All photographers should see this.

Actually Ga2g you have sort of persuaded me with your second point. Not about the pics, they're not my cup of tea, but his apparatus, I can see what you mean.

Will, have you ever used a twin-lens reflex camera? Many people (including me) have found that a subject is more relaxed, or maybe even quizzical, if the lens pointed at them is not their main focus. The TLR scenario (I find) relaxes subjects by their not being as consciencious of a lens pointing at them. Of course its there, but the photographer looking as if into the ground, when taking the image, is not as threatening. I imagine it would be a similar scenario to those captured in the OP. Looking at a studio light set-up, with a guy struggling under the weight and size of it all, must have been at least a unique, if not a highly diverting experience. Thats my take on it anyway.