(15 Jul 2015, 3:57 pm)R852 PRG When I first started taking photos, I found the hardest part was just getting my camera out and taking photos; anywhere for that matter. I find it a lot easier when I'm with somebody, I think it's just the general paranoia of somebody approaching me. Hence why I tend to go out with people on my days out. 
Like I've said before, just about everybody at my school who knows me, knows about my hobby. I've never had any real grief about it, and I've found that is because I'm open about it; I think if it was brought into a conversation and I just winced when people mentioned it, they'd see fit for a little piss-take. Friends or not. If I'm going to be honest, teachers are the ones who take the mickey...
People know they can approach me with any questions, for example, one friend who uses the 34/34A to get home to Ouston started noticing a ''posh bus'' (5409!). She used to ask me if I saw it, to work out where it would be on the night so she could enjoy all of the facilities of that specific bus. Other times, if anybody wants to know where to get a bus from or how to get somewhere, they come and ask me.
Just a few nights ago, I was thinking to myself, ''is my hobby quite sad?''. So, I went on Facebook Messenger and asked one of my best friends; he just replied with ''does it bother you that I like cars?''. When I replied no, he said that that was his answer for my question. Another who I later asked, said that he liked me for who I was, not what I did. At the end of the day, what anybody does in their spare time or spends their money on, is entirely up to them.
Then again, I sometimes do wonder why I feel self-conscious about taking photos on my own. At the end of the day, I'm nearly six foot tall.
Pretty much nobody I know is aware that I partake in this hobby but I think some of my friends possibly wouldn't be that surprised if they found out as I was occasionally prone to 'bus chat' one example being me and one of my friends talking about the terrible state of the buses used on Arriva's 7 and Go North East's 21 services at the time (this was before the services were upgraded) and have had a few bits of chat about things like this with people I know.
I have never really told anyone about the hobby for fear I am going to be ripped to shreds for it, especially as I already had enough things for people to take the mick out of me for.
I wouldn't telling my friends about it (preferably face to face) as I think if I actually told them when I am just chatting to them I think it wouldn't get much reaction apart from them maybe being a little surprised, I would rather do that than them spotting me doing a spot of spotting in say Durham.
It's more the people who kind of know me who would take the mick and post that I am a saddo on Facebook. At college one day some people on my course actually got on the topic of bus spotters and it was basically just referred to us as total saddos who need to get a life.
For me it's getting caught in the act by someone I know, couldn't care less what randoms think.
