British Plantation House

[Nancy Bell]

We stayed in this old British Plantation House for several nights on my recent southern India trip. The house was built in the 1880's and is updated for guests, but they retained much of the old original features and furniture. They also have several very old restored cars, making this a slice of life from the past when Britain ruled India. Imagine climbing this grand staircase to the bedroom level on the second floor. The bedrooms are huge, each with a working fireplace (which we needed & enjoyed!), a large bay window with room for 2 comfortable chairs and a table, build-in wardrobes, and a large bathroom. It was fascinating.

I rarely photograph buildings, etc. but by your examples on OOTB, many of you have shown me that these images can also be interesting. Thank you all for your inspiration. And now you must endure my efforts!

For this interior image I used in-camera HDR, topaz buz sim desaturate and a bit of fractalius, plus a border from Nik color efex pro.

[Dennis Bishop]

You did a great job on this, and I can see why you didn't pass the scene by. There are many good lines, both curved and straight. I really like the picture frames in the upper left leading the eye to the tops of the doors and the frames on the right edge going to the lightened areas below. Very nice light and shadows, and a good combination of simplification and detailing. The border is very subtle but effective.

[Randall Farhy]

In addition to dennis' comments, the pp, colors and highlight/shadow transitions are perfect for the scene. I especially like how the brighter outdoor area on both levels pull the viewer in, allowing the darker staircase railing to then lead the eye through the scene, either cw or ccw depending on which level the eye locks on to first. A very strong and effective composition with plenty of interesting elements.

[Jackie Schuknecht]

You couldn't ask for better leading lines. I like the richness of the wood with the reds in them. My eye goes right to the chair after following the bannister. I wonder if a S/H might bring out more detail in some of the darker spots. Must have been a great place to stay.

[Mitch Carucci]

A warm and welcoming image. The in camera HDR seemed to work out. How many images does it blend, and do you have any control over the different exposures? I don't have any idea how the in camera HDR systems work.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Hi, Nancy, looks like a great place to stay. Love the lines and I've always loved Fractalius for architecture. I agree with Jackie that a little S&H might bring out a tad more in the upstairs.
I think I would remove the tag below the painting on the outside left wall. (Or whatever that white square spot is?)

[gary ellwein]

Nancy, great eye in visualizing the image. The composition and color palette is excellent. I agree with others recommending bringing out more detail in the dark areas. It looks like a wonderful place to stay.

[LinzRiverBalmer]

Nicely portrayed, I love the light, so inviting.

the old plantation homes are some of my favorites. This ones location sounds fascinating.

[Nancy Bell]

Thanks all for your comments and suggestions. I'll see what I can bring out in the darker areas.
Mitch, the in-camera HDR is a feature of the Canon 5D Mark III. I use 3 images and the camera creates the final as a JPEG. I can choose 1 EV, 2 EV, or 3 EV between each image. I can save each individual RAW image in case I don't like the final JPEG.
Cheryl, good suggestion about that white tag. I don't remember what it was.

[Anita Bower]

A striking image of a striking interior. The angle you chose for the staircase is perfect. I love that warm colored railing leading us up and down and through the image. Being able to see the upstairs and downstairs is perfect for giving a feel for the place. Others have made excellent suggestions. My suggestion is to correct the distortion. Apparently this didn't bother others. I played with the image a bit, darkening and lightening, and correcting the distortion. The downside of what I did is that one loses part of the image. As I look at my repost, I think some areas are too light.