I mostly just don't want to upset anyone
Me neither, mostly 😄 Let's say I don't mind to upset tuk-tuk drivers since these bastards bombard every foreigner with their "tuk-tuk, sir?" every ten meters at popular destinations in Southeast Asia... 😁
I'll add another thing here I realized recently. Sometimes, the reason we don't take an image isn't our shyness or kindness but a feeling of "so good scene but I can't photograph it without ruining the vibes". These common cases aren't lost opportunities but rather opportunities that didn't happen. In such cases, imo better to think if it's possible to ask permission. Not quite street photography but portraits from the streets; why not. Also talking to strangers about their consent helps me to feel freer afterwards when I am photographing people without asking.
Yeah good call dude, I totally agree. I've been to SEA a few times so I totally understand the tuk tuk irritations.
I agree with you about "lost" opportunities too, it's an interesting dynamic in street photography, that's one of the things I really like about it.