Tag: Leica Q2 Mono

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 8, 20239:10 pm

Even More Solemn Moment

We return to yesterday’s smirking Jack-O-Lantern grin to update on the devastating Hamas attack against Israel. Something about the wicked smile evokes those worn by terrorists as they paraded living, and deceased, civilians around Gaza. Call it Trick or Terror, if you like. Hence my choice of a second shot, but colorless.

Israel’s confirmed death toll is the largest ever in a single day—more than 600, as I write. Two-hundred-sixty bodies were recovered around and about the site of the Supernova music festival. Hostages, nearly none military, including women, children, and families were hauled off to Gaza.

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 3, 202310:17 pm

Desolate and Dreamy

On the same evening that I shot “Harvest Moon“, using Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, I tried another using Leica Q2 Monochrom that didn’t come out as anticipated. Nevertheless, something about the street scene is evocative to me so I share it with you. Vitals, aperture and shutter speed manually set: f/1.7, ISO 12500, 1/125 sec, 28mm; 8:25 p.m. PDT, Sept. 29, 2023.

What surprises me is how eerily quiet is the neighborhood during the evenings. With the pleasant weather, I would expect to see more people. Instead, the streets are drearily desolate—dystopian, almost.

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 30, 20239:59 pm

Ghosts Light Up the Dark

Bouncing about San Diego, I am surprised to see some neighborhoods deck out for Halloween and others for Christmas—either/or and neither. Here in University Heights, the former is choice du jour and many residents rarely wait beyond mid-September to decorate their yards.

Yesterday, while walking after dark, I came upon ghostly decor outside an apartment building; this kind of showcase is common among homes but much less so before multi-resident dwellings.

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 10, 20239:47 pm

The Threesome

I don’t take out Leica Q2 Monochrom often enough. The camera’s super sharp f/1.7 Summilux 28mm lens, supported by the 47.3-megapixel mono sensor, produces photos from which emerge so many possibilities. Take, for example, the Featured Image that is a close-crop of three people—one of them back-to in the hammock—during one of the summer concerts in Old Trolley Barn Park, which is located in San Diego neighborhood University Heights.

The naturally-produced graininess feels film-like enough, at least to my eyes. Is the young man looking at me? I would be surprised, since I shot from the sidewalk at the hip. This is about a 95-percent crop, for perspective.

Living by Joe WilcoxJul 15, 20238:56 pm

Swinging to the Music

I considered cropping the Featured Image even tighter, but leave that for you by zooming in; please do. This is another moment from last night’s live music performance at Old Trolley Barn Park, which is […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 14, 20239:30 pm

Blues and Americana at Old Trolley Barn Park

July means live music Fridays at Old Trolley Barn Park, here in San Diego neighborhood University Heights. Despite feeling crappy all day, I walked over tonight for a look and some photos—oh, yeah, and surprise. Performer: Chickenbone Slim and the Biscuits. Perhaps you remember my sharing about the blues band back in November 2021, after finding them performing impromptu outside our auto mechanic’s shop, which is closed weekends.

The venue and crowd was way bigger this evening. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra didn’t deliver the kind of shots I have come to expect. Highlights are blown out and color is way oversaturated for the dozen captures. Details are muddy, too, as you can see from the Featured Image. Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 200, 1/60 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 7:38 p.m. PDT.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 5, 20239:11 pm

Fixing Fabric and Binging Brew

Somewhat hidden, at the corner of Meade and Texas in San Diego neighborhood University Heights, is Wonder Weavers, which name smartly describes the business specializing in clothing repair.

I occasionally see, and chat with, the owner—most memorably when, three years ago, he hung out with his grey kitty Lily, who appears in my “Cats of University Heights” series.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 30, 20239:44 pm

He Waits for What?

We end the month, and first half of the year, with a somber Featured Image captured tonight. I typically avoid taking photos of San Diego homeless, out of respect for them and their plight. With the high cost of housing, anyone could end up in their situation—particularly with the rising number of renovictions: landlord removes long-time tenants and makes upgrades to justify drastically raising rents.

According to the Regional Task Force on Homelessness, number of the city’s—what I will politely call—street dwellers is up 35 percent from 2022. Broadly, across San Diego County, people aged 55 or older make up 29 percent of the homeless population and about 46 percent are newly in this condition. That circles back to long-time tenants, sometimes for several decades, living in rentals they can manage but being evicted and unable to find affordable housing.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 21, 20239:01 pm

Come and Get Me, Apple

If you believe Wired story “Apple Is Taking On Apples in a Truly Weird Trademark Battle“—and I do—the company is running about the globe seeking the “rights to the image of apples”.

One court case could cause big problems for 111-year-old the Fruit Union, according to reporter Gabriela Galindo, who writes: “The oldest and largest fruit farmer’s organization in Switzerland worries it might have to change its logo, because Apple, the tech giant, is trying to gain intellectual property rights over depictions of apples, the fruit”.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 19, 202310:19 pm

You Could Work From Home

Are you doing it now, or hoping to? Thanks to SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19 mandates, many people were compelled to work from home—and when the restrictions lifted many didn’t want to return to the office. Of course, much depended upon the employee’s duties.

Let me clear up some myths, having worked out of a home office since May 1999. Often someone would ask how I could work at home and not be distracted by the environment or tempted to watch television all day. That was never my problem. Let’s start with that one and move along.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 16, 20238:10 pm

Rustic Rose

Walking along Campus Ave., yesterday, here in San Diego neighborhood of University Heights, a few properties past the Schoolhouse, I came upon some roses of similar—if not the same—variety as the ones shared with you a few weeks ago. I thought: They’re white. I’m carrying Leica Q2 Monochrom. Why not?

The Featured Image is the original, edited to taste but composed as shot. The companion is a close crop so you can see just how amazing is the dazzling detail that this camera can capture. Focus is spot on where I wanted it.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 14, 20238:54 pm

A Walk in the Park

This massively cropped composition catches walkers in San Diego’s Balboa Park, on April 20, 2023. I used Leica Q2 Monochrom to capture the Featured Image. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/11, ISO 200, 1/400 sec, 28mm; […]