Tips for street photography?

Any tips, guide lines, secrets, rules (like if you're even allowed to take pics of random strangers)
i use a nikon d3100 attatched to nikon's 18-200mm
and a pentax film camera

You need to be discreet.

Shoot from the hip with the lens set at 18 mm and shutter speed at about 1/250th second.

Remember to set the white balance to match the lighting. Shade is best because there are not harsh shadows.

Holding your camera up to your face, will cause many of the people on the street to either act out or hide from the camera. This will result on unrealistic "street" shots

Let's start with the legalities. Here in the US There's no expectation of privacy out on the streets. You can take a person's picture ( Even a child's. But use wisdom. ) if they are in public view. Basically, on the street okay. Through a window not okay. In a park okay. You get the idea. I'm assuming Canada has similar laws.

Now, on to the choice of equipment. Yikes! Nothing says act naturally like a huge black camera with an enormous lens right? Uh not so much. You need to be low profile with equipment. The whole idea behind street photography is for the photos to be natural and not have people covering their faces or or hamming it up when the camera is pointed in their direction. It's understandable if you don't want to go out and buy all new equipment. But, you might at least try a smaller lens. Preferably one with a reasonably wide angle. May somewhere between 28-40mm. The point is blend in and not look like some pro flashing your equipment around.

- Keep your eye open and always look around you, forward, to your sides, backwards. Good shots can come at any time and any place so always be prepared and have your camera ready.

- I have to disagree with fhotoace for shooting from the hip. Although it is a discreet method for shy people and beginners, it is un-reliable. It is always best to look through the viewfinder so you can compose your shot how you want it. You might see a great shot and if you shoot from the hip you could miss it completely. People are usually in their own worlds or focusing on other things, by the time they notice you have a camera pointed at them you'd have already taken the photo.

- Don't hesitate on taken a photo. Like I already said, people are commonly distracted by other things and won't notice you take a photo. Confrontation is very rare also. I've taken many photos on the street and have only been confronted about it a few times. It wasn't even negative confrontation, it was just humorous responses such as ''I never got a chance to pose''.

- Look for interesting scenes which stand out. Try not to take boring and banal photos of street musicians and back shots.

- Any camera is fine for street photography, but smaller cameras are better. I use a Fuji x10.

- Set up your camera before you get out on the street. Choose a small aperture (so everything is in focus) and fast shutter speed.