Wow...I haven't been flying for that long, but as a professional photographer, I'm regularly approached by people who want to chat about equipment and technique. I find I can stay focused and still answer a couple of questions, but if it gets out of hand, or I'm particularly involved in something difficult., I simply say so. In almost 30 years of photography, I've never had anyone fail to respect my wishes...I would hope that will be true with Drones as well.
I have never found it hard to politely tell the person that I need to focus on what I'm doing. They don't want to bother you, they just want to share an interest and it happens to be something I'm passionate about. That's pretty cool. I love what I do, so I enjoy talking about it.
As for people handling my equipment, I'm OK with it...but I treat them like they've never handled anything like it before...so if I hand them my camera, I'm going to put the strap around their neck...and I'm likely to say, "Don't touch the lens"...seriously. I would rather them look at me as if to say, "Do you think I'm an idiot" than get into a situation where someone puts their fingers on my lenses. I'm also likely to maintain control of it as they touch it...and only let it go when I know they've got the hang of it. And I never take my eyes off of them while they're holding something of mine.
I'm not looking to be an ambassador, but I am a social creature. I enjoy writing and reading in forums and learning from my peers. I enjoy the opportunity to provide information that someone else is interested in and I would hope others will share with me.
To me, it's not a nuisance, it's part of the allure of the activity.
I have never found it hard to politely tell the person that I need to focus on what I'm doing. They don't want to bother you, they just want to share an interest and it happens to be something I'm passionate about. That's pretty cool. I love what I do, so I enjoy talking about it.
As for people handling my equipment, I'm OK with it...but I treat them like they've never handled anything like it before...so if I hand them my camera, I'm going to put the strap around their neck...and I'm likely to say, "Don't touch the lens"...seriously. I would rather them look at me as if to say, "Do you think I'm an idiot" than get into a situation where someone puts their fingers on my lenses. I'm also likely to maintain control of it as they touch it...and only let it go when I know they've got the hang of it. And I never take my eyes off of them while they're holding something of mine.
I'm not looking to be an ambassador, but I am a social creature. I enjoy writing and reading in forums and learning from my peers. I enjoy the opportunity to provide information that someone else is interested in and I would hope others will share with me.
To me, it's not a nuisance, it's part of the allure of the activity.