Tag: motorcycles

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 3, 20268:56 pm

Nikon Zf: Alley Harley Film Grain

Early fourth quarter, Nikon released firmware version 3.0 for the retro-styled Zf, which I own. Among the many new features is built-in recipe (e.g. filter) film grain, which styling is succinctly named. When flipped on, the camera captures a standard photo in RAW and nostalgic film look in JPG.

But how meaningful is it, really? Let’s compare with the alley Harley that I photographed in early December 2025 using the zf; I converted the color original to monochrome in post-production. The Featured Image was film grain-stylized in camera, six days later on the 16th of the month. Additionally, the Zf has a dedicated switch for shooting black and white; both capabilities were active.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 10, 20258:19 pm

In the Alley with Harley

San Diego’s three-season Summer makes motorcycle riding an enticing transportation option for many residents. Then there is California law, which permits cutting the lane; it’s a common practice, too. You’re stuck in traffic, for example, while a motorcyclist weaves between vehicles and advances.

The practice is all the more unsettling, when a motorcycle suddenly races up from behind between you and other fast-moving cars, SUVs, trucks, and more! I am surprised that there aren’t more accidents caused by the driving tactic. I needn’t say but must: Don’t text and ride, please.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 28, 20238:33 pm

Kings (of the Road)

I don’t know why these three motorbikes were parked together in a San Diego alley. They piqued my photographic interests for being covered in raindrops. Location determined composition: I was backed against a wall; they were placed in an enclave.

The Featured Image comes from Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, on Dec. 22, 2023. Vitals: f/1.7, ISO 160, 1/180 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 10:43 a.m. PST.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 9, 20217:52 pm

Roarin’ Riders and the First-Responders

A whole lot of activity goes on in the Featured Image—and more than I realized until sitting down to edit in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic. The nearly 100-percent crop comes from Leica Q2, on Nov. 6, 2021. Vitals: f/8, ISO 100, 1/250 sec, 28mm; 2:01 p.m. PDT.

As I walked up Meade Ave. in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood, I heard jovial talking and motorcycles revving ahead of me and found them on cross-street Idaho. I crouched down behind a car and, after changing the aperture, managed to click the shutter once before they rode off in choreographed procession; there was a precision to their group riding that evoked safety and conveyance. They roared towards El Cajon Blvd.

Photo by Joe WilcoxAug 31, 20217:40 pm

When a Scooter isn’t Enough

I can’t say why this motorcycle rapt me enough to take a single shot on Aug. 20, 2021. The iconic, classic-styling only grabbed my attention when processing the Featured Image. For sure, the odd parking […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 8, 20219:58 pm

Now There are Two

Last September, my path crossed what I called the “Sidewalk Gym“, along Meade Ave. near Utah Street in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood. The padding wrapped around a tree evoked make-shift, outdoor Mixed Martial Arts arena—and space to workout whenever Governor Gavin “Gruesome” Newsom issued a new lockdown order meant to slow the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)—also known as COVID-19—pandemic.

The space remained a fixture since, with the appropriately-toned motorcycle and SUV typically parked beside the MMA studio. But, today, moseying past, I saw something new: A second motorcycle, which is change enough to assault you with a new Featured Image captured using Leica Q2. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/400 sec, 28mm; 3:39 p.m. PST.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 14, 202011:21 pm

The Road Warrior

Walking behind BLVD North Park, on Sept. 6, 2020, I spotted a motorcycle and sidecar parked under the building in the ungated area. Enamored by the surprising find, I pulled out Leica Q2 and snapped […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 12, 20208:21 pm

Sidewalk Gym

San Diego’s climate is ideal for almost any year-round outdoor activity, something the large number of people riding, running, or walking make obvious. Outside workouts are more common now, even though gyms have reopened following […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxAug 10, 20201:19 pm

The Strong Arms of Defiance

Around the corner from where was the Urban Pumpkin is the local gym, which closed during California Governor Gavin “Gruesome” Newsom’s first state-shuttering order in mid-March 2020 but has since defied the second shutdown, started July 13, that restricts indoor activities at many commercial businesses and institutions (like churches). Four days ago, San Diego County issued an order for the “immediate closure of Boulevard Fitness”; compliance “may be enforced by the San Diego Police Department”.

In meaningless sense of solidarity—the way flabby, beer-gut spectators feel good when watching their favorite sports team compete and win—I have checked daily for more than a month to see if the gym is open, silently cheering that it was. But on a Monday morning, following the “cease and desist” order, would Boulevard Fitness welcome patrons of exercise and good health?

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 12, 20156:44 am

Flickr a Day 163: ‘Royal Parking Lot’

Today’s selection is meant as a teaser for album/set “Ladakh“, which compiles photos Prabhu B Doss shot on two different motorcycle trips. Self-titled “Royal Parking Lot” takes the Day for composition and drama. The motorcycles […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 23, 20157:22 am

Flickr a Day 54: Harley Riders

I chose today’s selection, by Andrea La Rosa, for composition and use of black-and-white photography. The sky could be a painted movie-set backdrop, and it is perfect emotive canvas. The pic juxtaposes Day 53—motor- and […]

Living by Joe WilcoxJun 21, 20149:01 pm

‘Friends Forever’ is More than a Cliché

I can’t express how much we enjoyed hosting Richard Abendroth, Andreas Hochmuth, and Jake Mas. The young men, all in their earlier twenties, motorcycled across the country, from Maryland to California. They left here yesterday heading up the coast, with an eventual destination of Seattle before traveling back East.

These are fine young men, whose comradery and energy inspire me. Jake’s description of the three huddled together under the rocks at La Jolla Cove watching the sun set over the Pacific for the first time was evocative. “Friends forever” is more than a cliché. It is a living vital force as demonstrated by the travelers’ familiarity and trust.