Customerless Cutups

Here is another in the category of Poser.  My perspective was that on this rainy day, there was no one on line.  So, I took the picture far way, to capture the emptiness of Zuccotti Park.  Well, I guess I was pretty much the only one in the park, and they had their moment.  

Customerless Cutups

Attention Seeker

Another in my series of "Posers"... those who ask that I take their picture.  In this case, I was focused on the alley behind and I was waiting for these guys to move away.  Spotting my camera, this guy decided he was my subject and enjoyed the spotlight.  

Attention Seeker

Posers

A few times as I was wandering the streets in my guise of street photographer, people have approached me and asked me to take their picture.  I call these people "Posers".  They have their own reasons for wanting the picture taken I suppose (primarily vanity I think).  I find remarkable that every time, once the picture has been taken, they didn't even ask to see the shot or look to get a copy. 

In some cases, the Posers are people who are down on their luck and they see modeling as a way to get a contribution.  I previously wrote in my entry Rittenhouse Square about a guy named Ben in Philadelphia who was in this category. 

The gentleman below stopped me on Nassau Street and asked if I'd like to take a picture of him holding up a dollar bill.  I really didn't and suspected his angle, but liked his charm.  He said, "I'll bet you don't have another picture like that!"  (And I didn't).  He got a few bucks from me but he also made me happy. 

Dollar Bill Man

This guy walked from across the street and startled me since my eye was focused through my lens.  He was suddenly there.  "Take My Picture!"   Uh, OK.... I rattled it off quickly and didn't get a chance to focus.  Then he walked away, satisfied. 

Take My Picture!

This guy spotted me taking some pictures of window grates, and said "Take a Shot of Me".  He lifted his shirt to expose his abs and did a nice little muscle man pose in front of the Muscle Maker Grill. 

Muscle Man

Sometimes there are youthful solicitors looking to get contributions for various causes from passerbys.  I generally avoid eye contact and keep walking.  That is exactly what I did when approached by the guy below.  He was collecting for a children's support group of some kind.  I was taking various shots around City Hall.  He started "chatting me up" (which is the standard technique).  He asked about my camera.  I gave him a short response without breaking my stride.  He walked along with me.  He told me about a relative of his with a Canon camera.  I responded, kept walking, getting ready for his pitch.  We walked for about three blocks.  He then said, "Take My Picture".  I stopped and took a bit of time to line up the photo.  Realizing it was a pretty damn good shot, I asked him if he wanted to see it and showed it to him on my back screen.  He nodded and said "see ya".  He didn't ask for money or even talk about his cause.  I felt kind of bad, especially since I had a decent picture of him and would have emailed it to him.  But he was gone. 

Solicitor

Posers

There are those who hate to be photographed. But there are also the attention seeking posers, who want nothing more than to have their picture taken. They dress boldly or provocatively, they know how to position themselves for the best picture. Since I focus on candid shots, I do not like to reward this kind of behavior (unless it's at Disney World).

However, standing at the end of Wall Street, this guy knew how to take advantage of the large number of tourists there. I guess he was making some kind of political statement about the bailouts and he was standing in front of a Brinks armored car. I'm not sure really what the point was. Actually I think the point was to get his picture taken, rather than anything else more meaningful.

So, I took a few of him from the side, so he wouldn't pose for me, but in the end I just couldn't resist letting him turn on the whole personality for me (even though I hate myself for it).