Wee Buggie

Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home.

Your house is on fire,

and your children aren't home.

look like charred raisinettes.

Ok, so a poet I am not, but I couldn't resist posting this when my sister told me that her youngest son called Ladybugs "Wee Buggies" as a toddler.  I've had this shot for a long time, and it is the background for my Nook Color.  I hadn't thought to post it until now.  Thanks to my nephew, the picture now has a name.  

1/100s                    f/5.6                    ISO:160

Canon EOS Rebel T21

Taken on 04-03-2011 at Surfer's Point, Ventura County, CA.

999 Happy Haunts

    Last Sunday I had the opportunity to go to Disneyland in Anaheim, California.  I took my camera along, and was able to get a picture or two I was pleased with.  The rest were all a part of the learning process.  I spent the majority of the time playing with either my shutter speed or aperture settings, and as a result almost every single picture came out over exposed.  The sad part is, I couldn't tell by looking at the display on the camera.  The mistakes only became clear when I uploaded the images to my PC.  Had I been able to see the mistakes I would have corrected with a new shot.  


    I would post the mistakes, but they frustrate me to no end, so I won't.  Instead, here is a low-light shot of the Haunted Mansion's Chandelier.  This was done in low light, and hand held.  

1/13S                    f/4.0                    ISO:3200

Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Taken in the Huanted Mansion at Disneyland in Anaheim, California

Not Exactly Pixie Dust...

I happened to see this tractor meticulously plowing the fields behind my home, the dust rising and catching the late afternoon sunshine as I wandered into my hallway.  I grabbed my camera and waited on the deck until I caught t he perfect moment.

It almost looks magical.

Almost.


I kept the foreground of the picture dark to help keep the emphasis on the dust.  I also manually cropped the image.  I do like to stay in "traditional" sized for portraits, but in nearly everything else, cropping to a nonstandard size can make a boring shot look great.

Not Exactly Pixie Dust...

1/320s                   f/32.0                    ISO: 3200

EOS Canon Digital Rebel T2i

Captured on 09-12-2011 in Oxnard, CA

Remembering September 11th, 2001

A Grand Old Flag

1/4000s                     f9.0                        ISO: 3200

Canon EOS Rebel T2i

September 11th, 2011, taken in Oxnard, CA

Video Test: Stereo Hearts

Until today I hadn't ever tried using my Canon EOS Rebel T2i's video function.  The videos were taken inside  a dimly lit room using my standard kit lens (EF-S 18-55mm).  The camera performed beautifully in the low light, and the sound recording does a decent job.  I will need to test out the conditions in bright sunlight.

My willing participant is ten year old Amelia.  This little girl young lady is has the ability to sing a Capella, a feat I find extraordinary.  My own singing, while not the worst in the world, is still terrible.  I am amazed that at ten she has natural vibrato in her voice, but doesn't over do it.   The song she is singing is "Stereo Hearts" by Gym Class Heroes, featuring Adam Levine's solo.

Canon EOS Rebel T2i

September 10th, 2011 in Camarillo, CA

Little Red Bird's Photography!

Remember Ducky from my last post?  She is an aspiring photographer like myself and is now posting to her own blog called The Little Red Bird. I can't wait to see what she snaps!.  When we met up at Disneyland, I had my camera and other gear with me.  Part of the problem of aspiring to be a photographer?  Getting your hands on some equipment to try it out.  I happily handed over my camera and gear to Ducky, and she happily snapped away and produced some fantastic shots!  Shots I never would have dreamt of!  So here they are, in all their glory:

 1/200s                   f/8.0                 ISO: 400

 1/320s                   f/8.0                 ISO: 100

 1/125s                   f/4.5                ISO: 100

1/100s                   f/4.0                 ISO: 125

Ducky!

One of my favorite people in the whole of eternity.  We met up at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Ducky is one of the most kind, vibrant, and genuine people I know.  She always celebrates in triumph, no matter how small, and is an absolute sweetheart.

1/200s                                   f/5.6                                 ISO: 100
Canon EOS Digital Rebel
August 21st, 2011 in Anaheim, CA


This Stormtrooper appeared while we waited in line for Star Tours.  As people noticed, they quickly pulled out cell phones to snap pictures.  The Stormtroopers hassled them and chastised them for the pictures.  I caught this image at the perfect moment with the image on the guest's screen.  

1/125s                                   f/5.0                                 ISO: 100

Canon EOS Digital Rebel
August 21st, 2011 in Anaheim, CA

A Model of Perfection: The Getty

I've known this young lady for the entirety of her life, and for her tenth birthday we celebrated by dressing to the nines and having a photo-shoot at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California.  This was my first location shoot, and extremely difficult due to immense crowds.  These are the shots that made it to the final cut.  Once again, the "Creative" setting was used to capture these shots, as it was quicker to set up with large crowds and a young model.

All photographs captured on August 13th, 2011 at the Getty Center with a Canon EOS Rebel T2i.

 1/125s                                     f/13.0                                   ISO: 3200

 1/250s                                     f/6.3                                   ISO: 3200

 1/250s                                     f/7.1                                 ISO: 3200

  1/400s                                     f/7.1                                 ISO: 3200

  1/400s                                     f/8.0                                 ISO: 3200

 1/1600s                                     f/8.0                               ISO: 3200

 1/4000s                                     f/10.0                               ISO: 3200

Let me be Frank with you

Valuable lessons are learned every time a camera is picked up.   I am posting this photograph of my father as an example.  If you look at the properties of the photo listed below, you can see that I took the picture at 1/8 of a second, with an ISO of 3200.  This was using natural light filtered through window blinds.  The shutter speed of 1/8s caused an unfocused picture with blurring despite my use of auto focus with image stabilization.  At this long of an exposure, even your heartbeat can cause enough hand shake to create a noticeable blur.   

The lesson? If you are going to use a long exposure time, use a tripod.  If you want to hold the camera, use a faster shutter speed.

1/8s               f/5.6             ISO:3200

Canon EOS Rebel T2i

August 13th, 2011 in Oxnard, CA

Whale Watching

On August 6th, 2011 I was invited to go whale watching with my beloved aunt and cousins.  It turns out whale watching is actually watching people become disappointed when they don't see any whales.  In the mean time, I took some pictures of my lovely cousin, and my beautiful aunt.

The most difficult part of the trip was attempting to take photos while adjusting aperture  or shutter speed manually while on a rocking boat.  I eventually gave up and used my "Creative" setting on the camera, which allowed to customize certain settings while having the luxury of automatic focus and aperture.

 1/160s                   f/5.0                     ISO: 100

Canon EOS Rebel T2i

August 6th, 2011 in Newport Beach, CA

 1/100s                   f/4.0                     ISO: 100

Canon EOS Rebel T2i

August 6th, 2011 in Newport Beach, CA

A Model of Perfection

Gorgeous girl: A picture is worth a thousand words, but even a thousand can't do you justice.

1/80s                      f/5.6                    ISO: 100

Canon EOS Rebel T2i

June 4th, 2011 in Camarillo, CA

Baby Heiden

What a Gerber Baby!

1/160s                    f/4.5                     ISO: 3200

Canon EOS Rebel T2i

June 24th, 2011 in Oxnard, CA

Those Eyes!

 1/15s                    f/4.0                     ISO: 3200

Canon EOS Rebel T2i

June 24th, 2011 in Oxnard, CA

Shawna and her Aunt Louise

1/15s                    f/5.0                    ISO: 3200

Canon EOS Rebel T2i

June 24th, 2011 in Oxnard, CA

The Moon

I see the moon, the moon sees me

The moon sees somebody I want to see

So God bless the moon and God bless me

And God bless the somebody I want to see

1/200s                  f/32.0                   ISO: 3200

1/160s                    f/4.5                     ISO: 3200

Canon EOS Rebel T2i

July 12th, 2011 in Oxnard, CA

The Beach

Ventura County has some of the most beautiful beaches I  have ever seen.  It is such a joy to live in paradise, especially when the beaches are still rugged and natural.  Here are several pictures from a beach trip back on April 3rd of 2011.

These shots have been saturated and "warmed" using Picasa.  I tend to like warm photos, even if they are not true to life.  While this is not in vogue, I like the look.

1/200s                   f/8.0                    ISO: 100 

Canon EOS Rebel T2i

April 3rd, 2011, Carpinteria, CA

 1/125s                    f/7.1                    ISO: 100

Canon EOS Rebel T2i

April 3rd, 2011, Carpinteria, CA

1/800s                  f/4.0                   ISO: 100

Canon EOS Rebel T2i

April 3rd, 2011, Carpinteria, CA

Captain Slow

Meet Captain Slow.  Captain Slow, or Slow for short, is a Red Ear Mexican Slider.  I found him almost a year ago mud-caked and lost in the middle of the road on a blind corner.  After avoiding death by Chevy, he hitched a ride with me all the way home.  It also happened to be my mother's birthday.

She loves turtles.  

I didn't have a gift. 

This was a self-resolving problem.  Slow lived in my bathtub for a week, then became an outdoor turtle.  If you're wondering where his name comes from, no, it is not because he is a turtle, and therefore, slow.  He is named after Top Gear presenter James May for the situation he was discovered in and his looks.  Honestly, have you seen a more pedantic looking creature?

1/1600S               f5.6              ISO: 3200

Taken with Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Captured on March 3rd, 2011 in Oxnard, CA

Time Flies

Hello again!

I have been exceedingly busy with work and family life for the past several months, and have not had the time or energy to keep up with blogging.  Here is the fantastic part: I did keep up with my photography (mostly).  I will be spending this glorious three day weekend chronologically updating this blog from the past several months.

  I am also announcing that the name of my photography will be changing from "LP Pphotography" to "A.S.K.L by LP Photography".  This change is significant to me, and only me.  


What have you missed?
Captain Slow
The Beach
Baby Heiden
A Model of Perfection
The Moon
Whale Watching
Let Me Be Frank With You
The Getty
D23
Photography by Ducky
 and possibly many more!

Look for these updates soon!

Here's a pretty just to tide you over:

125/S                      f4.5               ISO: 100

Taken with: Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Captured on April 3rd, 2011 in Carpinteria, CA