Shop Window, Mannequin

On my most recent visit to Vancouver a few weeks ago, I went downtown to take in some of the Jazz Festival that was going on. The day was very grey; cold with drizzle, but the music was good and the crowd was in very good spirits. I had not been downtown in several years, so after a while, I decided to wander through the streets with the sounds of music always present. I was enjoying seeing the juxtaposition of the beautiful old buildings and the modern architectural wonders. As I wandered down a street lined with old shop fronts, I saw this shop with two windows. I took pictures of both windows, but this one was the one that I felt sure was going to be a keeper. The first thing that caught my eye was the mannequin with the glowing white dress, then I noticed that there was a lady sewing on a machine adjacent to the mannequin. She was in full view when I raised my camera and looked through the view finder, and I felt that she was a distraction, so I moved sideways and positioned her head behind the hanging purse. I felt that this would add a sense of mystery to the picture with only portions of her head and hands visible. I was at quite an angle to the window by the time I had repositioned myself, so I did correct some of the horizontal perspective, but not to make it look as if I was right in front of the window. I particularly liked the mannequin head that was in the back of the window, especially as the main mannequin was headless! I also loved the reflections of the trees in the window especially as these made the head seem to have on a wig!

I hope you enjoy this mysterious picture as much as I do.

[photo for week of 12 July 2010]

© David Butts, 2010