I'm the one that took the picture and here is the uncropped version (http://www.flickr.com/photos/crlnh/9818826176/). I didn't expect all this when I posted it on reddit
Looking at the whole picture now, it still doesn't appear evident (at least to me) that the two ladies chatting beside him were waiting for their story to be done.
I agree with the author: seeing his sign more would have put more context into the picture.