2008, Shinjuku Tokyo Japan - Nikon D80 with Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens
I did a lot of street photography when I lived in Tokyo. Since I lived within a short walking distance of Shinjuku station, literally millions of people walked through my neighborhood every day. On such street photography occasions I would seek out a spot out of the way of the flow of sidewalk traffic, preferably with my back against something (railing, subway entrance wall, etc), but with a clear view of the passing people. There are other techniques I use to make my street photography images, but I will not reveal all of those here.
Anyone carrying a skateboard would automatically grab my attention, but throw in a manilla envelope with BUGS in a large font across the front of it, and you have exactly the type of person my eyes comb through the masses for. The bonus was I had a clear shot of him long enough to also make a detail shot of his skateboard.
I would like to do a photo series of skateboard deck customizations some day.