Tag: HTC One M8

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The Cats of University Heights: Spot

For several days in May 2014, a daring but skittish kitty skirted around my father-in-law’s apartment complex on Campus near Madison. I never managed to capture his image—he always ran from me. But the furball tolerated my wife, who snagged several photos, from which comes the first in this series snapped by someone other than me.

I cropped a vertical shot to make the Featured Image. Look for the original below the fold. Annie captured the moment on the 9th of the month at 6:21 p.m. PDT, using the HTC One M8 smartphone. Vitals: f/2, ISO 125, 1/302 sec, 3.82mm. I shot Farfisa, who also appears in this series, with the M8 as well, but in April 2014. 

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The Cats of University Heights: Blue

I hadn’t seen any cats on Campus beyond Madison in the months after learning about Copper’s demise; she was a neighborhood favorite. So I was surprised to find her long-time companion, whom I call Blue (real name unknown), on Oct. 9, 2016, in the outdoor space they shared and where they were fed. I featured her in a photo comparison testing the HTC One M8, in Spring two years ago.

What a smile that Blue evoked. The cat, and another, live outdoors. Copper was a stray, as Blue may too be. I shot the Featured Image at 6:17 p.m.—five minutes before official sunset, but already quite dusk—using iPhone 7 Plus’ second lens to zoom. Vitals: f/2.8, ISO 320, 1/60 sec, 6.6mm. Below the fold is the comparison photos shot with the M8 in May 2014. I hadn’t known how much the kitten Blue was two years ago. Look how she has grown! 

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Goodbye, Copper

Recently, I made walking a daily habit. My wife Anne and I often go together, here in the neighborhood, as we did this afternoon. Our family moved to San Diego’s University Heights area in October 2007, to be close to her dad, who at 94 lives on the next street. On the adjacent block there are several cats we often visit, but one I hadn’t seen for several months. The lady who cared for the kitty was outside today, and Annie asked about scruffy Copper. Where is she?

Last year, animal rescue euthanized the feline following a vicious dog attack; in the cactus and bushes where she often safely stayed. The injuries were too severe for recovery. 🙁 Copper came to the apartment building that became home as a stray. Her caretaker-benefactor tried taking the cat inside, but Copper refused confinement. That’s not to say she strayed far from her adopted outdoor home. 

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HTC One M8 is a Worthy Phone Camera

I snapped this cat around sunset under overcast skies using HTC One M8. Both renditions are cropped. The left is otherwise untouched. To the right, I applied the phone’s UFocus feature. The One uses a duo-lens system to capture photo and additional depth information. I applied depth-of-field centerpoint to the cat’s face, which blurs rest of the image. I cropped afterwards. UFocus can also change the focal point, even after shooting.

Quite a few reviewers ding The One for having only a 4-megapixel camera. I shake my head and laugh. Look back a few years when 4MP was state of the art, and the same reviewers raved. Here’s the problem I see: Relativity. Making relative assumptions about A to B. Not long ago people praised 4MP for printing large photos, close-cropping, etc.—cited criticisms today. Now that there is 8MP and greater, 4MP is looked down upon.