Narcissism Gone Wild

If there appears to be a fashion or commercial shoot going on here, there is not, either by me or anyone else. This woman definitely gets the day's prize for color and style meets attitude. I've noticed when photographing human subjects that many of the most flamboyant are the least perturbed by photographers (click here). Whereas taking candid shots typically requires some finessing, with subjects like this I have discovered that most will try to act unaware yet virtually pose when they know that they are being photographed. Upon reflection, this may seem like what one might expect - that anyone dressed and posturing like this has to be somewhat exhibitionistic and would enjoy being the object of attention and the subject of photography. However, with people I have learned to make no assumptions. As I have said in a previous post, some individuals get upset or even hostile and threatening, particularly the homeless. I would prefer getting permission from a subject but this would generally ruin the composition of most street photography involving subjects - either losing the moment or encouraging a less natural posed shot. And then there is the issue that taking photographs in public is a right, with certain exceptions and caveats ...