(03 Jul 2013, 5:54 pm)AdamY wrote I do not consider myself to be a 'bus spotter' (for lack of a better term - I hope it hasn't offended anyone) so, on the whole, pictures of buses do not interest me a great deal. However, I do enjoy a nostalgic look at old photographs as it evokes memories from my childhood. This includes old photographs of buses (and bus stations) set in their traditional, non-preserved settings. It is interesting to compare and contrast things as they were back then; and things as they are now. This not only includes the background scenery but the bus routes themselves. Although transport enthusiasts may be low in number, we must not forget that transport usage underpins the lives of many. People outside the enthusiast culture also have memories and opinions of the buses they used to catch when they were younger (or before they purchased a car). If one places a photograph of, say, a MK2 national operating on the 638, on any of the myriad of community sites there are on Facebook, it's really interesting to read some the comments it provokes. The comments are usually from people who used to use the service too, providing personal accounts of how they interacted with the service in question. These stories are far more rewarding than the typical enthusiast response of 'there's [enter fleet number here] in all her glory'; the type of comment usually found on photo-sites like Flickr etc.,

I always think there are different levels of spotters or enthusiasts though. I wouldn't class myself as a spotter, as I personally couldn't care less about fleet allocations or what number buses I've seen. Though I'm quite interested in the photography aspect, the business side of things, and liveries. Someone feel free to shoot me down if I'm wrong though.

I was going to add - do people notice that bus stations full of spotters are becoming a rarity these days? I can remember always seeing people standing with cameras, notebooks, etc. Rarely see it nowadays though, apart from the odd person standing at Gateshead. I know a lot of people from this site are out and about taking pictures all the time, but they're either very discreet about it or it's just me becoming oblivious to these things

Or is there perhaps something else behind it? I often find that there's a perception that photography is becoming less and less 'socially acceptable' these days, as you're obviously up to no good if you're taking photos.....