>>4175610It gives you an excuse to avoid eye-contact. Just look at your camera pretending to fiddle with settings when you get overwhelmed in public. Overtime, if you develop the likes for photographing, you stop thinking about people in the aware nervous state and see them as subjects of your own imaging world.
It's easier said than done, but don't give up, Anon. On hikes nobody will particularly care, but maybe someone might ask you about your camera from time to time.
Just buying a camera won't really force you out and you'll end up spending a lot of money and having it sit on a shelf and arguing about specs on forums. Try small, try around your house first. Even inside house you can find okay shots.
