Tag: street photography

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 16, 20237:58 pm

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra First Photos

Last night, I set up the Galaxy S23 Ultra, using Samsung’s Smart Switch app. I connected the new smartphone to the older (S22 Ultra) and followed the prompts. What a superbly smooth process followed. Sometime in the next day or two, I will pack up and ship the other device, as per my trade-in agreement.

For every new smartphone, there is a first photo, which is the Featured Image. Vitals: f/1.7, ISO 10, 1/1200 sec, 23mm; 9:58 a.m. PST. While walking to San Diego neighborhood Hillcrest, I detoured off Washington onto Normal to avoid sidewalk congestion. There I passed this helmet, which unusual placement beckoned to be shot.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 10, 20239:25 pm

Ash is Alone Now

Sometime soon I will write post “The Departed”, remembering kitties who appeared in my “Cats of University Heights” series that no longer live in the neighborhood. Many are gone because their owners moved elsewhere. Others are missing or confirmed deceased; coyotes are major suspected, or confirmed, cause.

This fine feline is very much alive, or he was when I captured the Featured Image two days ago. Ash is alone now. In November 2017, his yard mate Booger was hit by a car on the SR-163 entrance ramp, which is down an embankment close to his former home. Ash’s other cat companion, Sebastian, vanished in late October 2022.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 4, 20239:21 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Sunny

Happy Caturday. We celebrate with a portrait that I couldn’t capture if still using iPhone 13 Pro. But Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra‘s 10x zoom lens delivers better than my expectation. Granted, pixel-peeping reveals mushy details—but, hey, I would have nothing otherwise.

I captured the Featured Image late morning, along an undisclosed street East of and parallel to Park Blvd. Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 40, 1/850 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 10:13 a.m. PST. The ginger is our one-hundred-seventh feline found looking out window or door.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 31, 20239:23 pm

The (Honorary) Cats of University Heights: Timber

The series‘ twenty-first honorary member lives beyond the neighborhood, East of Texas Street into the nebulous zone where Normal Heights and North Park meet. I don’t recall whether this fine feline was seen on parallel streets Meade, Madison, or Monroe but for sure somewhere before 30th.

The tabby joins: Boo, Buddies, Chill, Coal, Comber, Envy, Fancy, Guapo, Lonesome, Jade, Mona, Moophie, Ninja, Promise, Queenie, Raven, Sammy, Shakey, Tom and Jerry, and Tula.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 29, 20237:14 pm

The Strand

As my wife and I walked on Jan. 12, 2023, she stopped to look at a bracelet that either had been discarded or lost. We both wanted photos—me for no particularly reason, but she because it’s her thing; Annie works with beads.

The Featured Image comes from Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. Vitals: f/2.2, ISO 50, 1/400 sec, 13mm (film equivalent); 1:12 p.m. Look carefully, and you will see an ant, far-left approaching the beaded portion of the stand.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 25, 20239:20 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Scorpius

The Featured Image and companion are products of massive post-processing, starting with DxO PureRAW 2 auto-rendering and ending with my manual tweaking done in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Sunset was more than 20 minutes before I met Scorpius being walked by his owner, on March 23, 2022. Deep dusk had set in, and the darkness challenged even Leica Q2.

Vitals are same for both photos, aperture and shutter speed manually set: f/1.7, ISO 25000, 1/250 sec, 28mm; 7:25 p.m. PST. I held back adding this fine feline to the series, hoping for another encounter. But that seems unlikely 10 months later. I wouldn’t share the portraits had not PureRAW 2 restored them so admirably. That said, blurriness remains. I did try remini.ai unblur web app, which instead increased fuzziness.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 20, 20238:39 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Aristocat

After an unexpected hiatus, we return to Alabama Street, from which has come the largest number of kitties to appear in the series since its start in October 2016. Our newcomer is ninety-fourth among the 529 total profiles.

On Dec. 30, 2022, my wife and I passed this cutie, who has the privilege of being the one-hundred-fifth feline found looking out window or door. I used Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra‘s 10x optical zoom for the Featured Image. Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 40, 1/120 sec, 230mm; 10 am PST.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 16, 20239:22 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Peeky

For reasons I won’t even guess, Mississippi isn’t a street where many felines are seen. The series‘ exceptions are notable, like Kittens, Kitty, or Sylvester. On Dec. 9, 2022, I saw one peeking (hence, the nickname) before blinds; single sighting.

Peeky is the one-hundred-fourth profiled putty looking out door or window. The Featured Image comes from Leica Q2. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/640 sec, 28mm; 2:26 p.m. PST.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 11, 20236:30 pm

The (Honorary) Cats of University Heights: Raven

How strange that for years, our honorary contingent stayed single digits. But within the span of six months or so, the number unexpectedly jumped to—with today’s addition—twenty. I believe predators are the reason. University Heights hugs several canyons, where live coyotes; sightings are now frequently reported, as are the increasing number of missing kitties. I see fewer felines than what should be typical.

But beyond the boundary at Texas Street, canyons are more distant and the risk—but by no means absent, as the loss of Queenie so shows. Expect to see at least two more members join this special category sometime soon. The others, so far: Boo, Buddies, Chill, Coal, Comber, Envy, Fancy, Guapo, Lonesome, Jade, Mona, Moophie, Ninja, Promise, Queenie, Sammy, Shakey, Tom and Jerry, and Tula.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 8, 20239:31 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Baron

The sixth kitty seen in adjacent yards doesn’t look anything like the others—all of which are various markings of black on white: Destiny, Pawky, Scamp, and Thin and Slim. I spotted the ginger on Dec. 29, 2022—for the second instance in several days at the same spot.

At the first sighting, I assumed the fine feline to be another, similarly colored cat that lives within a couple of blocks. But two times, in the same place, and front door of the home wide open convinced me that the putty-tat rests where he belongs.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 6, 20239:32 pm

Street Legal

Bike lane expansion and building of multi-story residences reduce the number of parking spaces around San Diego. Here in University Heights, many neighbors are testy about the loss of street spots to safely (hopefully) park their vehicles.

But, hey, the city can make room for electric scooters, or bicycles, in legal locations (got to get `em off the sidewalk, eh). I was surprised to come upon such space—filled with a Bird, no less—along Adams Avenue across from Old Trolley Barn Park.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 4, 202310:54 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Pawky

How strange that I forgot to make one of our fine felines the big post for New Year’s Day. I had done so starting in 2017 through 2022. As an apology, of sorts, I present kitties on consecutive days—and this one is fifth of six seen in one of two (or both) adjacent properties.

I am convinced that this playful putty is related to Destiny, Scamp, and Thin and Slim. The five are all variations of black patches on white fur. The Featured Image comes from Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, on Dec. 22, 2022 . Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 40, 1/2000 sec, 70mm (film equivalent); 10:15 a.m. PST.