Stetsons for sale, Kanab, Utah, 2006 by Phil Douglis

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18-SEP-2006

Stetsons for sale, Kanab, Utah, 2006

A life-sized mannequin of the late movie star John Wayne relaxes among the Stetsons in the hat department of the largest tourist shop in Kanab. I made this image from the side, strengthening the incongruous relationship between the Stetson pulled low over the eyes of the ersatz Wayne, and the stacks of Stetson awaiting buyers. I’ve even included a batch of spurs next to the crown of Wayne’s hat to add the flavor of the Old West to the image.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50
1/20s f/3.6 at 35.2mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto

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Phil Douglis		07-Jan-2007 20:56
Thanks, Ken -- I agree with your observation about the angle of the hats and the contrasting angle of Wayne's vision. I was amused by the relationship of the mannequin to all those hats instantly, and tried a number of compositions to intensify it. This worked the best. Glad you like it.

Ken Zaret		07-Jan-2007 19:46
I think what makes this image jump out is the upward angle of Wayne's hat and his angle of vision contrasted with the downward angles of the dark hats in the background. It is a design contrast within the image that works well to highlight the face and, ultimately, the content. This image generated an immediate laugh for me and it was fun to dissect how it worked so well.

Phil Douglis		14-Nov-2006 18:47
You are right, Jude. If one brings a context for John Wayne to this image, you get more out of it. You are right -- those under 25 might not have any idea who he was and what he represented. The more context we can bring to an image, the more we will get out of it. It reminds me of the images of my friend Ai Li, from Singapore. She often will attach lycrics of songs she loves to her images. For her, these songs are the stuff of life. To me, they only lyrics without music, and since I don't know the song, I don't get full value from those lyrics. For those under 35 who "get" her music, her images will have greater resonance. She is still a remarkable photographer, but how much more of a photographer could she be to me if I could relate her image to the music that would bring it context?

Jude Marion		14-Nov-2006 13:43
I googled John Wayne and read that he had passed away in 1979, which adds a whole other level of incongruity to this image for me. I find this image very humourous - who better than this chiseled, iconic mannequin of Wayne to sell Stetsons. But there are people under 25 yrs. who may be vaguely familiar with the actor and his rugged, masculine persona or the image of the 'old West' that he portrayed.

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