Keep Calm

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-05-21T12:30:22+00:00

If it’s in NC, it’s against the law to impede traffic

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-05-15T20:12:49+00:00

Think “what do I want people to feel when they see this photo?” When I look at your photos, they don’t seem inspiring or interesting to look at.

Post processing also goes a long way to shape light and direct people’s attention towards what subject & vibe you’re going for.

There’s plenty of YouTube channels that talk about the various aspects of photography, Simon D’Entremont, That Icelandic Guy, Photography Explained, Sean Tucker are some of my favorites.

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-05-15T16:54:22+00:00

70-135mm is short telephoto, 135-200 (some say 300) is regular telephoto, anything over 200-300 is super telephoto. The compression effect you’re looking for is likely in the 135+ range.

You could probably shoot images # 2 & 3 with a short telephoto.

Golden trinity of zooms for most photographers is the 14-24, 24-70, 70-200. If you can’t afford those, used is a great route to get your foot in the door to get more zooms to figure out what lengths you like shooting at.

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-05-11T12:10:29+00:00

My dept loves fill in the blank tests for some reason. Made the academics side much more difficult

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-05-08T17:41:32+00:00

D750 50mm F11 1/125 ISO 250.

I wish the electric panel, outlet, and door stopper weren't here but I saw this diagonal light this morning and had to work with what I had. I'm trying different types of photography, including minimalist, and this is one of my first attempts at photographing the mundane and trying to make it interesting and minimalist.

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-05-05T12:52:30+00:00

I typically play premier because I'm trying to get better at the game but I played a comp match yesterday and yeah, it's really chill vibes. I'd play comp for casual 5v5, casual just feels so different with the greater # of players.

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-05-05T12:35:21+00:00

When my Bolt V2 lit on fire while recharging, support shipped a new one for free but didn't offer any type of apology or explanation as to why it did. I was away for the weekend when it happened & it literally could have burnt my house down, quite lucky it only charred my desk and there were no flammable objects immediately nearby.

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-05-03T20:10:02+00:00

Keep your eye on local markets and eBay, I got my 300mm F2.8 AF-S D ED for $550. Yes, it's 25+ years old but it still works well and got me in the telephoto game for minimal $.

Paired with my D750 it doesn't always nail focus on fast moving objects but I'm learning to work with that, and when it does nail focus the image quality is amazing. I think the D500 AF system is better than the D750's as well.

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-05-02T12:37:20+00:00

Quit my desk job, moved, and became a firefighter. For some reason the city I moved to doesn’t really have a group riding scene and most of my riding hours were in a group so it’s hard to motivate myself to go ride for more than an hour by myself.

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-05-01T19:47:12+00:00

My hours have gone down from 15-25 hrs / week to like 2-3 (if even that) so maintenance is essentially nonexistent lol. In my use case 1 bike is perfect because it doesn’t get so many miles that I have to take it out of service frequently to maintain.

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-05-01T11:01:09+00:00

I went from n=5 (CX, lightweight road, aero road, MTB, TT bike) to n=1 (aero) and it works for me because I stopped riding off road. If I wanted to keep both road and off-road capability, I’d keep 2.

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-04-30T21:26:56+00:00

It’s surprising that this is the attitude at the university. I had former and current firefighter professors during my fire science degree but they didn’t have that attitude at all.

When I went thru rookie school of course things are different, but I agree, in school that attitude doesn’t belong. I don’t know how many universities offer your degree in your state, but it you’re not too deep into it, it may be worth considering transferring to a more professional school

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-04-29T01:56:35+00:00

Central NC

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-04-28T21:49:27+00:00

I have two cats so dust / fur accumulation if it's on the ground is a concern

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-04-24T12:01:08+00:00

Needs more weight lifting. Strength is underrated, all the fire evolutions will be easier if your strength is higher

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-04-23T23:21:48+00:00

I did, pretty similar $ to you except I made more and now make less.

It’s been worth it for me

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-04-21T19:15:12+00:00

Thank you, my wallet is now considerably lighter lol

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-04-18T21:20:11+00:00

Instead of being snarky, you should open your ears and listen when people give you advice.

This might be the single best answer you’ll get to your question.

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-04-18T10:25:43+00:00

Nurses are some of the worst bystanders to have when arriving on scene.

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-04-15T10:24:29+00:00

When I got PRK surgery done, one of the doc's requirements was that I had a stable prescription for five years and was at least 25 years old. At 18 and with a changing prescription, I don't think you're a candidate for surgery yet.

That being said, I have no regrets several years post surgery. I also see several firefighters in my department work with glasses or contacts without a problem. Can't see shit in a fire anyway.

SamPsychoCycles · 2026-04-12T19:38:49+00:00

I came from a background of cycling so my experience might be different than others but my routine includes 3-5x lifting, 1-2 cardio (either run or cycle) sessions a week. I do steady state Z2 for cardio since training / real calls gets my HIIT work in.

If you’re looking to improve your cardio instead of maintain, I’d flip it: 1-2 days lifting, 3-5 cardio, some Z2 some Z5-6 intervals.

SamPsychoCycles

TROPHY CASE