2023-11-20: I sometimes get weird looks for walking around my residential neighbourhood with a big ol' camera, but nobody bats an eye at the number of security cameras people have put up on their homes.
NB, people also are friendly sometimes when they see the camera. Someone the other day suggested I take a picture of their cat when they saw me
I finally unearthed the Canon DSLR my dad gave me like 5 years ago and its two lenses, and I'd been feeling intimidated about bringing it outside (what if people think I'm a creep??) but this post has made me feel better about that and I think I will try taking it out around the neighborhood soon. thank you
:)
I have had one mildly bad interaction (someone checking I wasn't taking pictures of their kids. I wasn't, obviously, and it was uncomfortable but ultimately harmless), and a few weird looks (honestly, at least some imagined), but mostly people are indifferent or friendly. Definitely more interested questions or benign but friendly statements (e.g., "wow, fancy camera", "nice day for photography"). Probably depends on your neighbourhood but I feel like my initial concern for it was basically unfounded
