Honey, why don't you go out and shoot some pictures? I REALLY don't mind!

[Andy_T]

... and take the kids with you, will you?
I bet they'll love it!

:D

[Andy_T]

Now ... this picture might not be immediately understandable to everybody on the forum - especially if you instinctively think of 'Hewlett-Packard', if you see the letters 'HP'.

Well, in that case you might need to know that there are some people for whom Joanne K. Rowlings' books about the adventures of underage wizard Harry Potter are a bit more important than other things...

So today was ... HP6 day :D

Now ... my wife and I are not the hard-core fans that queue in front of bookshops at 23:00 the day before to have a copy in their hands at 00:00 on the released day (the bookstores are not allowed to sell it any earlier, with a $ 1500 fine per book that is sold early :shock:)

But we were eagerly awaiting the DHL truck with the package from amazon.com, nevertheless.

So ... now I have time to go shoot some pictures ...
... that is, after I have taken care of the various houshold chores, the kids are fed and so on :wink:
But my wife has earned that, taking care of our 2 kids day and night, while I am normally away on work during the week.
I just have to have a bit of patience.

So ... who else received theirs today?

Image data:
Canon 20D with EF 50/1.4
ISO 100
1/3200
f/1.4

Best regards,
Andy

[cjsa]

my daughter should get hers this evening, she is in school in North Carolina, and they get to go make a special trip to the bookstore. She reserved her copy months ago

[schmoelzel]

Andy.......that is an amazing shot!! I am no Harry Potter fan but I like what the book has done to re-popularize reading for kids (and some adults!!). Nice shot and I won't discuss lenses with you on this one!!

[CyberPet]

OOOOOOOOH... need to order some books I see. :D

[Carzee]

NICE ring!

Rowlings is breeding up more Tolkien fans methinks...

[DocFrankenstein]

Isn't harry potter supposed to be adolescent reading?

[Claire]

Hey! I just picked up my copy in Gothenburg today. :D And the books are good Doc. I've read all of them. Started out as something I did because everyone else was talking about them. Realised I liked them so read them all. I'm not a hardcore fan though.

[CyberPet]

In the UK they print them with different covers. One for the kids and one for the grown-ups. It's great read for both adults and kids, although they aren't for very young children. Lots of scary stuff happens in them.

[DavidEB]

I'm in what may be called "middle age" and am a huge Harry Potter fan; have read each book several times. My two kids started with book 1 years ago. I recall when book 3 came out my younger boy's entire 2nd grade class got it, everybody read and read and read.

And, just because it's magic doesn't mean that HP fans will switch to Tolkein. HP books are at an intimate level about social interactions and the Tolkein books are more grand in scope.

[schmoelzel]

I think we should go back to discussing Andy's very nice photo and the merits that it deserves......save the book club stuff for Oprah!! :D

[Becky N]

I like this shot, DOF brings added interest, as you can still see how intent she is on book. And yes, just picked up my copy.

[CyberPet]

The picture...oh yeah! :D

I like it and I think the DOF is good, since it gives that sensation when you open a new book (in a series you've waiting for the next book to come out). You don't really need to see the girls face, even if she's pretty enough.

[martook]

I really like this picture... too bad your kids aren't just a wee bit older Andy, it would have been hilarious having them in the background, looking at their mom with a "hey, is it OUR turn to read soon?" look on their faces :D
The photo really captures the HP-mania that everyone seems to have though, it's funny :)


I haven't actually read the books, but I guess I'll have to some day. Although I know that the books are supposed to be more mature then the movies, I'm not sure I'll think so highly of them, I prefer the "heavier" stuff (anyone read about Thomas Covenant? Now that makes Tolkiens description of things seem a little short at times). And I don't really have enough patience to like kids for more than say 5 seconds, before going annoyed with all their energy releasing methods (running around and making a lot of noise!), so I'm not even sure I can stand a book ABOUT kids ;)

Oh yeah, sorry schmoelzel, shoulda sent the last part to Oprah instead...

[schmoelzel]

I really like this picture... too bad your kids aren't just a wee bit older Andy, it would have been hilarious having them in the background, looking at their mom with a "hey, is it OUR turn to read soon?" look on their faces :D
The photo really captures the HP-mania that everyone seems to have though, it's funny :)


I haven't actually read the books, but I guess I'll have to some day. Although I know that the books are supposed to be more mature then the movies, I'm not sure I'll think so highly of them, I prefer the "heavier" stuff (anyone read about Thomas Covenant? Now that makes Tolkiens description of things seem a little short at times). And I don't really have enough patience to like kids for more than say 5 seconds, before going annoyed with all their energy releasing methods (running around and making a lot of noise!), so I'm not even sure I can stand a book ABOUT kids ;)

Oh yeah, sorry schmoelzel, shoulda sent the last part to Oprah instead...

Oh it's ok!! I guess the popularity of these books makes this a very pertinent discussion........just didn't want to let Andy's shot get side-tracked because it is very good and he seems to be enjoying the 50F1.4!!! :) Happy reading to all the HP fans out there............

[Curtis N]

Nice Bokeh.
50mm f/1.4?

[Fer]

NICE ring!

Rowlings is breeding up more Tolkien fans methinks...

I agree. Andy, I must confess the 1st thing I saw was her ring, it's beautiful! ;)

[Andy_T]

Thank you all for your nice replies :D:D:D

I will take the time to respond in a little more targeted way later, but it is 01:20 now at my place and I think that I will go to bed soon.

OK, guess, my wife will be awake for some more time :)

just didn't want to let Andy's shot get side-tracked because it is very good and he seems to be enjoying the 50F1.4!!! :)

Michael, I am not yet totally sure whether I like the lens or not.
I have only had the possiblity to shoot some 500 images with it in the 30 hours I've had it in my possession now.

OK, I'm kidding :wink:
I love it.

Best regards,
Andy

[myth337]

I prefer the "heavier" stuff (anyone read about Thomas Covenant? Now that makes Tolkiens description of things seem a little short at times).
Yes.. I did "The Unbeliever" stuff a long time ago.. but if you want to do some really heavy stuff... do David Eddings - The Belgariad / The Mallorean series!!! Belgarath Kicks A$$!!
(and the Elenium / Tamuli as well)
(don't get Oprah over here.. :p )

Oh.. yes.. Andy.. you do seem to have a knack for catching interesting shots. ;)
can't wait till I get my hands on a 50mm lens.. ;)
.. Lee

[ShutteringFocus]

Wait...they wrote a book about a "half blooded printer?"

What, did HP Forget to put the color cartrage in one of their free printers again?

[Andy_T]

my daughter should get hers this evening, she is in school in North Carolina, and they get to go make a special trip to the bookstore. She reserved her copy months ago

I hope she'll like it :D

According to my wife, who's read some 250 pages so far, it's better than the last one.

OK, that's not too difficult. The last one was a bit of a letdown.
But she said Mrs. Rowlings has invested some care to redeem herself :)

Best regards.
Andy

[Andy_T]

Andy.......that is an amazing shot!! I am no Harry Potter fan but I like what the book has done to re-popularize reading for kids (and some adults!!). Nice shot and I won't discuss lenses with you on this one!!

Michael ... thank you :D

I like that a lot as well.

When I was a kid (some 30 years ago), I could not be imagined without a book in my hand. And I really want my kids to grow up to be avid readers as well.

My 2-year old Felix already knows Harry Potter's name.
But only from the cover of the DVD which he - of course - is not going to see anytime soon:lol:

But he found the cover very interesting because of all the special creatures. Much more interesting than his 'teletubbies' DVDs...

Best regards,
Andy

[Andy_T]

OOOOOOOOH... need to order some books I see. :D

Petra,

if you haven't read any HP books so far, I'd really recommend you to shell out some 5$ on ebay.com and get the first one as paperback.

Although they are supposed to be childrens' books, they are very funny ... and I really like Ms. Rowlings' very British humour. Not the Monthy Python or Douglas Adams kind, of course, but in the same direction (child safe).

I picked up book #1 on a Saturday when book #3 was released. I went out the next day (to a railway station bookstore) to get books #2 and #3, as I had read the first one without ever putting it down.

So early on Tuesday morning I was finished with books #1-#3 (#3 took me a bit longer, as I had to work on Monday :wink: )

So one could say that I like them a lot.

Best regards,
Andy

[Andy_T]

NICE ring!

Rowlings is breeding up more Tolkien fans methinks...

Thank you ... you have a good eye for the small things in life you can spend a lot of money on. I won't think about what lenses the money I spent on the ring would have bought :o

I definitely think that there will be some new Tolkien fans because of Rowlings' books (not me, I'd already read my Tolkien 20 years ago). But if kids really start to read with that book, then they are bound to pick up some other good stuff sooner or later.

And I think that kids who read Tolkien because their appetite for literature has been awakened by Harry Potter will have a lot more fun with 'The Lord of the Rings' than those who buy the books because they found the movies were cool :rolleyes:

OTOH, I have to confess that my appetite for Tolkien was awakened by the C64 text adventure game 'The hobbit' (http://www.lysator.liu.se/tolkien-games/entry/hobbit.html) in 1982 :shock:

Best regards,
Andy

[Andy_T]

Isn't harry potter supposed to be adolescent reading?

Doc,

that's what I thought as well.

But I picked up the first one and really liked it.
Rowlings proves you can write books for kids that are also attractive to adults.

Best regards,
Andy

[Andy_T]

Hey! I just picked up my copy in Gothenburg today. :D And the books are good Doc. I've read all of them. Started out as something I did because everyone else was talking about them. Realised I liked them so read them all. I'm not a hardcore fan though.

Haha ... I'm glad you like them!

You have to lend your copy of 'Philosopher's stone' to Petra :D

How many pages so far?
And do not discuss contents, please :shock: !

Best regards,
Andy

[Andy_T]

In the UK they print them with different covers. One for the kids and one for the grown-ups. It's great read for both adults and kids, although they aren't for very young children. Lots of scary stuff happens in them.

Yes ... so that you don't have to fear somebody will realize you are reading a childrens' book when you read it in a coffeehouse :D

I opted for the 'kids' version, as I have all the others in that version.

And ... btw ... even if you are not a native English speaker, you should really read the originals. A lot funnier than the translations (at least the German one).

Now ... this is of course not aimed at you, Petra (I know that you translate books from English for a living), but at other international readers of this thread :D

Best regards,
Andy

[Andy_T]

I'm in what may be called "middle age" and am a huge Harry Potter fan; have read each book several times. My two kids started with book 1 years ago. I recall when book 3 came out my younger boy's entire 2nd grade class got it, everybody read and read and read.

And, just because it's magic doesn't mean that HP fans will switch to Tolkein. HP books are at an intimate level about social interactions and the Tolkein books are more grand in scope.

Same here, apart from that my kids are still too small to read it :wink:

Still ... I really like that Rowlings' books also have quite a considerable scope ... a lot of parallel threads that are all resolved in the end and a very well thought-through magical society with all its big and little peculiarities :D

How many pages so far :wink:

Best regards,
Andy

[Andy_T]

I think we should go back to discussing Andy's very nice photo and the merits that it deserves......save the book club stuff for Oprah!! :D

Thank you ... you are right, otherwise I should have put it into 'General Chat' :)

Best regards,
Andy

[Andy_T]

I like this shot, DOF brings added interest, as you can still see how intent she is on book. And yes, just picked up my copy.

Thank you!

How many pages so far?

Best regards,
Andy

[Andy_T]

The picture...oh yeah! :D

I like it and I think the DOF is good, since it gives that sensation when you open a new book (in a series you've waiting for the next book to come out). You don't really need to see the girls face, even if she's pretty enough.

Thank you ...

yes, as far as DOF is concerned, it really won't get much better for me now I have my 50/1.4 :D

I knew I would take that shot when I picked up the lens :wink:

Best regards,
Andy

[Andy_T]

I really like this picture... too bad your kids aren't just a wee bit older Andy, it would have been hilarious having them in the background, looking at their mom with a "hey, is it OUR turn to read soon?" look on their faces :D
The photo really captures the HP-mania that everyone seems to have though, it's funny :)


I haven't actually read the books, but I guess I'll have to some day. Although I know that the books are supposed to be more mature then the movies, I'm not sure I'll think so highly of them, I prefer the "heavier" stuff (anyone read about Thomas Covenant? Now that makes Tolkiens description of things seem a little short at times). And I don't really have enough patience to like kids for more than say 5 seconds, before going annoyed with all their energy releasing methods (running around and making a lot of noise!), so I'm not even sure I can stand a book ABOUT kids ;)

Oh yeah, sorry schmoelzel, shoulda sent the last part to Oprah instead...

If you ever have the desire to check up on something a bit more funny and light, take a try with the book. Do so especially if you like Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett :D

Luckily, the books are NOT about childrens' ways to loose their energy in a wasteful and inefficient way.

That is ... apart from #5. My main beef with that book was that after Harry Potter acted quite mature for 4 books, he really had a fit of acting-like-a-stupid-kid in #5.

And I will definitely try Thomas Covenant.

As far as SF is concerned, have you ever heard of Cordwainer Smith or Orson Scott Card ... 2 of my most recent favourites?

Best regards,
Andy

[Andy_T]

Nice Bokeh.
50mm f/1.4?

Yes ... very nice lens.
Has been my new walk-around-lens for 3 days now.

Best regards,
Andy

[Andy_T]

I agree. Andy, I must confess the 1st thing I saw was her ring, it's beautiful! ;)

Haha ... Fer, you also have an eye for important details :D

Ok ... let's figure it out ...
actually, we got the ring a lot cheaper because we found a small jeweller who looked for the stone we wanted in Amsterdam ... the other places would have wanted twice the money for it.
Still, what I paid for it would buy
- 70-200/2.8 L IS
- 100-400 L IS
- 135/2.0 L
- 85/1.2 L
- 24-70/2.8 L
- and a 16-35/2.8 L
looks like a very nice setup, right :shock:

Hmm. I think I am a bit sick now.
Never thought about it that way :confused:

Best regards,
Andy

[CyberPet]

Andy, I have all the books in english. I got the first one in Swedish but I thought it was soo good that I bought it in english too, so my husband (Canadian) could read the book as well. After that we got all the rest of the series in english. I can't believe I forgot it was going to come out this month, honestly I've just had too much on my plate. Hubby actually told me that the 6th book was out and he wanted us to get it. Now we're going to fight for it, because both him, me and my mother all will read it. I guess the one who's got the least amount less of their current book will have a first stab at it. (I guess it means I have to go to bed now and start speed reading the last 250 pages of my criminal novel I'm reading now).

Oh and I agree, books should be read in their orignal language. Even if I'm a translator, you always lose a part of the flow in the language (unless you're as skilled as me *har har*). I never forget the first book I read in english from cover to cover. "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4" by Sue Townsend. Just hilarious. :D

[Claire]

I am done with the HP book. :D Yeah, I'm a fast reader. I read 202 pages on Saturday and the rest yesterday. hehe I liked this one, but for some reason I found #5 better actually. Call me boring. I think it was #4 that I liked the best. Can't remember for sure though. I'm looking forward to the next HP (last one, right?). That one will probably be a favourite too.

Oh, and I've read Douglas Adams, Sue Townsend and Tolkien too. I'm afraid I didn't pick up the Lord of the Rings trilogy until after the first movie. Dad bought the books for me and I finished them all in about five days. LOL Right now I'm aiming to get through Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code". Only because everyone else has read it. Keep postponing the reading...

[Andy_T]

Well done, Claire :D

You get the no prize that I did not offer in my original post :wink:
And you're right ... the next book is going to be the last :sad:

Best regards,
Andy

[buze]

Thomas Covenant I never finished. it was so... annoying. Always self-pitying etc etc. If you want *good* dark fantasy stuff, get Moorkock's. He defined the genre, and his stuff is still a superb work of gothic & dark mixed with bits of Tolkiens. And he doesn't do hollywood endings too, thats makes it even better.

One I enjoyed in the early 90s (especialy the first serie) was The Belgariad. It's very HP like, 10 years before and without the franchise. Then it got totaly nutters and they started re-write that same story several times over with different names. bo-ring. I'm not even sure I'l like to re-read that. But I suggested it several times to young peoples, and even bought one to send over to someone who's (trying to) learn english.

As for the shot, I really like it, typical f1.4 :D I really like her concentrated brow, and I cringe when I imagine that stone grinding against a window :D