How do you become 'invisible' when shooting on the street?

It can be tough being a street photographer. And one of the toughest challenges we face is being ‘invisible’ . . . blending in to our environment . . . being camouflaged. We aim or strive to be unobtrusive, not disrupting or interfering with the scene that confronts us. It is one of the most useful street photography techniques. “Easier said than done”, I hear you say. Not necessarily . . .

There is a number of simple things you can do to make it less obvious that you are a photographer. What are your tips? Please share your thoughts! This is quite a big topic, but here’s a shortlist of the things I recommend my students do if they have any concerns in this area:

Wear headphones (if you appear to be immersed in your own world, you are less likely to be challenged).
Wear sunglasses (it usually deters people from making contact).
Wear a hat (for the same reason).
Wear clothes that don’t stand out and which blend in with other people around you.
Don’t make eye contact with people around you.
Don’t behave in a secretive or furtive manner. This will only make you stand out even more.
Don’t ‘chimp’ – ie. don’t look at you picture you have just taken on your camera’s LCD screen.
Don’t walk round with a DSLR and a long lens round your neck. Be discreet. Don’t even think about looking like a pro.
Shun colourful camera straps the scream ‘Canon’ or ‘Nikon’ in big, bright letters. Go for something thin, dark and discreet.
Never use flash.
Pretend you are photographing something else (easy if you’re shooting wide).

Having said all that, presumably you are not doing anything ‘wrong’ and should have nothing to fear anyway. Over time, you will become de-sensitized to shooting strangers on the streets and will think nothing of it. In the short term, however, you may find some of these tips helpful. Believe me, persevere and you will be taking all this in your stride in no time at all. There's more about this on my website: http://www.streetsnappers.com

So, let's hear from you about what you do . . .