dereksurfs Posted March 30, 2016 Author Share Posted March 30, 2016 (edited) Lake Tahoe? Which camera did you use because hubby wants to get me a DSLR which I wanted and the price is stubborn. Glad he had a wonderful spring break :) Haha, well, in answer to the first question, the mountain shots are from Sequoia National Park. I didn't even include pictures of the sequoias in the snow which is a beautiful sight in and of itself. I'll include one below. Regarding cameras, its been a hobby of mine since the kids were born. I've shot with many including full frame DSLRs. Currently, I am shooting with a mirrorless Sony A7 which is lighter than my old Canon 5DII. They are both full frame cameras. I really like having a lighter system which takes equally good photos. I'm actually considering the Fuji X-Pro2 mirrorless as well for my next camera. There are many great options out there. I think the choice really boils down to what your preferences are as well as the use cases. For example, what would you shoot most? Sports, street photography, macro nature, landscapes, portraits, events, etc..? I do primarily landscapes and family portraits. Here one of the Sequoias with snow: Edited March 30, 2016 by dereksurfs 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 (edited) Derek: God Bless You for starting this thread! Last night we had a stressful conversation with DD15. I believe she forgot to apply some of the Time Management Skills she developed in Middle School and that the workload in High School is much tougher. I knew that 7 credits each school year would be a very heavy load, but it didn't seem (to me) to be much heavier than 6 1/2 credits per school year, which is the minimum for High School graduation in Texas and for that reason, I suggested she try for 7 credits each school year. Also, she is getting distracted. I am going to contact her Academic Counselor and probably we will drop her back to 6 credits per school year for awhile. We need for her to be doing other things than just studying and doing other things (video Games. Chat, reading) on the computer. Her Physical Health and her Mental Health are the priorities. I always want her to be a happy, healthy and successful person. I think at the moment, we are not meeting that standard. Grades in the 90s are great, but not if she isn't happy or healthy. Physical Exercise and other activities need to be in the mix too. Edited March 30, 2016 by Lanny 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 (edited) Stunning photos Derek and glad it is working out well for him and you! Since I posted here DS experienced some tougher weeks but is now bouncing back. We tend to experience this pattern often...from manageable to sudden intense bursts near midterms to manageable loads again. Good luck! Edited March 30, 2016 by quark 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Follow On: When we were eating Lunch this afternoon, I asked DD if her English Instructor owes her any grades at this time. She is up to date. Part of the reason DD got behind in English was because her Instructor owed her grades on one or 2 things, and she couldn't continue with English, until she had those grades in the system. DD did not want to make waves for the Instructor. Her Academic Counselor wrote that the Instructors have five (?) calendar days to grade things and that if that doesn't happen, DD should contact the Instructor and that if the Instructor doesn't respond, then to contact the Academic Counselor and that she will get on their case. We need DD to "defend herself" in that respect, if that happens in the future. Here's the GOOD NEWS: When we were eating Lunch, my wife remarked about how much more relaxed or happy or something DD seems this afternoon. DD told her that she had wanted to have the conversation we had last night, for 2 months... My wife told her to request a family meeting if there are issues... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dereksurfs Posted April 1, 2016 Author Share Posted April 1, 2016 Thanks for sharing the pictures. I've been tempted by a mirrorless, as it would be so much easier to carry than my full frame DSLR, but the price has put me off. I'd have to start my over with lenses. Your pictures give me a push in that direction, though. Gorgeous. Your first one is especially stunning to me. Love the light. Oh, and this thread has been helpful as well ;). Yeah, it was a tough decision to move from my tried and true DSLR to a lighter weight, unknown system. Since I've been hiking, backpacking and mountain biking more with my energetic teen, I really have wanted to lighten the load. And I'm not getting any younger. So having all that weight around my neck is less desirable than it used to be. I sometimes like to hike with the camera out and ready to go. If I was less active, I may have just stayed with the DSLR. It does have its advantages such as superior ergonomics and the nice optical viewfinder. Regarding the images I posted, they are kind of a mishmash with the first two being from the Sony. The last three while skiing and snowboarding were cellphone shots. And the last one of the redwoods in the snow was from my old Canon DSLR. The Sony FF sensor actually performs better in terms of dynamic range and latitude than my old DSLR. What used to take several bracketed exposures, like that first shot, can now be achieved within a single frame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dereksurfs Posted April 1, 2016 Author Share Posted April 1, 2016 Follow On: When we were eating Lunch this afternoon, I asked DD if her English Instructor owes her any grades at this time. She is up to date. Part of the reason DD got behind in English was because her Instructor owed her grades on one or 2 things, and she couldn't continue with English, until she had those grades in the system. DD did not want to make waves for the Instructor. Her Academic Counselor wrote that the Instructors have five (?) calendar days to grade things and that if that doesn't happen, DD should contact the Instructor and that if the Instructor doesn't respond, then to contact the Academic Counselor and that she will get on their case. We need DD to "defend herself" in that respect, if that happens in the future. Here's the GOOD NEWS: When we were eating Lunch, my wife remarked about how much more relaxed or happy or something DD seems this afternoon. DD told her that she had wanted to have the conversation we had last night, for 2 months... My wife told her to request a family meeting if there are issues... I'm glad to hear you have been helping her achieve a better balance, Lanny. Its sounds like she's been wanting to deal with these things for a while and just needed some help framing it. At their young age, they are still developing in so many ways including their perspectives on the importance of work and play. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dereksurfs Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 (edited) FYI, we made an abrupt change to a time-based or time-limited schedule. I'll never forget the change in our DS's attitude, apparent happiness, and improved focus that happened (starting Dec. 7). I'm not saying you shouldn't go gradually, but I'm just sharing our experience. Also, although it's hard to tell, I think that DS has learned as much in his 40-42 hour schedule as with the old schedule. YMMV. Best wishes!! Well, Brad, now that the academic year is basically over except for a final in math, I can honestly say that our experience basically reflected yours as well. We scaled things back to ~ 40-45 hour per work week and DS ended up doing the same if not better in his classes. So, I want to thank you again for the nudge to simply try it. We didn't have much to lose at that point after nights and weekends were being consumed by school. Its so funny how he just managed to work it out. Though we did print out a realistic schedule and gave it to him as a guide. So, I think that helped as well in allowing to him to see how it 'could' be done. Edited May 11, 2016 by dereksurfs 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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