When the subject of this photo was asked to pose for a picture by photographer Kevin Steele, it obviously went right to his head — and hat. Almost to the rafters.

This stately Mad Hatter image is part of a series of 100-plus portraits of performers who were about to take part in the 2010 Summer Solstice Parade in Santa Barbara, Calif. Steele had covered the parade many times for its usual antic cast of elaborate floats, colorful artists and character costumes. "I love shooting people in motion, and love to create interesting environments around them and capture the emotion," he says...