Thread: Mannequins

I like to take photographs of mannequin...


Canon PowerShot G12, 30.5mm @ f/4.5, 1/20, ISO 1600


Canon PowerShot G12, 18.1mm @ f/4.0, 1/20, ISO 1600

Great shots very clean for ISO 1600

No kidding on the "clean ISO"! Christian, I've enjoyed seeing your mannequin photos in the past, as well. I wonder if you might be interested in explaining what it is that intrigues you about them? I know it's going to be different with each picture, but is there a theme do you think?

My reactions to these two focus on the similarities between the real and unreal, as well as finding your use of light and shadow and the framing to be extremely well done. Is the model anymore real than the mannequin, perhaps not. Both are products in their own ways.

I appreciate your thought provoking pictures very much.

There is no one single reason for all those photographs of mannequins, but there are at least two:

1

Well, every time I buy a new camera, it is dark when the battery is full. Since I don't want to wait until the next day, I usually go to that specific shop window and take some pictures. I also do it, if the shop window has been rearranged or I want to test something.

Yesterday I did it, because the shop window has been rearranged and I have learned a new technique to cope with high ISO in Lightroom. The salesman, who is a fine photographer himself, told me, that he would increase the luminance noise reduction and gets the details back by sharpening. Usually I don't like to sharpen my pictures too much, but like to add clarity instead. I have found, that his tip is really a great one and I could improve my shots I took with my Canon G12 at ISO 3200 significantly.

Yesterday's pictures really surprised me, since I got incredibly clean photographs shot with ISO 1600! Of course, there is still noise in the shadows, but on a DIN A4 sized print (in inches: 11.7 × 16.5) there is no visible noise and the picture looks completely clean with many details like fibers of the hats. This is so incredibly great for a compact camera, that I am very enthusiastic about that.

2

On the other hand I enjoy photographing shop window dummies and real people in a single picture or shop window dummies and pictures of icons like Monica Bellucci (who is the women in the background of above pictures) or Penélope Cruz, who is a actor I like very much. There have been juxtapositions in my photographs of mannequins I simply like.

Christian, thanks so much for taking the time to give such a thorough and interesting response! I smiled when I read the part about needing to go out when the batteries were charged - of course that makes perfect sense.

How coincidental that the salesman of that particular shop is also a photographer! That is very cool. He must really enjoy your photographs, too. I'm very impressed by your reports on those prints, too - and thank you for the translation to inches for those of us who are not up-to-date with the metric system (meaning me, for one). Personally, I would never print anything that larger - or at least I haven't come close to that in years so this is very good news, indeed!

As for your second set of reasons - I definitely understand where you're coming from because I can see it in the photos you've shared both here and on Mu43. Great stuff, Christian and thank you so much, again, for explaining the backstory to this genre of photographs.

Not normally one to cross-post deliberately but BBW thought that this would do well here...



Mannequins by peterb666, on Flickr

A couple more from this series - unfortunately hampered by a very dirty window...



Mannequin 10 by peterb666, on Flickr




Mannequin 12 by peterb666, on Flickr

All photos taken with an Olympus E-P1 and Voigtlander 25mm f/0.95 lens set to 0.95!!!

Seven Girls, Hbf, Munich



ISO250 f3.2 1/125 12.8mm

Originally Posted by olli

Seven Girls, Hbf, Munich

They have escaped from the store!

A bit noisy and shot with an old FZ30 in a Melbourne shopping arcade

Window mannequins definitely offer photo opportunities

Originally Posted by Boyzo

A bit noisy and shot with an old FZ30 in a Melbourne shopping arcade

Window mannequins definitely offer photo opportunities

The mind boggles as to what is actually being sold in the window of the first shot.