The camera is a devious device. There are times when it brings you confidence, or intimidate you just the same. My experience when working with a camera is often uncertain, I can plan one thing with it, but end up getting something else. The matter of fact is that you don't get anything out of a camera unless you point it somewhere, whether it's planned or responsive.
When to bring out the camera? When to be in disguise?-For me, it’s best to have it with me available the whole time, putting it away only adds unnecessary pressure. Having my camera on my hand on full display allows me to keep an active mind, and be deliberate with compositions and moments. When I took the first picture in this post, I wasn’t hiding the fact that I was taking pictures, I kept my camera at eye level and fired multiple shots. That said, I felt inclined to photograph this moment in a busy environment like riding on a NY subway, so probably I wouldn't have had the same inclination if I was in a quieter place like a small-town bus station.
Just about a year earlier, I shot the second picture on this post in a very similar setting. That picture was taken from the hip, and I relied on pre-focusing to ensure the subject was more or less sharp. As I compare these two pictures, it's interesting to me how the subject in the second picture is making eye contact with my camera, and that's not the case in the first picture when I made it clear I was taking photos. Also, I can't help thinking how different the second photo would have looked if I hadn't shot it from the hip, perhaps the framing would have been better with his hands not cropped?
In conclusion, I’m beginning to understand how turning invisible with a camera has very little to do with being in disguise. Actually, it has more to do with reading the moment. That is the moment you’re not present in the life of the main subject, so how you choose to operate the camera almost becomes irrelevant.