According to one of my neighbors, who tends a butterfly garden in her front yard, a female Monarch lays eggs on milkweed. As such, the mom-to-be stayed still long enough for me to shoot six shots, the last being the Featured Image.
This one is composed as captured and as produced by Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Meaning: No post-production. Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 50, 1/850 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 11:25 a.m. PDT, today.
Walking home from Trader Joe’s this afternoon, I passed a rabbit hanging out on the lawn where Kitty used to go. (One of the “Cats of University Heights“, the tuxedo vanished in September 2021.) The bunny seemed quite content until I reached for Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra; he hoped off and stopped behind the gate leading into the backyard.
The smartphone may not produce the sharpest photos, but they’re good enough, particularly considering the benefit: Massive 10x optical zoom in a device carried in my pocket; no bulky, costly expensive camera gear required.
For a seeming paradise environment, San Diego air fills with bad smells: chemical (mostly from pesticides); exhaust (mostly from construction machinery and vehicles); rotting food (from compost and garbage containers); skunky stink (from pot smokers); and urine (from the homeless), among many others. (Got an hour to read? I can give a fuller list.)
So it was a surprise, and relief, when my wife and I hit a sweet smelling zone while walking on May 26, 2023. The Featured Image shows why: Hedge of Honeysuckle. Thank you, neighbor, whomever you are! At a time when more residences erect fortress fences around their properties, someone else chooses a natural barrier that delights the senses—eyes along with the nose.
The fine family that owns ginger cat Daniel Tiger also keeps three chickens. Typically, a jar of feed is placed in a caddy on the fence so that neighbors can greet and treat the birds. But, today, when my wife and I walked by, the glass wasn’t half full, so to speak, but empty. We had nothing to share, and, oh, did the hens want some.
When we slipped out of the apartment between loads of washed and drying laundry, I left behind Leica Q2. To capture the moment, I relied on Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, choosing the Portrait mode that creates bokeh—or the illusion of blurred background.
I don’t know San Diego’s Balboa Park well enough to identify the Featured Image‘s exact location. Metadata and Google Maps indicate the Lily Pond, so let’s assume that to be correct.
The ducks made quite the splash when I came upon them on April 20, 2023. I used Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra to shoot the quackers. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 50, 1/2000 sec, 70mm (film equivalent); 4:08 p.m. PDT.
I may regret the Featured Image tomorrow, but it looks pretty good tonight. Admission: My judgement cannot be trusted. Today’s routine eye exam included the dreaded dilation, which blurs my vision. My ability to appropriately assess composition or image quality is unreliable.
The wicked, but temporary, enlargement of my pupils obliterated any meaningful outdoor routine until early evening under a Marine Layer that never lifted. By 7:32 p.m. PDT, with sunset officially 14 minutes away, deep dusk had already set in when, finally walking, I passed the white rose bushes.
I want you to click “Birds on a Wire” and compare to the Featured Image. See the differences between what a camera can produce versus that of a smartphone. The 2018 close crop comes from Leica M (Typ 262) and Summarit-M 1:2.4/50 lens. The newer shot, taken yesterday, is a product of Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra‘s 10x zoom. Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 50, 1/1250 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 12:04 p.m. PDT; composed as captured.
If I had to choose, no brainer: 50mm cropped from the rangefinder versus 230mm from the mobile. The S23 Ultra’s tiny sensor, for all the software computational magic, can’t compete with the full-frame shooter—at least in a situation where I expected telephoto reach to be meaningful asset.
Forgive my Gazania obsession, please. The flower observed languishing on April 29, 2023 has turned to fluff (can you say seedlings) and new buds burst in its place. You must understand that these orange lovelies took root on their own; they were not planted by the apartment complex’s gardener/landscaper. I am delighted by their presence.
I used Leica Q2 to capture the Featured Image, today. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/320 sec, 28mm; 3:22 p.m. PDT. A second shot, using the camera’s dedicated Macro mode, misplaces the focal point; otherwise, I would have shared that one instead.
Along Alabama Street today, across from the BLVD North Park (reminder, located in University Heights not NP), I passed by a lovely grouping of daisies that are likely garland chrysanthemum (based on online searches); flower identification is not my area of expertise; ask me about insects, for surer knowledge.
The crown daises rose so high, I could not resist stopping and taking two photos. The Featured Image utilizes Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra‘s Portrait mode to artificially create bokeh (e.g. background blur). Vitals: f/1.7, ISO 10, 1/380 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 4:36 p.m. PDT.
The second shot from my then new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, on Feb. 16, 2023, was a lone, bright orange flower in our apartment courtyard. Even a couple days ago, the thing appeared to be vital. But today, when leaving for a walk, I saw something surprising. Well, you can see from the portrait pair.
The Featured Image comes from the S23 Ultra. Vitals: f/1.7, ISO 10, 1/800 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 1:57 p.m. PDT. The photo is cropped 3:2 but not otherwise altered. Color, dynamic range, white balance, etc. are as shot. I used the smartphone’s Portrait mode, which blurred the background. Does that look natural enough to you?
One of the benefits of our old apartment was the frequent nesting of hummingbirds. They typically made their appearance about this time of year, which is why I chose the Featured Image taken on April […]
A little more than a month after acquiring Leica Q, I shot the Featured Image. Zoom in to see the bee, if he doesn’t already jump out at you. I did consider close-cropping but kind of like leaving this one composed as captured.
Vitals: f/2.8, ISO 100, 1/640 sec, 28mm; 10:03 a.m. PDT, July 2, 2017.