Captivated by the colors of the fruit they sell, I immediate aimed my camera. The tableau was quite interesting too! But there was one thing that further caught my attention--they did not want their faces to be taken. Getting a hint of their uneasiness at the moment, I stopped taking their photos.

They were informal vendors--ergo no business permit. But then it was Panagbenga Day and everyone seems to be free from selling anything on the streets. Be that as it may, they had their right to their privacy, which some street photographers fail to consider. So right there and then, I stopped shooting and let them ply their trade free from "spy" lenses.

Anyway, these three women have a good business sense. They are selling different fruits, ergo, not compete with each other. They must have planned out their strategy very well. They have a prime location, too, which is the Session Road, and away from the crowded fruit stands. Did they sell much? Haven't asked though.

As a traveler, it is always a must to take photos of people to get a better representation of the places one has gone to, but one should be sensitive enough if it were okay for the subjects to have their photos taken. I assumed that these vendors were not regular Baguio vendors as they are not very well-accustomed to travelers and tourists taking photos of people. This lesson I also learned in Sagada. I read somewhere that Ifugaos and the Kankana-eys of Mountain province associate photographs with the departed.

One lesson learned: Respect.





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