Originally posted by loco But I even feel strange if I'm out trying to get a shot of a field of hay bales along the side of a busy highway!
And yes, I'd never purposely take a shot of a child. I've heard of too many stories of very protective parents who didn't take too kindly to that!
I do feel strange about taking field shots by the edge of the road. I just make sure I'm legally parked and hope no one decides to call 911 about that 'weirdo taking photos of cows, probably an activist of some type or a bovine molester'. That is the problem. In this era we live everyone seems to assume you're out to 'do' something, not just take photographs because you like the image. The funny thing is that if the person who thought you were weird actually was able to see the finished photo, they'd probably think, "That's nice.".
One advantage of there being so many more DSLRs like the inexpensive Canon & Nikons is that in a more crowded setting, you can photograph without anyone really noticing you. People in that setting are more used to seeing DSLRs everywhere.
I sometimes use a monopod which doesn't seem to get as much attention. I've thought of attaching a curved top to it so it looks like a walking stick. I'll have to experiment on that.
Or maybe it's all just me being too paranoid. I try not to be, but I know that everyone out there is trying to get me, especially all those people who own Pentaxes.
Michael