Category: Aspiration

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 26, 20238:54 pm

Cousins

Dan Wilcox emailed a couple of photos today of us as youngsters. The Featured Image, dated 1970, would put our ages at about 16 and 11, respectively. Cuz was always taller (and better looking), even in adulthood. Ah, to look on my fine, blonde hair and remember having it.

The film SLR belonged to Dad. If I rightly recall, he used a Kowa, probably the seT R2. Like Leica Q2 (my primary camera), the Kowa utilized a leaf shutter, which I believe was located in the lens, rather than the body. The design made for nearly silent shooting—an appealing feature for wildlife photography.

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 19, 20239:15 pm

Skyline Seating

Early iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max buyers are just days away from receiving their preorders. Good luck with that. My Galaxy S23 Ultra is a more versatile, worthy shooter. I’ve seen some of the professional reviews, where photos aren’t as impressive as what I enjoy daily. This is no fanboy talk. Go online and look for yourself.

In addition to the default 12-megapixels, photos can be captured at 50MP or 200MP; the Featured Image is the former, and, whoa, look at that detail. Both exceed Apple’s device, which zoom capability tops out at 5x. The Samsung offers 10x, which is 230mm film equivalent. Pro mode puts you in control, and the separate Expert RAW app delivers exactly what the name indicates.

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 14, 20238:27 pm

Alpha Rises

The best camera is the one with you—and that proved true tonight with Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. As I walked down Monroe Ave. in my San Diego neighborhood of University Heights, something odd caught my attention in the sky.

I spent too much time trying to make sense of the oddity and as such missed the best shot—of continuous cloud trail. I mistakenly thought that the setting sun illuminated the exhaust of an airplane. Then the notion clicked, examining the trailing bloom, that I watched a rocket launch in the far distance.

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 13, 202310:39 pm

For Her President

On Sept. 10, 2023, as I pulled up to the pump at my local filling station, a looming, white pickup truck came in behind me. The other driver was quicker getting out of her vehicle (because I lumbered gathering together cash).

I stepped inside to pay and found her jabbering away with the clerk; she had a friendly mile-a-minute mouth. She spoke about how bad is the economy when the last person to fill up could only afford $3.75 of gas. Context: Price at the pump paid in cash or by debit card was $5.50. So that customer got less than one gallon’s worth.

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 2, 20239:04 pm

Heartfelt

The owner of Bruce, one of the “Cats of University Heights“, occasionally receives reports about presumed sightings. The most recent puts him across Texas Street inside North Park. A gent is certain (aren’t they all) that he saw the missing feline, which turned back when his name was called. But a car scared him off. The beloved neighborhood mascot disappeared over Memorial Day weekend.

This afternoon, I hoofed up the hill to the area where Bruce might be. Along the way, I passed a flag seen a few days earlier mistakenly identified as the Japanese rising sun. Whoops. I got that wrong. That instance, I walked down the hill on the other side of the street. From the uphill vantage, the flying heart—and all the others—visually clicked.

Photo by Joe WilcoxAug 31, 20239:05 pm

Tennis This Time

San Diego’s three-season summer weather creates all kinds of outdoor activities that would be uncommon elsewhere. Consider public schools: Many are indoor/outdoor, meaning classrooms are enclosed but kids go out to move among them. Costco eateries are on the outside of the warehouses rather than within. The examples abound.

As such, I shouldn’t be so amused, but am, about the older gent watching sports programs out of doors. On Aug. 9, I passed him riveted to a baseball game—all by his lonesome. Tonight, it’s tennis—and he has a friend. “Say, could you pass a can of Modelo Especial?” (Because Bud Light is boycotted, the Mexican beer is now top-seller.)

Photo by Joe WilcoxAug 26, 20239:26 pm

Farmer @Work

In my Aroostook County hometown, students grades 9-12 returned to school last week (August 16). The summer start is so teenagers can go on break to help with the potato harvest: 10 school days, or effectively two full weeks, starting at the end of classes on September 22. During my growing up years, all the schoolkids had recess to help bring in the crop.

Confession: I hated picking potatoes, which perhaps explains the traditional basket kept as souvenir. A picker would fill one with spuds pulled from unearthed vines and then lug them to a barrel and dump in the load.

Photo by Joe WilcoxAug 25, 20239:55 pm

Easy Rider

Among my most favorite “Cats of University Heights” is Pepto, who joined the series in October 2020. He roams too much for my comfort, sauntering across once lightly-trafficked streets that bustle because of torrential construction of towering multi-unit complexes like BLVD North Park and the Winslow.

My wife happened to come upon the orange and white fluffer finely set up by one of his owners. What a fantastic photo-op, eh? She used Samsung Galaxy S22 to capture the Featured Image on Aug. 18, 2023. Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 20, 1/470 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 3:07 p.m. PDT.

Photo by Joe WilcoxAug 23, 202310:14 pm

Remembering Moto X

A decade ago today, Google released Moto X—a classic smartphone by every measure that matters. Two years earlier, the search and information giant initiated a $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility, which would manufacture the Android. Months following the initial launch, I bought the Developer Edition and loved it.

Moto X promised so much: American assembled in a Texas factory; made-to-order, with custom color and other personalization options; simple, straightforward online ordering, tight integration with Google services; voice activation and commands. Nothing like the device, the purchasing experience, or truly hands-free operation existed in 2013.

Photo by Joe WilcoxAug 22, 202310:58 pm

Sapphire Showers Duranta

I let Google Photos stylize the Featured Image, which is composed as shot. You won’t see saturation like this naturally presenting in nature. This is what happens when some form of artificial intelligence does the job that you should do for yourself. I would never edit like this but must acknowledge to not disliking the photo, which isn’t the same as liking it.

Once again, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra rises to the occasion. Vitals: f/1.7, ISO 50, 1/120 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 11:50 a.m. PDT, Aug. 18, 2023.

Photo by Joe WilcoxAug 20, 20238:54 pm

Sports Cars Don’t Get Much More Classic Than This

The strangest, and unexpected, cars show up on the streets of my neighborhood of University Heights. Perennial San Diego sun may be hard on the paint, but arid Mediterranean climate assures that a well-maintained vehicle can last for decades—free from the abuse imposed by extreme temperature swings, frequent rain, high humidity, or seasonal changes. The SoCal coastal region has one season: Summer, in three variations of early, mid, and late.

Unsurprisingly, and fitting with California stereotypes, Volkswagens of various vintages, typically circa 1960s and 70s, are commonly enough seen. But this Jaguar XK120, in the Featured Image and companion captures, is a first. I saw it once, April 22, 2023, and never again.

Photo by Joe WilcoxAug 15, 202310:05 pm

Galaxy S23 Ultra RAW Roars Past an Iconic Sign

This isn’t my first Featured Image of this sign—and certainly not at night. But this one is the first using Samsung’s Expert RAW app on Galaxy S23 Ultra. Results do surprise, because I didn’t expect this much character or clarity from a smartphone’s small sensor.

I chose 50 megapixels and let S23 pick the settings. They’re easily adjustable, and I will do so on another day’s test run. Vitals: f/1/7, ISO 1600, 1/25 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 8:39 p.m. PDT, tonight.