Chill. Don’t complain about more flowers. Appreciate them—as do I. Walking along an alley today, I passed by clinging-vine Nasturtium that had taken over a backyard gate and fence.
The simple, cheerful scene charmed me enough to pull out Leica Q2 and take a single shot. Vitals for the Featured Image, aperture manually set: f/4, ISO 100, 1/500 sec, 28mm; 3:17 p.m. PDT. I reduced orange saturation during post production.
If the Featured Image confuses you, don’t despair. Explanation is necessary, but also see if you can capture the gist of the illusion: That little Big Boy is delivering a juicy burger to a parked car.
This technically is a failed photo, but one I refused to abandon. On March 20, 2024, I walked by a closed barber shop on Park Blvd in San Diego neighborhood Hillcrest. Big Boy, and a Magic 8 Ball next to him, could be seen inside. That restaurant symbol is iconic; I pulled out Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra for two quick shots.
This afternoon, while walking along an alley in our neighborhood of University Heights, my wife expressed delight seeing some dog art hanging from a fence door. I initially passed by the display, then thought that her reaction deserved acknowledgement.
So I pulled out Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and took four quickies of varying compositions. The Featured Image is the best for presenting singly. Vitals: f/1.7, ISO 12, 1/1050 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 2:18 p.m. PDT.
On this date 17 years ago, I visited the Capitol Mall for the second-to-last time before our relocation to San Diego about six months later. Nearly six years after the 9-11 terrorist attacks, against the Pentagon and World Trade Center, Washington, D.C. had returned to some semblance of normalcy.
Fast-forward to today, and what’s not different? The craft of politics is a toxic enterprise. Congress is a case-study in paralysis. If only Elon Musk had developed a Neuralink that could get government moving again. I can’t imagine going back, even while regretting having left.
While black-and-white photography might seem, ah, colorless, it is striking coming from Leica Q2 Monochrom. Take, for example, the Featured Image, which is sharp edge to edge. Pixel-peepers, please, go for it—and to assist you the companion capture is a close-crop for your perusal.
Vitals, aperture manually set: f/8, ISO 200, 1/160 sec, 28mm; 2:31 p.m. PDT, April 2, 2024. The original is composed as shot. Venue: Lafayette, the recently remodeled, iconic hotel located in my San Diego neighborhood of University Heights.
When deciding whether to move from the Galaxy S23 Ultra to its S24 successor, I wondered if Samsung’s iterative design would be better enough. Yes! Display’s reduced reflectivity, 2600-nit screen brightness outdoors, insanely long battery life, and Galaxy AI are among the refinements that matter. That said, I am most satisfied with the photography experience.
Colors are less saturated and more accurate. Photos are no longer over-sharpened and, related, they are more natural looking. Clarity is improved, and often shots satisfy straight from the smartphone—little to no editing required. The Featured Image is an example.
With increasing mayhem—everything from armed robbery to migrant mischief to unpredictable homeless encounters—self-protection gurus council people, particularly among vulnerable populations like older folks, to practice situational awareness. Stated simply: Pay attention to your surroundings.
Most people are clueless, at least around my San Diego neighborhood. Every day, I see dozens and dozens of folks, many of them walking dogs, wearing Apple AirPods—and thus tuning out by tuning in, so to speak. They don’t pay attention—as they should, if for no other reason than the increased amount of traffic precipitated by increased population density. Previously quiet streets suddenly are quite congested.
Strange: I have walked through this intersection countless times over the years and only today recognized the anomalous road sign(s). In the Featured Image, bikers are given distances to destinations that are behind them—meaning where they came from. In the companion capture, of the sign on the other side of the roundabout, information is accurate for everyone riding East towards Normal Heights.
Ah, yeah. Maybe you are unfamiliar with the area and turned onto Meade from a perpendicular street a few blocks away. Based on the first sign, you would be mislead to think that you’re eight-tenths of a mile (1.29 kilometers) from University Heights. The Meade-Utah traffic circle is often nasty with cars, so a biker paying attention to incoming vehicles could easily miss the second sign.
Words that describe San Diego: Character, personality, variety. The Featured Image and companions are examples. This charming display is more elaborate and expansive than the photos reveal. The property sits at Howard and Hamilton in North Park.
But change is afoot. Recent public policy push to add more residences—by way of so-called Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and high-rises, often where were single-family homes—transforms the look and feel of many neighborhoods. BLVD North Park and Winslow are examples of the new architectural artifices.
Because Cali overtook my lap—and I let her—posting is later than planned and topic changed. Please pardon another black-and-white Featured Image—from Leica Q2 Monochrom. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/4.5, ISO 200, 1/3200 sec, 28mm; 1:01 p.m. PDT, March 26, 2024. Composed as captured.
I came upon the doll and collection of reference books—put out free for the taking—while walking along Madison Ave within the corridor where North Park wedges between San Diego neighborhoods Normal Heights and University Heights.
This morning, my wife and I visited with the owner of Guido and Little and long-lost neighborhood favorite Bruce; all three appear in my “Cats of University Heights” series. Meanwhile, despite her disconcertion, tree cutters ravaged her rental property’s plants and trees; landlord’s doing.
Chitchat bounced about topics and somehow trapsed upon payphones—or the lack of them; their disappearance. Coincidentally, on March 26, 2024, I photographed the remanent of one in black and white at the corner of Howard and 30th in North Park.
I had planned to close-crop the Featured Image but altered after looking at the context in relation to some past posts (follow the links). The young women sits on a wall alongside the Sprouts market; that sidewalk stretch is a frequent homeless hangout.
To the far right is the entrance to the local library’s book sale room, which is open the third weekend of every month. My recent purchases include the first five volumes of Talk to Me in Korean and ye olde history books.