Tag: Canon EOS 20D

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 4, 20269:57 pm

“Happy Birthday!”

I remain amazed at the typically hostile reaction I receive to the flag t-shirt purchased from Costco several years ago. For example, few people will acknowledge or respond if I greet them when walking while wearing the tee, which differs from the cordiality that is otherwise common enough. But yesterday, one man yelled as we passed: “Happy Birthday!” Thank you.

Today, the United States of America turned 250, a remarkable feat for a Constitutional Republic. But, in San Diego, you wouldn’t know that it’s not just a holiday but the Semiquincentennial celebration. Mid-morning, I walked from Upas Street in North Park along 30th to Meade Ave and to our apartment in University Heights. Every business was open. Even the barbershops. I also counted only five American flags, two at businesses. That’s it!

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 13, 202610:42 pm

Happy Flag Day 2026

What better way to celebrate Flag Day (tomorrow) than with a parade of Old Glories. The Featured Image is part of a collection of photos taken on April 14, 2007, during the Cherry Blossom Festival Parade in Washington, D.C.

I used Canon 20D and EF 135mm f/2 USM lens for the street shot, which is composed as captured. Vitals: f/5.6, ISO 200, 1/500 sec, 135mm; 9:32 a.m. EDT.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 7, 20249:11 pm

One Day in April

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.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 8, 20239:41 pm

Sideways Swallowtail

I will teach you a new word: 나비 (or nabi, Romanized), which means butterfly in Korean. The genus is Tiger Swallowtail. The Featured Image isn’t recent. Vitals: f/5, ISO 200, 1/200 sec, 70mm; 6:19 p.m. EDT, Aug. 29, 2005.

Location: Wilcox backyard, Kensington, Md. Camera: Canon EOS 20D.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 19, 20239:01 pm

This New Nostalgic Photography Trend is Scary

When is really bad good? Let the Featured Image and companion answer. I never imagined that Millennial-generation nostalgia would make blurry photography a thing. Newfound fondness for pics produced by naught-decade point-and-shoot digital cameras focuses (honestly, no pun intended) on imperfections they produce.

Well, hell, I am a master photographer now. Sign me up for the big bonus payout from the Instagram gallery of art and artifacts, because I got a boatload (figuratively) of blurry, grainy, flawed photos languishing to be seen and cooed over.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 27, 20239:51 pm

Recalling Old Glory

What on Oct. 3, 2004 prompted flags flown at half-mast? I sure don’t recall, nor could I immediately discover a reason from searching the InterWebs. I will further explain.

This evening, while rummaging through old photos, I came across a shot of the U.S. Capitol. The building, set back behind trees, took my attention; initially. On closer inspection, I could see that for all my poor photography habits of 19 years ago, the flagpole frames the shot. Then I looked at lowered Old Glory and wondered why?

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 24, 20239:11 pm

From a Seed Grows…

On a quiet Tuesday evening, with the car in the shop and my finger healing (hopefully) from a second-degree grease-splatter burn, I share something simple and soothing.

I used Canon EOS 20D to capture the Featured Image, which is composed as shot and presented without alteration. This one is a JPG straight from the camera. Vitals, aperture and shutter speed manually set: f/7.1, ISO 400, 1/500 sec, 100mm; 3:19 p.m. EDT, June 24, 2007. Lens: Canon EF100mm f/2.8 Macro USM.

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 12, 20229:07 pm

Admiring God’s Paintbrush

As autumn colors lavish landscapes across the Northeastern United States, but eternal summer simmers in Southern California, I must go back to the past to find something appropriate to share—from our family’s time living a few miles outside the Washington, DC Beltway. On Nov. 2, 2005, I lugged outside Canon EOS 20D, mounted with the EF 70-200mm f/4L USM lens obtained a few days earlier.

The Featured Image and companion, both composed as captured, are picks from a series for each. Looking over the set reveals similar shots at different apertures. Interestingly, for the first, I prefer the renders where the house is less blurred. Vitals: f/18, ISO 800, 1/125 sec, 200mm; 12:51 p.m. EST.

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 10, 202210:05 pm

Bumble Bee Delights

Yesterday we returned to 2007 with a backyard portrait of bunny Daisy. A few months earlier, June 24, I shot bug and flowers on a mini-medium that separates Decatur and University avenues where Newport Mill Road intersects both, in Kensington, Md. According to Google Maps street view, from June 2022, the place remains—even fuller and lusher than I recall.

I used Canon EOS 20D and EF100mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens to shoot the Featured Image and companion. How strange is it that I clearly remember this outing when others aren’t recollected. I can’t guess why are the quirks of memory, being such an otherwise meaningless moment.

Photo by Joe WilcoxAug 1, 202210:25 pm

Gone But for Memories

Call me shocked. On several occasions during the two years leading up to the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19 lockdowns—and at least once after they started—I contacted the woman who managed our rental in Kensington, Md. We lived there just shy of a decade, and I felt sentimental about the place. Should the house become available to rent, or to buy, could she let me know? Absolutely. Promises. Promises.

Opportunity passed unbeknownst to me, and I am baffled about missing it. The house, previously purchased for $56,000 in 1965, sold for $475,000 a few months ago. I had checked on the property’s disposition from time to time and never saw a listing, nor is there any indication that there ever was one. Perhaps the tenants bought the place. I’ll never know.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 28, 20229:32 pm

Praising the 135mm

In a post dateline eight days ago, Phoblographer publisher Chris Gampat explains “What You Should Know Before Buying a 135mm Lens“. He describes my favorite Prime focal length: “a magical wonder for many photographers”; “optically speaking, no one looks bad on the other end of this lens”; “notoriously hard to get in focus”; and “render[s] super tight if you don’t have a lot of room”. Also calling 135mm a “pain”, he acknowledges: “I’ll admit they can create beautiful photos”.

If shooting an interchangeable lens camera, rather than fixed-28mm Leica Q2, I absolutely would favor 135mm. Honestly, I might go 85mm for close spaces but otherwise mainly use the longer focal length. I love 135mm.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 18, 20228:59 pm

He Knows No Limit

I can’t explain why the Featured Image appeals to me. Maybe the gent’s mouth caught in speaking motion is reason combined with tilt of head, necklaces hung around neck, and one presented in hand. Is he selling the beaded strings? Seeking donations? I want to know.

The moment is from the Labor Day Parade on Sept. 5, 2005 in Kensington, Md. I used Canon EOS 20D for the portrait, which is composed as shot. Vitals: f/10, ISO 400, 1/500 sec, 40mm; 10:26 a.m. EDT.