I kinda stand out from the crowd and I think being inappropriate kind of goes along with street shooting. LOL.
Recently got a Pentax 67II. Immediately pimped it out with a hot shoe handle and of course I use a hood on all my lenses. Its a very loud SLR and physically big, but this is amplified because I'm a 5'10" 150 pound Asian.
My other rig is a Nikon F3P that is pimped out with a motordrive and a AH-4 hand strap. I'm surprised that the NYPD allows me on the subway and to walk the city streets with a camera that also doubles as a deadly weapon.
Once some guy on the north side of Queens Plaza mistook my Nikon F3P for a pistol because of the way I carry it on my right side. He darted across the street and kept his eye on me as he quickly moved away. I'm sure the way I was grinning/laughing further convinced him I was an evil bad guy. Dose not help that I wear a ponytail.
Another time I was mistaken for a cop by a truck driver on the other side of Queens Plaza where its industrial. "It took a while," he yelled at me.
"Excuse me," I said.
"I called 911 about fifteen minutes ago," he replied.
"I'm not the police," I said. Evidently he thought my Gossen Luna Pro light meter was a detective badge holder.
Anyways so far I haven't been shot by the NYPD, but twice when I was younger they had their guns drawn on me, and that's another two stories.
Cal