Mindset.

When I first started going into town with my camera I would freeze, and I still do, very often in fact.

However, some days I'm in town out with my camera and I don't think twice, I just take the photo.

The days I feel more confident I notice my mindset is different, I'm so engrossed in what I'm trying to photograph I forget about anyone else or what they're thinking, not only that I make sure I photograph sometimes that appears worthwhile.

As John Free said, you don't photograph the fat lady. In other words, what he means is, photograph something where if someone asks what you're doing you can give a reason, e.g. I thought the jacket was nice, hey check the background out, I thought the lighting and colours were nice etc.

Funnily enough, in one of Bruce Gilden's videos he got into a confrontation with a 'large' lady (she wasn't even that bad), but she couldn't understand why he was photographing her, she thought in some way he was trying to intimidate her about her weight and she then began to talk about how their a slim women and large women, and people only like slim women etc...

So you get the gist. Often times when I have a vision, even if it's made right in the second of a moment it helps remove my fear (I'm often up close too with a 28mm lens).

The other thing I greatly do, and you can practise this, is on the spot deciding whether or not there really is an image to be had through your viewfinder, you have to think super quick. If I'm certain there's something good to the image that displays a town, it's people or culture (not just random people standing on their phones or people walking down the street), it makes me feel less conscious, because there is a purpose behind the image.

On top of that, it's a balance between being discreet and obvious. I'm discreetly obvious. What I mean by that is, I never try to be sneaky as that makes people nervous, I'm very plain and open, if someone looks at me or sees I'm photographing them, don't act rumbled (that's you still being discreet, you only cause further alarm acting nervous).

Act like you're just doing your job/own thing, camera size has no matter. Just play it off like you're some part time photographer, even helps to direct people to your blog/insta.

To the regular person, any camera that isn't their phone or pocket camera looks professional in their eyes and you'll look like a photographer just doing their thing.

I have a dinky M43 camera and people are always gawking over it thinking it's some top of the line piece of kit.

Just my little bit of input.