We celebrate US Independence Day with an Alaskan serene scene—self-titled “Ketchikan Creek Street“, which Bernard Spragg captured on Sept. 6, 2012 using Sony DSLR-A580 and 18-270mm F3.5-6.3 lens. Vitals: f/11, ISO 400, 1/125 sec, 35mm. […]
The Cats of University Heights: Candor
To the present, we bring the past—and a portrait taken about three-and-a-half months after the series began, in October 2016. I am reviewing and reconsidering discarded kitty pics. The Featured Image, captured on Jan. 31, 2017 using iPhone 7 Plus, is among them. Vitals: f/2.8, ISO 20, 1/1808 sec, 6.6mm; 1:31 p.m. PST.
I saw the feline, nicknamed Candor for no particular reason, once and never again—along Madison between Campus and North. He (or she) is the fifty-second profiled furball seen behind either window or door.
Flickr a Week 27a: ‘Happy Canada Day!’
I am so embarrassed. My ancestors on both sides of the family emigrated from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, respectively—and, being a border baby, my attitudes are much more Canadian than American. So how then […]
Flickr a Week 27: ‘Moving House–The Philippine Way’
What a welcoming way to start the second half of 2020, following a tumultuous first six months: some spirit of cooperation—and it will be desperately needed as a pandemic-fractured humanity presses onward. Oh, and let’s […]
Monument to History
As vandals and rioters deface and topple statues around the country, I am reminded of their importance—something steadfastly absorbed during my long residence in the D.C.-metro area. History matters, whether or not racially- and politically-motivated […]
Flickr a Week 26a: ‘Purple Fields–Hitchin Lavender, Cadwell Farm, Hertfordshire’
First-half of turbulent 2020 ends with soothing self-titled “Purple Fields—Hitchin Lavender, Cadwell Farm, Hertfordshire“, which Barbara Asboth captured on Aug. 22, 2015 using Canon EOS 5D Mark III and 28-75mm lens.
“This lady was dressed as the perfect subject in orange against the sea of purple”, Barbara says of the moment. “Processed to have a magical feel to it, just like I felt in person. They were already harvesting the lavender that day, though, so if you want to go see this, you will have to wait until next year for the most beautiful views. It’s worth it, though”. Lovely composition and stunning ethereal feeling take the Sunday spot—and oh, so well-deserved.
The Cats of University Heights: Friday
Fifty-one: The number of felines found on Alabama between boundaries Adams and Lincoln, since the first three—Anthony, Goldie, and Itchy Valentino—appeared along a single block on the same day: Sept. 5, 2017. The black also is sixty-third seen behind door or window, since the series started in October 2016. Confession: This handsome shorthair lives in a house that, being a whisk beyond Lincoln going towards University Ave., could classify as North Park. Welcome to boundary-bending Caturday!
Not very original, Friday is the beastie’s nickname—chosen for the day of the week for June 19, 2020. I captured portraits using Leica Q2 and iPhone XS but chose the Featured Image from the smartphone shots rather than the camera. Better composition, aided from the secondary lens, is main reason. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 16, 1/232 sec, 52mm (film equivalent); 9:20 a.m. PDT.
Flickr a Week 26: ‘Follow at Your Peril’
Classic car makes an iconic moment—self-titled “Follow at Your Peril“, which David Ingram captured on Nov. 9, 2013 using Canon EOS 5D Mark II and EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens. Vitals: f/5, ISO 400, […]
Flickr a Week 25b: ‘Zombie Movie’
For Father’s Day, we present something sublime and classic—for timeless composition and subject: Self-titled “Zombie Movie“, by Robert Couse-Baker. The television may be analog and archaic but the camera is digital (Canon EOS 5D Mark […]
The Cats of University Heights: Sylvester
Humans aren’t alone emerging from the the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)—also known as COVID-19—pandemic lockdown. After a kind of drought, I suddenly see more kitties—three of them yesterday morning, all along Mississippi between Howard and Lincoln: This fine Tuxedo, another, and a ginger. But I failed to get portraits of the others, seen on another block; if lucky, perhaps we’ll meet again sometime soon.
This fine feline earns nickname Foxtrot, in part for how he foot-stepped his approach to me and my wife. I used Leica Q2 to capture the Featured Image. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/125 sec, 28mm; 8:55 a.m. PDT.
Flickr a Week 25a: ‘Happy Midsummer’
The week gets an extra entry, and surely self-titled “Happy Midsummer” reveals why. “Just after two o’clock, in wilderness”, on June 19, 2019, yrjö jyske captured the moment, using Canon EOS 700D and EF 70-300mm […]
Too Much for Some, Not Enough for Others
Today, while walking with my wife along Meade Avenue in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood, I was reminded about the food giveaway still going on at Garfield Elementary. Four full cartoons of skim milk littered the sidewalk and, later, a twist-tied bag containing unopened cereal and other sugary breakfast eats that would appeal to children.
In mid-March, California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered the closure of most businesses and all schools. While the state is now reopening and adults return to work, kids remain home—many with parents who are still furloughed or fired. San Diego County’s unemployment rate is a staggering 15 percent, up from about 3.5 percent before the lockdown precipitated by the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)—also known as COVID-19—pandemic. Select schools offer free food to needy families, and they are many.