It has arrived!!!

My brand new shiney Nikon arrived today. Tomorrow will be filled with lots of manual reading and having a play around. Whoop whoop. Hopefully the weather will be decent so I can have a wonder out doors with it.

On a side note, hugely disappointed with the company that delivered it. We were out at the time of delivery so they left it with a neighbour. This I have no problem with, except they left no notice saying this, or letting us know that they had even been. If our neighbour hadn't come round with it to drop it off, we would never have known.

Avatar

–noun

1.

Hindu Mythology . the descent of a deity to the earth in an incarnate form or some manifest shape; the incarnation of a god.

2.

an embodiment or personification, as of a principle, attitude, or view of life.

3.

Computers . a graphical image that represents a person, as on the internet.

If you were to ask me my favourite film of the moment, the answer I would give could not come quicker or easier. Avatar. Plain and simple.

Whilst I'll admit that, story wise, it is not that original and I quite agree with the references to Pocahontas, to be completely honest it is rarely original story telling that creates an enjoyable viewing experience for me. What is original is the concept and the way the story is told. Most importantly I love the way the film looks, every time I watch my brain feels like it would melt from sheer sensory overload.

When I first watched it, I watched at the IMAX in 3D. Being partially sighted in one eye, me and 3D films don't necessarily get along. It's a lot better now that it's not those separate lenses with one green and the other lens red but I still find I don't get the same immersive experience as others. Yet with Avatar I loved the way the 3D was used. It wasn't just in your face explosions and axes being thrown at your face. It was subtle, small details, like blades of grass and critters, drawing you into the world of Pandora. I find myself to be a very visual person and I'm attracted to visually beautiful things. That is exactly what Avatar is. The amount of effort and detail, that various artists involved have put into this film is outstanding. The use of visual effects are amazing. I find myself having to regularly remind myself that none of it is real and that I can't go out there and ride on a real banshee.

I have a copy of the extended addition, despite the length of the cinema release I still wanted more from Pandora, a testament I think to a truly brilliant concept and story. With some many amazing effects, I was interested to see how it was all made. I've tried to watch behind the scenes stuff and I don't always find it that interesting. I liked how this one involved you in everything, from the musical score, to the creation of the wardrobe, the language, and the camera work. What amazes me is the length of time they committed to this film. Over 5 years of creating, fleshing out, filming and post. What I especially love is the way they handle problems. When told something couldn't be done because the tech simply wasn't available they just created their own.

I was disappointed however that Trudy died. Not bothered so much about Grace, but I like Trudy and I think she could have been used a little more. But then again this could be down to the fact I am fond of Michelle Rodriguez, one of favourite kick ass chicks.

So what else did I love about Avatar? I loved the critters, the way moved and the level detail in their creation. I love the way the Na'vi look, their fangs, their tails and the fact they're blue. I love the way they hiss like a cat when threatened. I love the way they move and the love their relationship with their world. I love their language. I love the fact that whenever I've finished watching Avatar I always want to be a Na'vi, no matter how many times it's been.

I was thrilled to find out that it would be part of trilogy. Which was instantly followed by dread. In part due to the fact that I knew it would a mighty long wait, but mostly because we've all seen many a franchise go the dogs with truly second rate sequels. I pray that this will not be the case for Avatar, please don't do what Pirates of Caribbean did. But I have faith in Cameron

So I end with a salute to James Cameron and the epic team behind avatar. Thank you for a truly enjoyable and epic film!!!!

Ain't no point and shoot

After much deliberation, making decisions and changing my mind again, for at least 9 months I have finally taken the plunge and ordered myself a Nikon D3100. I am super excited for it to arrive and can't wait to start playing around with it.

As a child I would spend a fair amount of time with my Dad at his studio, as for short time he was a self employed photographer. So my earliest camera experiences were with his Nikon F801, which I still have. In my teens I was given a simple pracktica film camera but I was always frustrated by its low zoom capabilities and its inability to take consistently reasonable pictures. Fair enough it was cheap camera, one can't expect miracles. Then I got a Kodak Easyshare ZD710 which is has my faithful companion for several years. The zoom was great and over the years I got some really nice pictures out of it, and it was my first solo journey into digital. The view finder was easier for steady shots and a life saver in bright sunshine as screens can be near impossible to see. But, alas, as time went on I wanted more from a camera. I wanted a camera that wouldn't come undone with slightest bit of darkness, one that would capture the moment there and then and not take 10 seconds to even decide if it can take the picture. It was time to retire the old Kodak and head for pastures green.

But then I hit a wall.....the wall of endless choice between camera's, and the techno-babble that went along with. Not mentioned the sometimes scary price tags.

Don't get me wrong, I know a few things. I know what mega pixels are, about auto focus and digital and optical zoom. But a lot of the time, its stuff that doesn't need to be complicated and long winded. It's almost like the manufacturers want to confuse you so much you'll accidentally buy it in the process of trying to get your head around the lingo.

On top of that with so much choice available I was struggling to decide exactly what was best for me and what my budget should be. I'm an animal lover, so naturally I enjoy taking pictures of animals and nature. Each moment can be so fleeting that I needed a camera with speed, something that won't take all day trying to process what it is seeing. I also attend certain events where flash is prohibited so I needed something that could take a reasonably picture in low light, not helped by the fact I don't have the steadiest hands. An absolute requirement was good zoom, critters tend not to be a fan of up close and personal.

So I had options......

 

• Should I go for a smaller camera, which will be cheaper and travel better. I'd narrowed that down to a Sony dsch55, which had a good zoom and the panoramic option looks amazing, but would it give me speed I wanted and good enough quality in low lighting.
•  Or should I go full hog and get a DSLR. I really had my heart set on the Nikon D3100 as all the reviews and magazines where saying that it was the best introductory SLR out there. It had everything I needed. Just a little expensive (although cheap by SLR standards) and I was worried about the size and it's practicality when it came to traveling. 
•  And then there's the middle of the road option. Compact System Cameras. The price for these swung either way but they still weren't cheap. I really like the Sony NEX5 and found it to be quite sexy piece of kit. There's the options of changing lenses, the speed of SLRs but more the size of a compact digital. Sounds perfect....so why didn't I get that one?

Thanks to my upbringing I've always had a soft spot for Nikons. I think deep down that was the camera I always wanted. The problem was I had so many other people telling me what I should and shouldn't get. You want something smaller, something cheaper would be better, you shouldn't get an SLR unless you know how to use them (then how will I learn). In the end it took one person to convince me to go with heart and the only person I really wanted to listen to about this stuff. My dad. If I wanted the speed it had to be the NEX or the Nikon. All he said was there aren't as many accessories with the Sony as there will be for the Nikon. That is all it took to tip the scales.

This took 9 months to a year for me to figure and take the plunge.

So here I am, patiently (not) waiting for my new camera to arrive (plus funky new camera bag) and wondering why it took so long. From that I can tell you 2 things I learned about myself:

1. I am really really really indecisive
2. I need to learn to start going with either my gut or my heart (can't work out which one it was in this occasion. Pretty sure it was heart).

I will keep you posted on my learning curve, and maybe post some of the resulting pics.

Adios

Technology KILLED Communication

Mini- rant

Imagine for a moment that you've left something downstairs, something that you need. Now, instead of going to get it or even shouting someone to get it for you, you send a text to your mum to get it for you. What would happen? Your Mum would go absolutely ape s*** at you, that is what would happen. She'd tell you to get off your backside and come and get it yourself. Not to mention, it would be nice to have a spoken conversation with you once in while.

Now reverse this situation........

I'm upstairs, having just got of the phone to my sister, and I'm on the computer (the joys of cordless phones). A while later my mobile vibrates, I ignore it, it's probably just an email. Just over an hour later my mum storms up to bed.

"Did you get my text?"

"No." Seen as I hadn't read it.

My mum had sent me text asking me to bring down the phone so she could call work. She was now angry as it was too late to phone work and "I" hadn't brought the phone down for her. If it was so important why couldn't she have passed air through her vocal cord and called for me to bring it down. Failing that come and get it herself. No, instead she chose to wait it out and rest the full blame on my head because I hadn't read a text.

The youth of today.....scrap that.....the adults are just as bad....if not worse....thanks to extra helpings of hypocrisy.

Damned Aliens!!!!

It's all about Alien Invasion at the cinema at the moment. Between Paul, I am Number 4, Battle: LA and Mars Needs Moms, I fear our civilisation may be lost forever.

Wednesday 23rd February: I went to see I AM NUMBER 4, starring Alex Pettyfer et al. I watched it at the IMAX which always helps make cinema going that bit extra special. Although part of me does miss the trailers (note: not the adverts). It is yet another book adaptation (by Pittacus Lore)  which again, as I've been told, is nothing like the book. But then again they never are, nor do I expect them to be. I really enjoyed this film. I enjoyed the character interaction and thought that the set up of the story was well balanced with the action pack last half.

I'll admit, I am quite partial to a bit of eye candy, so Alex Pettyfer made the watching quite easy. That said I would never like something just because it featured a hunk, I'm not that shallow (at least I hope not). I think he did a pretty good job, although thanks to A-Level English I did struggle to shake the image of a floppy haired Tom Brown.

Early on it became pretty clear Michael Bay was involved in this film. Although he didn't direct this film, it definitely had an air of "Bayness" to it. Plenty of explosions for one, admittedly not quite to his usual level. The biggest give away for me was the Alien knife used by the guardians, it looked like they stole it of the set of The Transformers. 

My friend and I also simultaneously spotted "Joshua" from Dark Angel. Apparently the voice was not a character decision but the only way Kevin Durand can talk when forced to wear a pair of pointy knashers. That said, don't take it as a negative, merely an interesting observation between friends.

Overall I personally enjoyed this film, good ol' action fun. It didn't give me a headache from being overly complicated nor did I end up comatose from dullness. A pretty good balance I think. I would be quite interested in seeing if they end up making a sequel to this, as there is more in the book than the film and I would like to see the story concluded. Good watch.

Wednesday 16th March: Battle: Los Angeles

Relentless "edge of you seat" action. That is both a good thing and bad. It kept the adrenaline going and it kept your eyes glued to the screen, but you couldn't relax. There was no let up to the tension, no moment in the film where you could take a breather and gather your nerves for the next onslaught of action. This at times left you feeling a little bit stressed during the film.

I would also have like to see the Aliens in a bit more detail. Glances at them were always fleeting and you never really got a good look to the point where you could say, "oh that's what they look like ". Even when they found the injured one, close ups of that were just a gooey mess of stuff.

I also noticed that Michelle Rodriguez still hasn't managed to shake her type casting. I swear I only ever see her in combat gear. Still, she is one of favourite kick ass actresses so I don't have too much of a problem with that. 

Furthermore, to my utter relief the Aliens didn't drop down dead from the flu, fantastic. There was no quick fix ending to this film, not one cleverly aimed missile and we're all saved either. I was absolutely astounded that they didn't aim for a neat and easy ending which makes a change from a lot of the end of world/invasion films. At the the end of it the battle and the war waged on which was refreshing. 

Explosive action fun, if not a little to much.

The Maiden Voyage

The first ever post of a blog or even a diary is always hard. What do you write? Do you bore the reader with endless twoddle about yourself or just jump right in with a healthy philosophical debate. Well philosophy isn't my thing and I'm not a very interesting person, so neither I suppose. I'll just have to settle with what you can expect from this blog.

I will talk about myself, in short non-tmi bursts, films, television shows, fashion, updates on my life should they interesting enough, nature and animals. All of this assuming I remember I have a blog to keep up to date. LOL. But it will all be opinion based, I'm not pretending to be a professional in any of it.

So to all of you that stroll my way, thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoy at least some of the things you have read.

Thank you.