Platform Before Departure

Victorian railway station, departure morning. Right third, close to camera: a 15-year-old boy in a plain wool coat, standing perfectly still, facing the lens straight on, both hands on a large leather suitcase; face fully lit and readable. Behind him the platform and a burgundy #7B1E22 steam locomotive recede diagonally to the left in clear layers — luggage trolleys, cast-iron columns, distant carriages. Thick white-blue steam #C9D4DA billows around the wheels, no motion blur, nobody running. Warm stone and brass #C08A3E. Light: angled sunbeams through the arched glass roof, dust in the beams, even fill on the face. Camera: eye level, 35mm, f/8, sharp front to back.