Manikins, Headless, on Michigan Avenue
I was attracted to this window display, looked at it so long that my photo Sherpa dragged me away muttering that he hadn’t been fed lately. That was a true statement, so we went to dinner, but then I insisted on walking down Michigan Avenue, mentioning what a romantic street it was for a late evening stroll.
Ha! In all honesty, I wanted to check out those manikins again. Something metaphorical about plastic models with fake binoculars, all posed as if to be noticing something worth noticing. Yeah sure, the best part – the no-brain part.
Kinda like some photographers. Never really look, no I mean LOOK, at what they are photographing. Snap, snap, snap. Or even worse, snap because someone ELSE is snapping the shot. I LOVE when that happens!
A few days ago I was standing on a street corner and the metal rod structure of a trash can caught my attention. I liked the lines. Then I noticed a bumpy grille on the ground, painted orange. Hmm. I was composing in my head, trying for a combination using the trash can and the orange street. I walked around a few times. Lined up some shots, checked a few settings on my camera, I was fooling around, enjoying myself, doing some low angles, high angles.
And darn if this guy, perhaps in his mid-30s, maybe 5’5″, wearing a below knee length imitation fur coat, walks towards me and slows. Then stops. I can see him in my peripheral vision, and he’s watching me. He has a camera slung around his neck–big SLR, heavy glass.
Damn, if he didn’t, in a 3 second move – lift, snap, lower his camera. He got off a quick snapshot. I’m quite sure he wasn’t taking a photo of me, which may or may not have been amusing, but of MY trash can!
Here’s the photo I took:
Standing in Line for a Shot of THIS Trash Can?
Nice composition, yes? đŸ™‚
About Bo Mackison
LOL all the way around. Strange looking mannequins and some store person has a weird sense of taste and humor. I sure would love to have a pair of binoculars, though. That is too funny of the little guy with the big gun camera coming over to snap what he thought you were snapping. I’ve had that happen too. There is nothing like going to a well-attended event and rubbing elbows with the big-time photographers with lens way out there. I’d be there totally involved with some little detail and here comes one of the big guns sniffing around wondering what I’m seeing. LOL Oh, I’ve had my picture taken too and I’d turn on a dime and take their picture. Funny, how when out with a camera slung around the neck you run into other photographers. Fun post, Bo.
I think that trash can deserved a much more elegant location that what it has.
The manikins reminded me of an old college prank a couple of friends and I pulled off one time in Seattle. We stood on a down town street and stared and pointed to a spot well up on a tall building. We didn’t say a word, but a crowd soon formed, all looking up where we were looking, After a bit, we sort of melted away, leaving the crowd all looking up, by that time with their own momentum.
LOL Great post…and funny too!
This is so funny! I especially like the brainless manikins. I think the guy was taking a picture of you, so he could tell the funny story of the photographer shooting a trash can!
Great political commentary. Keep this one for election time. Unfortunately it applies to both parties.
Haha, that’s a great story. Made me smile.