passage of time.
On each side of the mirror, vintage family portraits are partially illuminated in soft, shadowy light, providing a sense of balance and emphasis on a lived-in space. The camera pulls back again, returning focus to the bowl of lemons – a striking pause in an otherwise bustling home.