I sympathise with the original poster. I also feel very uncomfortable carrying round a camera in public which might explain why I usually take pictures in woods and other remote areas. Maybe forcing oneself to do it is the way to get over the psychological barrier.
But I think part of the problem is that we seem to have lost our innocence. Friends with children do not let them walk home from school, whereas when I was about 8 or 9 I walked the 3 miles to and from school. We neurotically worry about 'kiddy fiddlers' and think any stranger is a potential weirdo or peeping tom up to no good. Legally I believe that we can photograph anyone in a public place as long as we do not use the image to defame them. But in practice I would be concerned about getting 'nutted'.
On a related note I find I really do not like it when someone comes up to me and starts talking to me about cameras. Some while back I was taking pictures in a local bluebell wood, and someone came up to me and asked me about my camera. He was perfectly polite, and pleasant enough, but it sort of bothers me. On another occasion, many years ago, someone in a bird hide starting asking me what 'gear' I had, and then proceeded to tell me what I should have bought. On the other hand I have on many occasions got chatting to someone about local wildlife, and I have met some very interesting people. One bloke got the first record in his county of a particularly rare fungus (that might bore you, but to me it is interesting). Another perso was the local organiser of the Butterfly Conservation charity. Anyway, I digress ...
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