Sooo, the final day of fall quarter is tomorrow.
This quarter has been very different than quarters past. No longer was I aiming for 3.5 or 4.0's... but like an experienced golf player being thrown into a basketball court, I was struggling to get even a 2.0. I didn't know what to do, this had never happened to me before...
At the finale of the quarter I think I finally have begun to unravel the key to studying subjects such as math and physics...
... and that is to study in a GROUP! Or even with a TA. When you get stuck in math or physics, it's unlike getting writers block in English-- where the only thing slowing you down is your own head. But with equations and problems involving numbers and variables, the problem often lies (well still in your head) with not understanding the equations application, or even how the equation works. I've found it very difficult to get an understanding of the subjects through readings, however when I'm in a group, I understand it a THOUSAND times better, than when I'm with myself. 80% of the time I study by myself I'm having an argument in my own head about how much I don't get math/physics. BUT when I get together in a group, I can actually learn things, bounce ideas off people, ask questions, and together we can all work towards a general understanding of the topics.
I may have to retake Math 126...the cost of not realizing this study technique sooner. But in the big scheme of things, it's not a huge deal, I learned a lesson-- and that's all that matters.
Despite math and physics, I somewhat enjoyed my Ocean Circulation class, however. Though it involved both math and physics, we also learned its application. We learned how to calculate current velocities, and how long a parcel of water had been in the ocean (via the decay of its C14). The class actually closely correlated with my major (Atmospheric Sciences). We learned how the global pattern of the winds drove surface currents in the ocean. How it creates upwelling in the equator, bringing up nutrients, which provide a feast for phytoplankton, and the rest of the food chain. I now have a pretty good understanding of El Nino and La Nina as well. I have memorized the average temperatures and salinities of the 3 deep water inputs in the Atlantic Ocean. In fact, the class really accomplishes what it sets out to do... Ask me anything about the circulation of any ocean, and I can probably tell you. Temperatures, salinities, surface currents, deep water currents, the general conveyor-belt circulation of the ocean... How long it takes for a parcel of water to complete the entire circuit, where upwelling/downwelling zones are. Anyhow, I'm sure that's super boring to anyone else, but I just felt like talking about it.
^^^ The ITCZ, woooo!
Anyhow, I'm also going to get to go to King 5 news tomorrow and watch Jeff Renner give his daily weather spiel! I'm pretty excited! I always considered that one day (later in my degree) that I'd get to visit there -- I had no idea I'd get to visit so soon!
Anyhow, enough about school...
My next favorite topic... PHOTOGRAPHY! :)
I visited Barnes and Noble today and spent a couple hours reading through some photography books. They were really interesting! I gotta do that more often... Actually, what I need to do more often is actually go out and shoot. Unfortunately I left my camera bag (and battery charger) at the wedding I shot last week, so...no extra shooting for me :(. However, I actually need to edit all the wedding photos I took before I move on to shoot anything else anyway, I can be mean, but putting off someones wedding photos is a little cruel. Speaking of the wedding shoot, it went pretty well, though I did learn some lessons.... Low light photography is difficult! I had to bump up the ISO to max (shudder), and sometimes that wasn't even enough. However, when I looked back at the photos, the high ISO didn't have as negative of an effect as I had thought (phew!). But maybe things to consider for the next time I do a wedding:
1) Use different lenses (It'd be nice to get a set of prime lenses, with a low f number, so I can get some more light-gathering power...because eeek, low-light is not fun)... I have my eye on a 35mm f1.8 that's fairly inexpensive ($180)... and maybe later I can get more prime lenses at a longer focal length...(50mm - $300), (and maybe an 80-200mm f2.8 after that....*CHOKE* I just looked up the price... $2,159....Maybe I'll get that one...much later...like after I buy a new camera - which would be a Nikon D7000 by the way).
2) Recommend to the Bride and Groom to do photos EARLY! (and outside). I found it muuchh easier to take photos in natural light. And at this last wedding, we managed to squeak a few in, but it was pretty rushed.
Anyhow, yeah.
I guess my mom got a bonus at work, and went and ahead and got me the lense I've been looking at for months, the
Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED Telephoto Zoom Lens
I've been doing lots of research, and that's the one I decided would be best. There was a cheaper 55-300mm lense, but according to all the reviews, the autofocus was PRETTY slow. The primary reason I'm buying this lense is for wildlife photography, and one thing I've realized about the field, is that you need to capture the animal in the right place, and most importantly AT THE RIGHT TIME. And if I miss multiple amazing wildlife shots, because my cameras trying to autofocus, I think I might just keel over and die. So yeah, the autofocus on this one is much faster (though still not as fast as more professional -aka. expensive- lenses).
It also is capable of VR (Vibration Reduction), which really helps when you're trying to take pictures without a tripod. Taking a handheld photo, especially zoomed in, the camera's gonna shake, but VR helps compensate for the shake, and lets the camera take a clearer picture.
Since my camera is a DX (Not a full-frame), the lens will really act as a 105-450mm lens, giving it even more zoom!
This is the farthest my camera can zoom in now:
This is how far it'll be able to zoom after I attach the new lens:
I'm really excited to test out the lens, I REALLY wanna just go out to the mountains, or the ocean, or somewhere and get some really awesome wildlife shots! I've found some neat websites that give locations/habits of wildlife.
I can't stop thinking.... what if I had that lens back during the trip to the Olympic Penninsula? I could've gotten SUCH a more amazing zoomed in shot of this sealion:
Dammit Sealion! If only I could've zoomed in on you like that ferris wheel!
Since I was a young kid, I've loved animals... I grew up with an opossum as a pet, as well as a pair of frogs that I caught in the neighborhood. I'll never forget the night I was falling asleep in the silence and darkness of my room, and out of nowhere the frogs started croaking... It was mysterious, it was peaceful, it's a memory I won't forget.
In a way I'm just using photography as an excuse to go on an adventure to find these animals, and spend time with them. As mentioned in my Environment class last year, there's no experience like observing a wild animal in its natural habitat. It can be awe-inspiring... powerful, and can even make you re-evaluate your perspective on life. Perhaps some people would get bored sitting around for a long time looking at an animal... But I find wildlife fascinating, I could spend hours just sitting and watching patiently...and that's exactly the patience needed to take neat wildlife shots!
I feel like the future doesn't hold a very pleasant future for the biology of the planet. Shifting temperatures, growing human populations, decreasing habitats, hunting, input of chemicals into the atmosphere, soil, and water...there's a limitless amount of things we're doing to eliminate the biodiversity of Earth. I'd really like to enjoy it while it's out there, and capture it on camera as a record of its existence.
Anyhow, I'd really just like to capture as much of Washington State's wildlife as I can. The list isn't that expansive, and it's definitely do-able. I think my dream job would be to work for National Geographic, and if I can organize a portfolio...well all the more-likely that dream could become a reality.
I think it'd be amazing to capture rarer species of Washington wildlife like a Mink or maybe even a Wolverine.
It's kind of interesting, I was actually looking up all sorts of stuff today on the wolverine. Seeing how safe it is around them... I'm still not 100% sure, I've mostly read that they try to avoid humans, but I've also read that they have some pretty sharp teeth and can take down elk, and even scare off bears. So I'm not sure what to think yet. But right after I got done reading up on them. An article popped up on my facebook talking about how wolverines are making a comeback in Washington.
A Wolverine
Anyhow, I think that'd just be super cool...This winter break, I gotta plan on either going to the North Cascades or the Olympic Penninsula... In fact, I gotta set aside some time, maybe tomorrow, to plan out the whole break. I wanna reconnect with some friends (jeremy, chad), spend some time with my dad, spend some time with my sister, and go on some special dates with sabrina.
Okay, as I continue to write this blog, I'm getting slower and slower. So I think I'm just gonna stop. I think I said most of what I wanted to say...
so..
Cheers!
-Nav
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