A tight shot reveals the intense heat of a metal workshop. The firm hand of an aged and experienced metal smith is seen, his rough hewn skin glowing with the fire’s reflection, as he brazes two metals together carefully, judiciously adjusting the intensity of flame. The color palette is dominated by warm hues of orange and rust contrasted dramatically against cool blues and grays.
In the depth of the shot, we see the casualties of his many years of work. A rusty, unmarked graveyard of failed attempts and discarded pieces of once promising works that scatter the stone floor and heap up in the corners.
The camera angle is low, providing a perspective from the ground level, subtly glamorizing the everyday work, while a slow pan movement follows the smith’s hand movement. There is balance in the chaos – the artist, the cluttered workspace, the glow of the forge and the pile of misshapen metals grounding the frame. The focal point shifts from the face of the smith, his intense focus echoing from his scrunched brow and clenched jaw, to the purity of white hot metal in the flame.