Here is a little project for you.
Go and take a bunch of street photos of people, close up, with your phone. At first you will feel like a creeper, but pretend you are a spy.
The phone is a perfect disguise, everyone has one in their hand all the time. With an iphone you can fire it without sound using the headphone volume control.
Get used to just seeing a scene, walking up, and clicking. Do it sneaky at first, and eventually you will become more comfortable and quicker. After a while you can progress to the, as my friend calls it, confused tourist. He dresses as an American tourist, (he is from California, so it is not a stretch), loud shirt, tourist map, and high end camera around his neck. Then he just walks around, with a look of excitement on his face, clicking away like crazy. Everybody ignores him.
He knows that 90% of what he shoots will go in the bin, but GB's are cheap, and if he gets a couple of good shots it is all worth it.
Great ideas! I've never had any problems snapping away in other's backyards being a tourist but in my own yard i'm as shy behind the lens as in front. Will have to alter my mindset and get out there and play tourist at home... as long as nobody i know sees me...
dave