Stills

A quiet scene, has a sad feel to it, old a worn out. Any technical difficulties may of added to that feeling.
 

It does retain that lived in feel. The 3D, time dimensioned, storage matrix (oldest stuff on the bottom); the blue period Van Gogh (not Picasso?); the knackered carpet; etc (Judges trap, describe the image because the audience is obviously blind!)

It looks authentic doesn't it, not like a museum piece?
 

I can see why you liked this despite the noise difficulties -- very atmospheric indeed. Has a sort of intimate "Come on in, excuse the mess, I'll be right back" sort of look.

NIce rich tones, and the white light in the windows and spilling onto the desk is appealing.
 

The combination of high iso and noise reduction seems to have resulted in an effect much like oil paint, which works well with the subject.
 

Judges trap, describe the image because the audience is obviously blind!

Why is that a trap? The book Criticizing Photographs by Terry Barrett has a whole chapter on the subject. The chapter is aimed more at those that write and have to describe a picture because a picture may not be present but in the sub chapter Talking About Photographs (which I think is more aimed at the type of discussions we have here) description is held as very important because not everyone sees the same things. By describing it you may point out things others miss or ways of seeings things that others may not of thought of.
I particulary like the way you described what is there, it made me look at those things in particular. My eye was more drawn the clutter on the desk, the old wood heater and the arrangement of the chairs as if we are expecting company.
 

Am I butting in, if I inject my thoughts on the conversation between Robert and Rex? Like Robert, I appreciate having specific things mentioned and have found that the commments encourage me to see better. Plus, I just like knowing which elements of the image caught someone else's eye. Feel free to let me know if jumping in on a two-person exchange is not considered good form here.
 

I see this as a nine way conversation so no you are not butting in.
 

The judge's trap is to describe with no or little critique.

At the point I notice it in a judge they have 'over done' the description.
 

Both Rex and Robert have a point. For me, the 'judge's trap' is that they are not sure what to say about the picture (they're probably not even sure why it is being presented as it so awful!) so they talk out their time with description.

If we're describing then I note the photo of D H Lawrence top dead centre, the cobweb by the jacket and the empty bottle of beer on the table: Thomas died of an over-dose of alcohol in the US in 1953 at the age of 39 - the culmination of a drink-fuelled life.

One is wary of a photo like this because it is, in itself, a description: I have a photo I like very much of the recreation of Bacon's studio, moved in toto from London to a museum in Dublin - a complete jumble of oil-covered rags, past meals and canvases. But it is not my work - nor is this to a certain extent, except that it is in situ and is of the village.

The film, by the way, is getting mixed reviews! Great acting but not structured terribly well.
 

I find myself being taken straight through the clutter to the two bottles and window at the back. I do have to come back through to check the artwork but I still end up at the window. I'm sure Dylan, like me, spent many an hour just gazing through.
 

I think that the 'not my work' question bothers a lot of photographers. I ask two questions: is this adding anything? Here, the answer is 'no', I think. Then: is this showing something that I wouldn't otherwise see? Here clearly a yes.

Documenting and witnessing are good roles for photography.
 

If documenting and witnessing weren't good roles for photography, I would really be out of luck. I am keenly aware that I don't do anything truly original, but once in a while I notice things and manage to communicate what I noticed.
 

For your delectation, and to complete the geographic placement, see this: boathouse
 

Coming in late (as usually for a while now) I would not know whos place this was without the title. So from this, I can learn something about the person who used this area and I rather taken back by the total mess under the table.

But that said, I find that this photograph has a wonderful balance between the interior shadows (being able to find the cobwebs) and the exterior light, almost to the point that this photograph is realy about the quality of light.