Stills

What are the flowers for? Did someone die?

Kate immediately recognized that spot; I'm fairly certain we met you there.

In this instance the shallow angle of attack works really well.
 

It looks more as though a flower-vendor is preparing to set up a stall there and is bringing a selection of cuts.

Is that a Caucasian model or just a very long-legged Japanese girl trying to look like one?
 

Matt's comment struck me as if has seen this I would have gone for a full frontal image with the flower pot in the bottom left corner and right hand pillar skimming the right hand edge of the image. So it was the angle that had a strong visual impact upon me.

The pile of flowers has a significance which is in strong contrast to the advertisement.
 

Do the flowers have significance, or is it just a stallholder? Looks more like the latter to me.

I'm undecided about the angle. I'm not sure it adds enough to justify the top triangle.
 

This one gave me quite a smile, Here is a shrine to some poor girl named "Chanel", where people bring flowers to honor and remember her. The title says it wonderfully.

I think you could make a great book of your clever, humorous images like this one. I'd buy it!

Colin has a point about the top triangle, but it didn't bother me, and I'm not sure how another angle would have worked for this. I love the circular paved sidewalk.
 

For me the flowers, as a mourning sign, give the sense to the title. I think we could do without the left plant, thought, for a square crop of this take or for a tighter framing maybe.

I think this is a great idea!
 

Having been involved with my series on victims, etc, I bring my own recent "baggage" to this image. First take was that something awful had happened here, but my recent experience in Asia is that a public display of morning is unusal. But then reading the other comments, the idea that these flowers were being stored here pending some street selling appears to be more of the case. That then allows me to look at this with a different perspective, enjoying capature of the randomness of these flowers stacked near this fashion image and the resulting message & humor in the image. Nice.
 

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions.

Rex: I shoot the scenes as I find them! I've been waiting a long time to capture this shot (over two years) but not once did I ever think of actually buying some bunches and setting the shot myself.

Matt: We did meet in front of this sign last year. It is outside one of the busiest stations in Japan and to capture this picture without people was a challenge. I'm putting together a small series of shots with this window as the backdrop.

John: flower stall to the right and the model is not Japanese.

Christina: Thanks for the offer. If I ever get round to publishing a book I'll send you a signed first edition.

Doug: Welcome to Stills. In Japan there frequently is public mourning for the passing of famous people. I'll comment more on this on your post tomorrow.