Petri dishes drying on pads near lab timer

Pale dawn light slips across a concrete floor, illuminating a row of petri dishes resting on white absorbent pads beside a digital lab timer. The dishes sit in a straight line that converges toward a vanishing point near a metal workbench edge. Condensation beads along the curved glass of a nearby container, catching the soft morning glow. The dry season air leaves surfaces stark and clean, with no moisture on the pads themselves. The timer displays faint red digits against a dark casing. Shadows stretch long and cool across the gray surface. A metal clamp holds a glass tube upright at the far end of the bench.