Christmas Tablesetting

[Mike Buckley]

My wife and I gradually accumulated about 30 years ago this dinnerware made by Wilton Armetale. Though the dishes look much like pewter that would be unsafe for eating purposes, they are made of a safe aluminum alloy. The company was founded in 1892 and I learned just a couple of weeks ago that it now makes only serving dishes and accessories. So, I decided to make this photo of our Christmas Day table setting, which includes flatware that belonged to my wife's mother now deceased.

Photographers might be interested in knowing that the photographs on the wall being reflected in the bowls and ornaments are by Kertesz, Cartier-Bresson and Ronis. My photo would stand on its own better if I had removed those photos from the wall to eliminate their reflections. However, I wanted to make this photo mostly for my wife and me, so I wanted it to be of our home, not just the table setting.

As a curiosity, I also left the reflection of the camera in the image even though it would have been easy to digitally remove it. It's not possible at least to my eye to find the reflection of the tripod, so perhaps only my wife and I can find the reflection of the camera because we know where to look for it.

The starbursts of the candle flames are caused by the small aperture (f/18). The soft look of the starbursts and the flames is caused by a slow shutter speed (30 seconds). I could have used a faster shutter speed by increasing the ISO, but I like the romantic, soft look of the flames and especially the starbursts. It's understandable that others might prefer the crisp, sharp look that is more often displayed in photos.

It's not possible to eliminate all of the direct reflections, at least not without turning my dining room into a photo studio, and even then I wouldn't want to eliminate all of them. That's because most people typically like to see at least parts of metal objects displayed very brightly. Even so, I used a polarizer to eliminate the glare that otherwise would have shown on other items on the table.

Please click to display at a larger size to appreciate the details described above.

[Wavelength]

Such a beauty......Classic image....to scrutinize, i would like to see one wine glass completely within the frame ; regards

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Nandakumar!

i would like to see one wine glass completely within the frame

I probably could have done that using shorter wine glasses without changing the composition. However, my wife and I like the over-the-top decadency of the large wine glasses, so it was important to include them rather than our smaller wine glasses in the photo. Even so, it's not at all important to me that no wine glass is shown in entirety.

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured and composed.

[bnnrcn]

Beautiful! May I ask who set the table ? As soon as I saw the image I said to myself that 'a very sophisticated taste' I just want to say that the top left corner with blacks and whites looks a bit irrelevant and distracting. So, I would do something with PP to fix it . But even if you don't fix, it is a lovely image and a good reminder for you and your wife

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you to John and Binnur!

May I ask who set the table ?

My wife set the table, though I had to completely rearrange everything to provide a composition that worked.

the top left corner with blacks and whites looks a bit irrelevant and distracting.

Understandable. I tried to compose a shot that included only the dining room table but never came up with one that worked. So, I put a chair there because a chair should be at that place setting. Post-processing might work to extend the table cloth into that area but great care would have to be taken to keep the top of the wine glass in that area looking natural. I also wonder how it would look to have the place setting so far away from the edge of the table.

It's not much of a distraction for my wife and me because we know it's one of our chairs; it would surely be more of a distraction for people who don't know that. I intentionally left another one of the chairs in the scene so it would be reflected in the top right Christmas ball even though the chair itself is beyond the frame.

[Rita]

A lovely and eloquent table setting. Now, to find the camera reflection

[Manfred M]

Nice image Mike. It's lots of fun checking out the room by looking at the various reflections in from all the shiny objects in the image!

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you to Rita and Manfred!

[Kaye Leggett]

My wife set the table, though I had to completely rearrange everything to provide a composition that worked.

- that's very interesting. I often take a picture of a 'set table' and am usually disappointed - the fact that you set it for your shot makes sense.

[Sam W]

Great shot Mike. Very informative too.

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you to Kaye and Sam!

I often take a picture of a 'set table' and am usually disappointed - the fact that you set it for your shot makes sense.

It's possible to take an effective photo of a dinner table using minimal rearrangement if the image has only one primary subject such as a centerpiece, a single place setting, or even perhaps just a wine glass or candle. Using a small depth of field often helps too.

Alternatively, you can do the opposite and photograph the entire table and even perhaps include people sitting or standing at it using an extensive depth of field. However, to make that style work you will probably require a vantage point that most homes don't provide, such as shooting from a considerable distance away from the table or from high above. That explains why shots of picnic tables can be so effective; the large outdoor space around the table makes it a lot easier to make an enjoyable composition that isn't possible when shooting from within the typical confines of a dining room. That's especially true with regard to managing the light; when shooting outdoors, it's easier to devise a scene that has the same illumination at the center and edges of the frame than when shooting an indoor scene that includes exterior windows.

[Ziggy]

Very nice looking table setting you have. Looks like a perfect bowl for she-crab soup.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Jim!

I've served several different soups in those dishes but I've eaten a she-crab soup only in a restaurant. The marketing information about the metal plates is that they supposedly keep hot foods hot longer and cold foods cold longer. Engineers would understand whether there is any basis to that claim. I'm not an engineer so I have no idea.

[ST1]

I like this Mike, plenty of interest to allow the viewers eyes to wander and wonder around the items in the composition. The three visible place settings combined with the three flames and three trees all make for a comfortable scene which is then given a edginess by the inclusion of the three partial glasses.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Peter! I'd like to be able to tell you that I thought about the scene as thoroughly as you did. However, I confess that I only intuitively set it up so that it made sense at least to me without any thought to the details that you mentioned.