Tuesday, March 07, 2006
As you might have noticed from my food blog, I recently bought a digital camera. It is a cute little thing, about the size of a credit card and as thick as a finger. I was glad when I initially bought it, having never really owned a camera, but after taking it out of the package, my first thought was "now what?". I clumsily pointed it at various objects at home, and took it out on hikes or weekend nights at local bars. By now it's become clear to me that I have no idea how to take good pictures.
Having graduated with a physics degree, I could explain to you how a CCD sensor works using the photoelectric effect, how optics in the camera focus the image onto the CCD, and how semiconductor chips inside the camera digitize the analog signal. I could even explain to you how JPEG image compression works using fourier transforms. However, if you put a camera into my hand, I would not be able to take a tasteful photograph for you.
So ironically, after finishing an undergraduate degree in physics and mathematics, it seems that I am now learning the limitations of my education. And so, as I wait to begin graduate school in the fall, I am glad that I have a semester off to learn about all the things that I should have learned, but never got a chance to. Such as taking pictures, and cooking decent food.
Having graduated with a physics degree, I could explain to you how a CCD sensor works using the photoelectric effect, how optics in the camera focus the image onto the CCD, and how semiconductor chips inside the camera digitize the analog signal. I could even explain to you how JPEG image compression works using fourier transforms. However, if you put a camera into my hand, I would not be able to take a tasteful photograph for you.
So ironically, after finishing an undergraduate degree in physics and mathematics, it seems that I am now learning the limitations of my education. And so, as I wait to begin graduate school in the fall, I am glad that I have a semester off to learn about all the things that I should have learned, but never got a chance to. Such as taking pictures, and cooking decent food.
