3.29.2013

"Mad Men" window dressing in Boston.

Since most of us who write and read the VSL blog are guys I won't expect us to know about the Betty Page shop in Boston, on Newberry Street. But it was right around the corner from my hotel and when I got in to town in the early evening I took a stroll just work out the flight kinks. There was this window and in it were mannequins that looked incredibly cool. Perfect models from the 1960's. They weren't going anywhere and they weren't charging SAG/AFTRA rates so I decided to spent a minute or so making their portraits. The "models" were very cooperative but they really didn't have much range when it came to gesture and expression....

I loved this profile of the red head. I shot it with the Sony Nex 7 and the 50mm 1.8 lens at near wide open and handheld. When I got back to Austin and started looking through my files I was happy to see just how controlled the noise was and how sharp the lens is, even when shot nearly wide open. I've included a shot that's around a 1:1 crop just so you can see what to expect from the system. I'm very happy with the overall performance; especially for the size and price.





The final shot, the group shot, was photographed on a different evening using the 
Sigma 19mm 2.8. I consider it a "must get" lens for any of the mirrorless systems.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

what are you doing up here in boston?

John

Kirk, Photographer/Writer said...

Visiting schools with the boy. 60 colleges and universities in the Boston area. Over 250,000 college students packed in tight. It was fun.

Anonymous said...

Those mannequins are pretty fun. Thanks for sharing, I'll check them out.

Anonymous said...

Does he have any idea what winters are like up there?

Art in LA said...

Fun. I thought I was the only who takes pictures of mannequins in windows! That Sigma 19mm is such a bargain ... I should pick one up. Do you have the Sony 16mm too? I have that lens and enjoy it with the fisheye adapter. But, everybody raves about that Sigma.

Craig Yuill said...

"Encore presentations" of earlier blog posts is a great idea. I hope these will focus on the whys and hows of photography and not gear. Great shots! These days you don't see mannequins, dresses, and scenes like these too often.