Dec. 9, 2023, as I stopped to photograph someone’s life belongings heaped onto four shopping carts, suddenly, and rapidly, riders roared by along University Ave. in Hillcrest. San Diego’s panache for tearing up parking spaces and replacing them with kilometers-upon-kilometers of bike lanes is controversial among businesses and many residents but unapologetic policy public.
On any normal day, bikers are few, and their numbers are next to meaningless compared to the volume of buses, cars, SUVs, and trucks, among other vehicles. So I was rather surprised seeing such mass of riders, who vastly spilled out of the bike lane into traffic.
I pulled out Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra for a couple quick shots and seven-second video. The Featured Image and companions are composed as captured and presented straight from the smartphone, meaning no editing. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 50, 1/1250 sec, 70mm (film equivalent); 11:54 a.m. PST. Second shot: f/1.7, ISO 20, 1250 sec, 23mm (film equivalent): 11:55 a.m.
The quick clip is also 11:55 a.m., made seconds after photo two.
Not even a biker brigade’s collective mind is willing to risk plowing through the Sixth Avenue stoplight, which feeds traffic directly onto the highway (SR-163). Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 50, 1/400 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 11:55 a.m.
The S23 Ultra is unique for providing four different optical focal lengths—three of which were used for this set.