The Hearth

The lighting here is really nice, and the composition excellent. If I may quibble a bit, I think you should use a tripod in the future and stop down your lens to F22 to get more sharpness from the bowl to the wall and everything in between. Don't know if that would have been feasible here, though, with the lady most likely moving. In that case, I would suggest shooting with a higher ISO, like, say, 800 or 1600. You'll have a little bit of grain, but your sharpness will improve greatly. Hope I was not too forward. Regards.

Jeff, Is there any home like this in USA? If so where? The Hearth has the charm of bygone days and warmth of a sweet home. Admirable composition, with very good control of light & exposure

there is warmth all over - - a really lovely image with natural lighting and enough details to keep one eating from this visual feat.  Lots of appeal and congratulations..

Emmanuel:  Ideally, this would've been best captured on a tripod.  In actuality, this was a vacation field trip to the Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth.  My kids were standing with me, so I did dial up the ISO to 800 and snapped this shot with as much DOF as I could hand-held without any flash, which I thought was a triumph, but maybe only in my own mind.

Amal:  Thanks so much.  This was America 300 plus years ago.  It was different than the pictures I had of pilgrims in my head.

Tony:  Thanks.  This was taken on a relatively hot summer day.  I was impressed at how pleasant the actors were dressed in their hot, itchy garb stoking fires.

Really an impressive understanding of light to get this picture. Only someone who has taken a lot of pictures would realize how difficult it is to produce such a lighting effect.

Considering the conditions you have mentioned for the shot I'd say you got a very good image. A few of the items in the scene are too new looking but overall I think they did a good job with the set up.

Quite lovely light and a very warmly expressed sense of the place. The mix of natural and artificial light is especially well handled as the highlights of the daylight are preserved and alive while the presence of the interior fire is aglow. There's a very natural framing provided by the hanging herbs and garlic and the composition gives the photo added narrative by including the bowl almost as a still life in the foreground. 

I remember seeing something similar in Williamsburg Virginia.

It looks like an old painting, The window light that softly lights the details in the Kitchen and the woman busy with the hearth fire are creating a very cozy atmospher of life in the past. You have well succeeded taking us backward in time.....

Just echo Pnina - looks like a painting of the 'old masters'. A true salto bak in time. You handled the available light perfectly. Nie document - compliments!

Sorry, some problems with the keyboard: bak should be back and nie should be nice. Sorry about that and thank you PN for complicating my life..:)

Fantastic!! 

This is really pleasing; not only technically but also aesthetically.

The image reminds me of my childhood... And, I am not 300-year-old, as yet ;)

reminds me of Connor Prairie in Indiana -- similar type of re-creation of olden days.  This has a painterly feel, as others mentioned.  I love the hanging vegetation, drying.  Very homey but must have been unbelievably hard on the backs of the women.  

Jack:  The light in each of these scenes was amazing and very hard to capture.  Emmanuel's advice is solid, as one can only truly capture the scene well with a tripod in tow, but I did get a couple that had adequate DOF thanks to a very wide angle lens and low shutter speed.  Thanks.

Shawn:  I asked about the newer items, and they claim they are consistent with what would be available for the times.  The pottery and so forth are apparently hand-made on site, as are the wooden items.  The oriental rugs seemed shocking, but they claim that they were often used in the 1600's as tablecloths.  I learned quickly, though, to never argue with a Puritan.

Fred:  You gave a lovely description as you usually do.  By the way, there wasn't any artificial light, unless you count the fire.  It all streamed in from that window and from an open door on the other side.

Pnina:  My daughter was dumbfounded  Where's the TV? Where's the computer? Where the.....?  Such is the value of these field trips.

El:  PN's restriction on editing has taken some of the fun out of leisurely making comments and then coming back later when I've fully awakened to correct my spelling and grammar.  Now, I have to be alert and correct all the time.  How boring, huh?

Andrea:  Thanks.

Bulent:  Not quite 300?  I'm glad this recaptured some early memories.

Donna:  Interestingly, the men and women appeared to be doing the same tasks, hauling wood, cooking, and so forth.

A charming and evocative image of the old days.  These pioneer actors really do a fantastic job at staying in character, and on hot days it must be a really difficult job.  These pioneer settlements are a real education.....for all of us, but especially for kids.  I love this as is, but I tried cropping the window out and was able to brighten it up just a bit, which gave it a bit sharper appearance.  Frankly, I don't mind the DOF as you have it, so this is just another idea.  And Donna, few people know of Conner Prairie in Indianapolis.  I live 15 minutes from it, and in fact, my orchestra's summer concert series is held there.  Are you from the Midwest?

Jeff

I do not see any need or any benefit from having, front to back, tack sharp dof for this image.In my opinion there is a place for the tripod and f.22 approach to capturing a scene to get greater dof and clarity but it can just as easily suck all of the life and atmosphere out of a scene. I like that you have the focus on the worn oriental carpet draped over the table. This choice for focus pulls my eye into the scene to a comfortable location from which to search about and enjoy the myriad textures and the interplays of firelight and sunlight. That interplay of light while being a pain to work with, adds charm and a strong sense of authenticity to the scene.

If I were to have a nit or suggestion it would be to soften the sharpness on the edges, or even soften entirely, the side table on the right side of the bottom edge of the frame. When I view this image larger, that wooden corner being in focus to to a similar degree to the full size table makes it a bit more insistent for my attention than I would wish it to be.

Many years ago when I began full time photography studies one of our first field trips was to a pioneer village. I have some 8x10's from that day of which I am still fond. Upon recently revisiting that same place some number of decades later I was even more enamored of the charm and the wonderful photo opportunities provided. I think you have done an admirable job of not only capturing a photographically tricky scene but of capturing the spirit of the times.... not too shabby of an accomplishment with the family in tow.

Yes. I was talking about the fire light. I agree with Gordon on the dof giving this life, as does the window. The balance between strong highlights and deep shadows is often a matter of trading off, but seeing the light source is often very evocative and painterly.

The one element of disharmony I experience (and, as you know, I don't think disharmony is a bad thing if that's what the photographer wants) is in the magenta cast around the hearth. There's a more yellow hue on the left two-thirds of the frame, so this magenta cast has the affect, for me, of dividing the frame a bit.

I think it was a triumph by any standard. The image conveys the nostalgic and authentic atmosphere with colour, definition and flavour. The composition is well proportioned with many elements of interest, and there is no sign of distortion, (that can be a real pain when photographing indoors with the slightest tilt of the lens) and the entire image has realistic shades of light and shadow. If I had to find anything at all to alter, it would be to perhaps to clone out the small patch of light in the lower left corner below the table but, Suffice to say, Great Job!

Regards

Alf

So much to see and so much to read.  I like the transport back in time.  I've never been here but this shot piqued my interest.  I can almost smell the embers from the hearth it seems like a nice warm setting.  And I hope she isn't too warm in all of those cloths.

Excellent light and details

Jeff,

  Amazing image with wonderful lighting & details.  It is like stepping back in time.  You can almost feel the warmth from the fire.  Great work!!  Take care, Patsy

Jeff, my first thought: I hope her skirt does'nt catch on fire!

This scene is so warm and inviting. A picture of Home and Hearth is perfect for warming us up for fall.  The colours are warm, rich and harmonious. It has a lovely toasty feeling. I can almost smell that smokey stew the lady is stirring.

I'm assuming that this was taken at a "living history" park. I love them.

At first glance, I thought this must be Plimoth Plantation! I was there 8 years ago on a trip to visit my sister. I loved the way all of the "villagers" stayed completely in character and were so conversational. It was really a fascinating trip back into history. That said, this reminds me very much of Dutch Golden Age paintings, where the everyday was elevated to art. Obviously this is not every day now. It might be fun to see a portrait of you wife doing what might be a similar task today :-)

Nice exposure and I agree about the painterly feeling of this composition.  The red garment she wears really stands out against the brown and yellow surroundings.  So did you taste the cooking?