TrevorCarpenter.com

I had the great opportunity to see Prince Caspian, on opening night. My entire family is seeing it on Sunday, whilst I’m at work. So, the wife allowed me to stay out late and see it at the first chance. I ended up going alone. I’m a bit unique when watching movies, so it’s no loss to me to attend the theater alone.

I am a huge fan of The Chronicles of Narnia. Next to The Lord of The Rings, the Narnia series is one of the best set of stories in the English language. Yes I know, there are so many, and I’m sure I’d agree with your favorites too. I read them as a child, multiple times. I’ve even read them to my daughter. Well, actually I read the first two, then she started reading them to me. We have only one left to be complete. Next I’ll set my sights on my boys.

I enjoyed the film, as a stand alone project. It was entertaining and was somewhat how I imagined many important parts from the book. Unfortunately, there were a few issues I didn’t like and I think they detract from the message of the book.

This book is important because it sets the stage for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It demonstrates that the people of Narnia, and the surrounding countries, are quick to forget the truth of their ancestry and their beginnings.

I didn’t quite like Peter’s scuffle in the Underground Station. He was clearly fighting for trivial reasons and I wouldn’t expect that from High King Peter, the Magnificent. Additionally, Peter’s role would have been to lead the leaders, and Caspian did not take as much issue with Peter’s decisions in the book. Caspian would have been properly obedient to Peter.

The last problem I had was with Susan’s infatuation with Caspian, or was it the other way around? There’s no way a proper Queen of Narnia would have kissed a man whom was not her husband, especially in public. The liberalization of these issues cheapen the story and Lewis work on the whole.

Oh yeah, and Prince Caspian sure seemed to whine a lot. Peter communicated his intentions, and Caspian didn’t take issue like a noble, he whined about it. He sounded like it hurt his feelings that Peter didn’t consult him first. Just silly.

However, other than these few problems, I still loved the film and am proud to have spent my voting dollars on its opening weekend.

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I really enjoyed Iron Man. I really liked the cartoon and the comic. Like Batman, Iron Man is great because he is intelligent and full of ingenuity. He’s no mutant or alien. That’s what I like about him.

OK, retro kid thoughts over…

I’m glad to see Robert Downy, Jr. do a good film. I’m sure that this summer’s huge list of blockbusters will overshadow this one, because it’s so early in the season. However, it surly will be purchased in our home. Our kids get to see a lot of the action and adventure films. We mostly steer clear of sexual stuff. With that said, we’ll have to skip one scene, if we let the kids see this one.

• Good action.
• Tells the back story of the superhero.
• I love that Marvel wasn’t afraid of making the bad guys be Middle Eastern terrorists. Well, they’re not the only bad guy.

It’s hard not to make a predictable movie, when everyone already knows the major story plots and sub-plots. Modernizing it, with the terrorists was a nice touch. Purists may not be happy.

OK, I’m done.

Oh, one more thing. Not once do I remember hearing Bob Junior say, in the suit, “I am Iron Man.” We heard it in the previews, but not in the film. Bummed me out. I’ll get over it.

Trevor, out.

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A week back, I really wanted to hit The Getty Center with my daughter, The Princess. We lost our shot, and so I rescheduled for this week.

Yesterday, we drove down to the parking structure, adjacent to the 405 freeway, just down the hill from The Getty. If you don’t know about The Getty Center, it’s possibly one of the best and largest collections of art in the Southern California region. It opened a few years ago to some huge fanfare and has been busy ever since.

You have to pay $8 for parking, but getting into the museum is free. Yeah, free!

I actually wanted to take public transportation all the way down there. Unfortunately, public trans in LA is a joke. There are several different organizations operating different parts of the system. So, we’d have to get on a borrowed seat on the Amtrak train out of Camarillo. Technically we’d be traveling the Metrolink. However, they don’t have enough trains, or something, and they rent seats on Amtrak. Then we’d connect with LA’s MTA for a bus to the Sepulveda/Getty drop-off. Here’s the catch. It’s $18, per person, one way. So, the two of us would be paying $72! That’s more than two tanks of gas in my little commuter Scion. We opted to drive. If urban communities want to help people contribute to helping the congestion, they need to be cheaper than driving. Even with today’s high gas prices, it’s a joke to think that I’d choose a 2 hour trip down and then 2 hours back, for more money.

OK, back to The Getty.

The Princess and I had a great time. We arrived around 11am and headed straight to the first building. We basically wandered from one to the next, covering every inch of each building. In one of the paintings exhibits, the have this really nice room with several large pieces on the walls and a couple of sculptures. They are all very typical museum pieces. Then, in the middle of the room they have several tables and drawing easels set up. The point is for anyone to wander up and sketch your own interpretation of the art on display. There were many people of varying ages that wandered in and out as we were there.

Well, The Princess is a very good artist. So we took the time so that she could sketch something of her own. She sat down at the table and looked around for a bit. Then she sorta grunted an “OK, I’m ready.” She leaned down and began to draw. It took me a few minutes to realize what she had chosen as her focus. She was drawing a young woman a few feet from her, who was in turn drawing one of the large paintings. It really was surprising to me. I was even a little emotional as I considered what she was doing. I wondered how many accomplished artists would have considered to draw someone drawing.

I could not pass this chance up, so I shot off a few frames. As you can see, she did a splendid job.

We took a break for a late lunch and then continued into the Photography exhibit. It was there that I discovered that they want to show you photographs, but don’t really like photographers.

Let me clarify. No one really gives me a hard time. I don’t let them. Also, the average security guard is intellectually scared off when you start using 3 or more syllable words. I engaged him with a short diatribe about copyright, and derivative works. He didn’t follow. I allowed him to leave, and I shot my one and only rule-breaking-shot. “This one’s for Thomas Hawk,” I thought to myself.

When we finished there, we decided to head home. We didn’t have time for the beautiful gardens, nor much more than one quick stop to enjoy the view. I promised her we’d return once more. Possibly for a group photowalk, this summer.

Above all, I had a great time with my daughter, enjoying some beautiful artwork and taking picture together. She’s a lot of fun. Oh yeah, BTW, that was her school day.

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So I hit the Pro Photo Expo, in Pasadena, CA, recently. It was a little bit of a let down, but fun none-the-less.

I expected the expo to be a bit larger. However, I did get all the questions answered that I needed, and I got to play with some cool equipment.

Because I have a Nikon D40, with a limitation on which lenses will connect, I was curious what everyone was planning to offer in the near future. Wanting to continue to grow my lens assortment, I need this information. I also have been considering a few different bag choices, more on that later. The guys at the Sigma booth were very helpful, even let me put a few lenses I’m considering on my D40, to play around. The guy at the Pocket Wizard booth was helpful, and confirmed my plan of attack for building up an assortment of those bad boys.

The two highlights of this event for me were the Apple booth and the Lowepro booth.

First, Apple. When I first walked in, I made a swift right hand turn and proceeded to wind through the expo, hitting every isle. The first booth I stopped at was the Apple booth. They were there promoting one product; Apple Aperture 2.0. Since I’ve recently fell in love with Aperture 2, I was a bit excited. I looked at my watch and asked one of the Apple guys, “How long is the demo?” He said it was about 45 minutes, and I decided to sit just as they began a new one. This proved very profitable, as now I feel equipped to get started with Aperture 2 as my primary asset management and post production tool. I’ll do the majority of my editing with Aperture 2, only switching to Photoshop for the major stuff.

Second, Lowepro. As you may know, I have a unique day job. With this day job, I am authorized to carry certain tools that require a little concealment. So, on occasion, I am limited with what clothing I can wear, or what packs and bags I can carry. Being right handed, I generally am also limited with how I can carry my camera bag, a nice Lowepro waist pack/shoulder bag. So I have been actively seeking a bag that can serve both needs.

I found what would be the absolute best bag, made my Maxpedition. This bag is not really a camera bag. However, with the proper padding, it would serve me quite well. I told this story to the nice lady, Suzie, at the Lowepro booth. Without hesitation, she swept me to the products, to find the bag that most closely matches the inside measurements of the bag I want from Maxpedition. Not understanding her point, I picked the proper bag. She then handed me her card, and instructed me to email her my address. She had Lowepro ship me the “guts” to this bag, for my own use in inserting them into the Maxpedition bag. Unbelievable! That’s customer service!

I was really excited and surprised at her offer, and I really didn’t believe it until the “guts” actually showed up just a few days later.

The fit is not perfect, but I will be able to make it work. Most importantly, I have a nice, padded compartment that will hold my camera, with a lens, and two additional lenses.

This bag has the large compartment, for the camera stuff, and several additional compartments for a variety of items. I’ll be able to carry along a typical Nalgene bottle, my special cargo, and many other important items.

I now have a man-bag!

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I want you all to know that I am in fact a geek. If thus far you had not figured that out, that should clear it up.

Last night, while couch bound from being sick with the flu, I played Halo 3 for the first time on my Xbox 360. I should tell you that I’ve never played any of the Halo series of video games. Quite often, I find that the most popular games are not too interesting to me. So I generally pass on the hot titles.

I rented it from Hollywood Video and popped it in with less than an hour available to play. That was a mistake.

I love this game!

It’s not overly complex, yet requires good concentration and a willingness to take “risks”. I didn’t play very much, or get very far, but what I did experience was great. I can see myself getting this game, and probably the earlier versions too.

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Way back in May of this year, 2007, I received my fancy new Sigma 30mm lens. It was only a few months prior that I had even learned about prime lenses. Photography was still very new, and I desperately wanted to learn and grow. A good friend had recommended that I pick up a prime lens, like the popular 50mm’s that many start out using. I have the Nikon D40, which has a small limitation on lenses it can use, so I had to stick with Nikkor AF-S and Sigma HSM lenses.

With a bit of research, I was able to find the Sigma 30mm, and it seemed like what I was looking for. I shopped and found a store selling them for $350, almost $50 less than Amazon, so I bit.

When the lens arrived, I remember being excited, like the first day of school.

I tore it out of the packaging and installed it immediately. Within minutes I was shooting away, testing the low light sensitivity in the dark bathroom and playing with the amazing aperture values. I was in love.

Since that day, the 30mm remains on my camera all the time. If I need to shoot something else, I make the switch. But, I always put it back on when I’m done.

Here’s a few examples of images I’ve shot with my Sigma 30mm…

Two good examples of portraits. I’m very excited to use this lens for the December Challenge.

These two images help demonstrate how nice this lens creates shallow depth of field.

These last two photos help you see how well the Sigma 30mm performs in low light situations. Not only does it capture great detail, it also helps bring out beautiful color.

Back in 2005, when this lens was released, DPReview covered it. You’ll find a lot of good technical information by reading their information, here.

Of course, picking on up is best done at Amazon, B&H, or Adorama. Enjoy!

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