Old Sturbridge Village, MA

OSV is a working museum village set in the 1830's, rural MA, and less than 45 mins from my house. My wife and I have a yearly membership there, and can come and go at will, and I love the place, always something different and interesting to see, from tin workers, to blacksmiths - and on this particular trip, they were butchering a pig. It was an OSV raised animal, and the meat will be butchered and preserved in traditional period ways - then used in their kitchens and demo homes throughout the coming year.

I've been in a bit of a photographic rut, and decided that I'd bring along my DSLR and a single, fixed lens (the 28mm f1.8), no flash (many of these homes and buildings have no interior lighting beyond period lighting) and shoot the entire set in B&W - I also had my wife and toddler along, so many times, I was even restricted to one hand shooting, as I was carrying / feeding / hanging onto a toddler at the same time!

You can find the entire set here:

http://www.rt2photo.com/Travel/Old-Sturbridge-Village/OSV-January-2012/

But here's some of my favorites:

A tin worker making candle holders that then get used in the homes or sold in the gift shop:


The blacksmith, stoking his fires to make trivets (they also make everything from horseshoes to the nails they use in the buildings):


The potter:


The farmer bleeding out the pig:


The housewife in her kitchen - a bowl of the intestines from the pig, last years blood sausage and showing a group of kids the hearts from the animals


They carefully signposted the entire area with the butchering going on, and made sure people were aware what they would see - as a country boy myself, it was no big deal, but my city bred wife was amazed!

My son and wife enjoying cookies and mulled cider outside the general store