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