Continuing the walk down nostalgia lane, in my San Diego neighborhood, we go out of season—back before SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19 lockdowns tempered some holiday decorating. I used Leica Q to capture […]
Tag: photography
Be Blue, Bel Air
Because my days living in San Diego’s University Heights neighborhood may sometime soon come to an end, I am going through older photos for their nostalgia—like this classic Chevy, which location seen is now a […]
A Calico Moves On
One of the earliest kitties photographed for my “Cats of University Heights” series (Oct. 29, 2016), but not featured until March 24, 2017, is Veruca. She is gone now; her family left the neighborhood. I […]
The Cats of University Heights: Blueberry
Looking out onto an alley, this fine feline lives in the same apartment on which balcony sat Spur in September 2020. Because the building stretches out to Alabama, where also is the front-gated entrance, the kitty counts for that street—bringing the total to fifty-eight out of the 377 profiles posted since the series started in October 2016. Mao dwells in the same multi-unit residence and maybe Dizzy, whom I haven’t seen for more than a year. Fifty meters (165 feet) down the alley, but on the Florida side, Chancy regularly suns on a second-floor railing.
Fifty-ninth seen behind door or window, the tabby earns nickname Blueberry—inspired in part by the hue of the curtains behind. I used iPhone XS to capture the Featured Image on Jan. 25, 2021. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 16, 1/615 sec, 52mm (film equivalent); 12:32 p.m PST.
She’s a Patriot
Bessie is home after spending Inauguration Day—more like weeks away—at another neighbor’s place. I understand that soon she will dress up for Valentine’s Day. But for now, flag flying, she sticks to the Americana theme. […]
The Traffic Circle of Unintended Consequences
As summer began last year, I started seeing some strange change in driving behavior—where my neighbors slowed down and rolled through Stop signs rather than stopping their vehicles. Initially, I attributed the disrespectful and dangerous practice to SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. Many people weren’t working, or if doing so from their residence, and traffic was considerably lighter than usual.
But as San Diego reopened (before later closing again), the no-stopping continued and I recognized the real cause to be something else that is far more disturbing. The Stop-sign roll-throughs started not long after the city opened the first so-called traffic calming measure at Alabama and Meade in University Heights. Where once were Stop signs, the city has placed circles at four-ways where drivers now slow and yield. I first observed the slowing behavior at posted Stops along Meade at Campus and also Cleveland. Coincidence? I think not.
A Pooch Portrait
Few days ago, Fujifilm unveiled the long-rumored GFX-100S—a 102-megapixel medium-format sensor shooter. I almost regret going back to Leica (Q2 and Q2 Monochrom), after letting go the GFX-50R in late-November 2019. Soon after, I purchased and returned the Sigma fp before buying the Q2. I love Fuji cameras, and the 50R surely satisfied. Problem: The impressive physical size intimidated animals and people, which was my primary reason for selling the thang.
The 100S reminds of what I gave up, with respect to image quality and dynamic range—both stellar benefits of the medium-format behemoth(s). So-o-o, this afternoon, I started reviewing some of my 50R RAW originals and happened upon a pooch portrait that silly me forgot to share with you.
The Cats of University Heights: Weepy
We celebrate the last Caturday of the month by featuring a young shorthair spotted along Florida at a property from which other kitties were profiled: Bramble, Brumble, and Shrub. I have seen other beasties there but have been unable to get photos, and none of the ones taken are all that good; they’re make-dos. Cat carrying and other paraphernalia stored by the front door makes me guess that someone is a feline fosterer.
I used iPhone XS to capture the Featured Image and companions on Jan. 13, 2021. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 16, 1/436 sec, 52mm (film equivalent); 10:02 a.m. PST. Second: f/1.8, ISO 25, 1/928 sec, 26mm (film equivalent); 10:02 a.m. Third: f/2.4, ISO 16, 1/118 sec, 52mm (film equivalent): 10:03 a.m. The trio is presented in sequence shot.
What is That Thing?
The Featured Image is bit of a metaphor—and not one I considered when composing. On Sept. 1, 2020, while walking along Mission at Mississippi in San Diego’s University Heights neighborhood, I observed what looked like […]
The Cats of University Heights: Gleam
Along campus—outside a condominium where once lived Blue, Chipper, and Copper (before a dog mauled her) and where resides Valentine—I spied a black on Jan. 10, 2021. The Featured Image comes from Leica Q2. Vitals, aperture manually set: f5.6, ISO 125, 1/125 sec, 28mm; 3:21 p.m. PST.
For the shimmer from the fur and glowing green eyes, the kitty earns nickname Gleam.
Nature Shaves the Bearded Tree
Over the past year or so, I regret not having taken photos of trees that were unceremoniously and needlessly cut down. There is a relentless culling that makes no sense when Southern California society obsesses about Climate Change. Aren’t carbon-dioxide-breathers that exhale oxygen good for the health of the planet and everything living on it? Ah, yeah. So why mercilessly hack them to pieces?
Another tree in my San Diego neighborhood of University Heights is in peril of being chopped down—but unlike the others maybe for legitimate safety reasons. Few months ago, during heavy rains and winds, some of the dead fronds covering the trunk ripped away about fourth-tenths the distance to the top. Overnight and throughout this brisk Monday, winds raged 48-64 kilometers per hour (30-40 mph) with fairly consistent gusts to 97 kph (60 mph). The few fallen fronds are now many, exposing the trunk. When viewed a half-block or more away, the top portion of the tree leans from the section laid mostly bare.
The Cats of University Heights: Grasshopper
What a surprise this kitty is. In the same house where I saw Cricket looking out a window (onto Maryland)—May 27, 2019—here is another but peering out to Monroe. I wonder: Are there two (or more) beasties living in the home and do they territorially sit at windows facing different streets?
This fine feline is the series‘ fifty-eighth seen behind door or window. Because of the nickname given to the (presumed) house mate, let’s call her (or him) Grasshopper. I used Leica Q2 to capture the Featured Image, yesterday. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/1250 sec, 28mm; 10:24 a.m. PST.