Thursday, March 18, 2010

Day 76: The Click

(Nikon D90, 35mm DX, f/8, 1/25, ISO 400, Flash @ -1.0 TTL)

What a day - one that I am glad is over.  At the very least, I can sleep in on Thursday since I've been busy all week, so much so that I slept through dinner and didn't wake up from my nap until around 9 PM.

My presentation for my communications class (CMN124) went a bit longer than I had expected.  A lot longer.  It was supposed to be a maximum seven minutes.  I went for about 11:17.  Whoops.  Still, when it came time general feedback and commentary on notable presentations, I was somewhat surprised that my presentation in spite of it's length was positive and well-received.  Even though I probably just ended up taking a hefty penalty for going over, I imagine the grade will still come out better, perhaps moreso than if I had not gone over; regardless, I remain optimistic about this presentation. 

Our class was to choose a topic related to Science, Technology, or Information Technology.  Immediately from the get-go I knew I'd do photography.  It was a science afterall and with the advent of digital, a technology as well.  I knew I was going to be talking to group with no photography background, so I tried to keep it as basic as possible, explaining only what I needed to and in not as much detail as I myself would've liked if I were on the receiving end.  Of course, I'm a stickler for details.  This was also the first time that I can recall where I was extremely comfortable with what I was talking about and I wanted to reflect that in my PowerPoint, which I largely ignored save for the use of visual aids.  I just spoke from my head with what I knew and threw in some corny humour every now and then to spice it up.  When I saw my friend Walid give me a five minute gesture I was somewhat in "oh shit" mode because I was barely halfway through my presentation; alas, I tried to keep as cool as possible without rushing through the presentation.

About the only thing that I really regret was not being able to do a live demonstration, which would have been a perfrect conclusion and a means to get the audience further involved.  I probably would've cut down the hefty technology portion that I somewhat shotgunned in last minute too, which probably would've saved me on time.  When I sat down I was a little disappointed that I had gone so far over but was glad that I was able to share my passion with everyone else.

Today was certainly another example of why photography holds such a special place in my life.  When the professor commented on my presentation, she noted that even though it was long, that everything flowed well and that I had spoken with confidence - much to my relief.  I had never done a presentation as well as I had today.  I also saw Parvinder earlier today, who much to my delight was very happy with his photo from yesterday.  At that point in the day I was tired (went to bed at 5 AM, woke up at 6:30) and in somewhat of a 'grrr' mood, but that all didn't really matter, since it was so uplifting to hear how happy he was; "I never look good in photos" he told me.  Clearly that changed.  I didn't get paid for yesterday's Toastmasters shoot, but being told things like this often makes that totally irrelevant.  To make others happy and to be able to capture the moment is what drives my photography.

I live for the click.
"You go out on Friday night
I'll stay in but thats all right
Cause I have found a click to call my own
In crowd out crowd I don't care
Your crowd my crowd we can share
Cause I have found a click to call my own"
Good Charlotte, The Click

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