Paparazzi reveals her tactic to snapping Meghan Markle: 'I have more power as a woman'

Ishkanian photographed Meghan at a Montecito flower market on July 14.

She explained how she uses her gender in order to get close to celebrities and take their picture.

Ishkanian said: "On the first pictures I took of her [Meghan] she smiled at me and she thought 'she's a woman.'

"Everyone talks about equal rights and I'll tell you what, I have even more power as a woman than a male paparazzi because they don't think I'm anything.

"So I picked up my iPhone, I knew if I picked up a big camera, she's trouble."

Ishkanian told Newsweek she spends a lot of time in Montecito where Meghan and Harry are based due to her mother being local to the area.

The photographer also discussed how she ended up taking the Duchess of Sussex's photograph during their recent encounter.

She said: "I saw a pink and white striped golf cart with Katy Perry's dad holding flowers standing next to it talking to someone."

Ishkanian continued: "I said 'Oh my God, here's my chance to get Katy Perry's dad.' So I flipped the car around. I was trying to cross to go into a parking area and this big guy in a blue shirt was in front of my car and then he backed away.

"Then he flipped his hand and said go ahead. This was Meghan's bodyguard that I was talking to.

"I come up and I see Katy Perry's dad and I look and there's a woman who looks like Meghan Markle standing next to him.

"I start taking pictures and here comes the blue shirt guy, big guy, and I realise that's her bodyguard and absolutely that's her."

Earlier this year, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry claimed they were in a "near catastrophic" car chase involving paparazzi.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex condemned the behaviour of those trying to photograph them in a statement through a spokesperson.