Category: Leica

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 3, 20259:40 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Topcat

Let’s reach into the backed-up queue to Oct. 26, 2023, and one of the first sightings of a glorious tux outside the home where lived “Herbie, the Love Bug” and “Sparky” (and they may still be). More than a year later looking for the owner to get the kitty’s real name, I surrender. We wait no more.

The Featured Image comes from Leica Q2, which I sold on Dec. 11, 2024. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/50 sec, 28mm; 9:34 a.m. PST. I used Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra to capture the companion on Jan. 23, 2024. Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 250, 1/60 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 12:44 p.m. I have seen the cat many times since and really should shoot something current.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 12, 20247:19 pm

I Love Leica But…

Yesterday, someone bought my Leica Q2, which I acquired on Dec. 31, 2019. But my Leica journey started in May 2017 with the original Q, which I initially regretted selling. I preferred the smaller sensor (24 megapixels vs 47.3 for the successor), the look of the images produced, and the ability to switch from single to continuous shooting by flicking a switch set around the shutter button. Besides, the Q was my first Leica love—a feeling that didn’t carry forward as I had expected.

Day before yesterday, a doctor and sculptor bought Q2 Monochrom, which I acquired in December 2020. Turns out I don’t have an eye for black-and-white photography. I got good value from the camera but nowhere near what was hoped. Surely the new owners will do better.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 17, 20249:11 pm

Thirsty?

As the November 5th Presidential election approached, I focused on preparing for emergencies—such as protests or infrastructure attacks, regardless the winner (or loser). I stocked up medical supplies and took trauma training for massive bleeding incidents. My wife and I majorly topped off food and water supplies, while I purchased some additional items, particularly for dealing with power outages.

Water bothered me most. What if some crazy person poisoned the water supply, or there was unexpected contamination incident—such as agricultural or industrial runoff or more Mexican spillage. Yikes, cyberattack? The solution that made most sense: Water-filtration system, for purifying the liquid from almost any source.

Photo by Joe WilcoxAug 19, 20249:10 pm

Where in the World?

San Diego’s sunny climate enables residents to put out items they don’t want that someone else might hanker for. If we didn’t already own a world map, I would have grabbed the one my wife and I passed along Georgia Street—a block or so south of Sprout’s Market—just inside University Heights.

Flags and wooden frame made the discard much better than my map, but we simply didn’t have space, or justifiable need, for another. So we left the thing—after I captured the Featured Image and companion using Leica Q2. Vitals: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/400 sec, 28mm; 10:15 a.m. PDT, Aug. 17, 2024. The close-crop is same but one-minute earlier.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 17, 20249:21 pm

I am a Pixel Owner, Once More

May 8, 2024. In my news feed, several tech blogs spotlighted Google Store’s sudden, shocking trade-in offer for Pixel Tablet: Up to $399—equivalent to the price of the 128GB variant—in exchange for one of many, many iPad models. Free plus sales tax is a rather compelling offer.

The device launched a year earlier, making so little positive impression that I ordered two Samsung Galaxy tabs—one for my wife and another for me. Pixel Tablet looks even more inferior than 12 months ago, coming right as Apple released new iPads packing M4 chips. But they do cost mountains of cash more. Got an organ to sell? Kidneys fetch a good return, I hear.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 10, 202410:15 pm

The Sleeper

I rarely photograph San Diego homeless, as a silent sign of respect. But, today, one gentlemen so surprised me that I felt compelled to take the shot—well, several. Walking East on Meade Ave., I saw him sleeping on the sidewalk across the way, where Mission cuts diagonally—think 45 degrees—from the intersection at Park Blvd.

The sleep mask is what intrigued me. He looked so unusually comfortable, lying on the cement, which was surprising, too. Foot and vehicular traffic is fairly brisk, and noisy, on a Friday afternoon; then there is the bus stop—a couple meters away, at most. Yet he looked so serene and lay motionless, but in an open space where homeless are otherwise uncommon.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 9, 20249:49 pm

A Moment for Bruce

Seven years ago today, I shot the Featured Image, using Leica Q. Bruce, who shared residence with Guido and Little, waited for his owner. The previous week, I got a glimpse of the woman walking her dog (Dakota), and the short-legged kitty ambling along with them. What a wonderful sight, and I had to know more. Scouting about led me to one of the neighborhood’s handsomest—and most beloved—cats.

A few years later, over the Christmas holidays, Dakota passed away, That put an end to the dog-cat walks, until some months later when Bruce’s owner—now one of our favorite neighbors—rescued the amicable Apple. In some dictionary somewhere, sweetness is defined by a description of that dog. Sigh. She suddenly passed away last week, as was explained yesterday. Bruce is gone, too; he vanished over Memorial Day weekend 2023.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 8, 20249:03 pm

Goodbye, Apple, We All Miss You

On April 30, 2024, one of our favorite neighbors said sad goodbye to her beloved dog, Apple. Six days earlier, she took the animal to a veterinarian for surgery to remove a mass on the rump. But the procedure had to be aborted, and our neighbor received an overall grim prognosis but still with some months, even longer, of expected life left. Apple declined, however, looks like mainly because of the surgery, and she died. I received the teary phone call one week ago; yes, last Wednesday.

Already our neighbor suffered the loss of University Heights East’s favorite cat, Bruce, who vanished over Memorial Day weekend 2023. Beloved neighborhood runners-up: Pepto and Rick, who Apple visited on her walks. We all loved the dog, and our neighbor had amazing rapport and daily routine with Apple.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 6, 202410:05 pm

Pop Pie at Night

T long-delayed ophthalmologist appointment finally occurred today. That meant massive dilation to check my optical implants. My pupils were massively large, such that the iris in each eye rimmed so thinly that my best analogy is the muted corona around last month’s total solar eclipse.

As such, I spent most of the day indoors, hiding from sunlight, and only ventured outside after dark—and what a glorious evening, too. Mild: 16 Celsius (61 Fahrenheit). Despite temporarily impaired vision, I brought along Leica Q2 Monochrom.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 24, 202410:53 pm

Server @Work

Only one unopened @Work Android Collectible remains, after today’s unveiling: Café Worker / Barista / Roaster. The box is nearly empty. What disappointment that is, too. Maybe I can share some other past purchases from Dead Zebra.

In the real world, this fine fella could either be unemployed or object of customer complaint. On April 1. 2024, California raised the minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 an hour, which oddly is four bucks more than the mandate set for everyone else. Cost-cutting layoffs are rampant at burger joints, pizza, places, and the like—as are increased prices (hence, those disgruntled customers).

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 23, 202410:12 pm

Color Me Orange

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.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 21, 20249:27 pm

Pretty Poppy

The calendar hanging on our refrigerator correctly designates April 22 as Earth Day. I consider the celebration to be a year-long event. Our celestial home deserves more than 24 hours out of the 8,760 during a typical year.

So, commemorating today before you do tomorrow, I present the Featured Image, taken because of the California Poppy’s color. Unfortunately, breeze blew by just as I clicked the camera’s shutter, so point of focus isn’t exactly where intended but close enough.