Tag: urban photography

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 4, 20269:44 pm

What’s in a Grocer’s Name?

I made an organic milk run this evening and decided to take a stock shot. One of the many improvements that Samsung makes with the Galaxy S26 Ultra: Wider-aperture telephoto lenses that let in more light, which improves night shooting. The Featured Image, unedited and composed as captured, is good example. Vitals: f/2.9, ISO 640, 1/120 sec, 115mm (film equivalent); 8:51 p.m. PDT.

The choice of Sprouts is deliberate, and not just because I shopped there. The grocery store prohibits taking photos onsite; any attempt indoors will summon an employee lickety-split. In fact, if you need assistance and can’t find anyone around, pull out your phone and pretend to photograph something. It’s like rubbing the genie jar and poof.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 3, 20269:23 pm

Pumps for Trump

Something’s not right when your local, normally reasonably-priced filling station sells gasoline above the statewide average. According to AAA, as of today, the national average gas price per gallon is $4.446. We pay more than any other state, $6.101, which as you can see from the Featured Image is about 10 cents higher. The station is located at El Cajon and Texas on the North Park side of the street. The Arco on the University Heights side of Texas is a dime less per gallon.

As the conflict, let’s call it war, with Iran continues, the long-term consequences are all guesswork, and plenty of pundits try to do just that. I suspect the immediate impact will be diminished in the United States because of domestic energy production and what the Trump administration can siphon off from Venezuela.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 29, 202610:33 pm

Stone Cold Truth

I remember a time, before the stones, when this space between sidewalk and street was filled with green grass. Trees and grass are my definition of green. For some other folks, green is about climate change and being green by, for example, reducing water consumption; yeah, a lawn consumes plenty.

But gravel and concrete also absorb heat and hold it at ground level, which sure seems contradictory to the objective of reducing global warming. By contrast, planting things that grow, like grass and trees, cool at ground level and pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and release oxygen.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 26, 20269:54 pm

‘No Kings’ is Hate Speech

Last night’s shooting inside the Washington Hilton was unequivocally an assassination attempt against President Donald Trump. Today, one of my neighbors casually brushed off the incident as being nothing really. I disagree.

Anyone who follows me should know that I used to live in the District of Columbia and suburban Maryland. As a quasi-retired journalist (covering the high-tech industry). I can assert with certainty that for many reasons, including exclusivity of attendees, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is one of the most secure events–or should have been. That the assassin ran across the hotel lobby, firing weapon(s), is an unprecedented breach that reminds of Ronald Reagan, when he was nearly murdered outside the establishment in March 1981.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 23, 20269:50 pm

Parked in Monochrome

One of Nikon Zf‘s benefits is the ability to shoot monochrome with the turn of one little dial. NEF (e.g. RAW) files are captured in color, and the JPEGs are strictly black and white.

While a convenient contrivance, the feature is an imitation of what Leica Q2 Monochrom, or its successor, can do. By removing the encumbrance of the RGB-color overlay, Leica delivers a camera that shoots photos with superior IQ (image quality), relatively little noise in low-light, and rich tones and dynamic range—all editable in the actual RAW file.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 22, 20269:33 pm

Circles of Confusion

I am the long-time critic of the roundabouts (e.g. traffic circles) that San Diego is placing at intersections across the city. The euphemism for them is “traffic calming”, by official parlance. I call them danger zones—directly when you go through them and indirectly how they negatively change driving behavior.

The Featured Image and companion are evidence of the first. Two SUVs collided in what looks like one driver failing to yield to another already in the circle. This kind of confusion happens frequently.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 20, 20269:47 pm

A Landing and a Rising

This is a Featured Image too long delayed in sharing. The view is from the Skyfari Aerial Tram at San Diego Zoo. Building in the foreground is the California Tower, which is located in nearby Balboa Park. The structure was built in 1915.

I really enjoy the zoo, but we haven’t visited since December. The new parking fees, for which members are exempt, created inertia we never overcame. Parking is more complicated now with mixed free and fee, bringing about congestion and confusion.

Living by Joe WilcoxApr 13, 20269:25 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Jangle

Real name unknown, this fine feline earns nickname Jangle for the string of bells hanging nearby. He (or she) is the eighty-second cat found behind door or window. Location: Louisiana Street between Meade and Monroe.

I used Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra to make the Featured Image. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 64, 1/120 sec, 69mm (film equivalent); 4:47 p.m. PDT, 4″47 p.m. PDT.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 7, 20269:47 pm

Keeping Time with Changes

You may not like the Featured Image, but I do. On April 4, 2026, as I prepared to go out on a photo walk I pointed Nikon Zf with NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens attached towards the Kit-Cat to check the battery level. The moody lighting unexpectedly appealed to me, so I clicked the shutter button.

The clock hangs to the left of the Casabelle Mail Center that I purchased from Pier 1 Imports 17 years ago. The retailer went out of business during the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 lockdowns, closing the last stores in October 2020. But the desk remains and is back in full service. Our daughter is staying with us, and I abandoned my home office for her to use as a bedroom. Cluttered and cramped best describes our 772-square-foot apartment right now. But we’re glad to have her here, and using the Casabelle is small sacrifice.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 6, 202610:17 pm

What’s Normal About This?

The same day I photographed Queen, March 26, 2026, my attention turned to a mural promoting Normal Heights (where our car was in the shop for a small repair). I don’t recall ever seeing the street art on any earlier visit. One or two parked cars impeding the view would be enough to keep me walking instead of stopping.

But this day was different, and I took advantage of the unobstructive view to shoot the Featured Image using Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Vitals: f/1.4, ISO 64, 1/2500 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 8:18 a.m. PDT.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 4, 20269:31 pm

San Diego City Attorney Says Sex Shop

The questions: Why now? Who benefits?

For as long as I can remember, a massage parlor has quietly beckoned customers from the corner of Adams and Georgia here in the otherwise quaint village of University Heights. My wife and I have occasionally discussed its odd presence, with the presumption being the place peddles sex as much as massage.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 3, 20269:24 pm

Serving Brooklyn Style

Here’s a simple photo for a Good Friday evening that has nothing to do with the commemoration. The celebration of Jesus Christ’s brutal murder—execution as insurrectionist (He claimed to be a king)—never feels right to me. Let’s talk about meaning, and what matters about his life and death, on Easter Sunday. The resurrection is by far more meaningful, although it was purchased at incredible cost.

As for Sonny’s Pizza, the place first opened for business around the time I shot the Featured Image, May 6, 2025. The eatery is located where was Florabella, on Madison just off Park Blvd, here in the village of University Heights. The florist closed at the end of June 2018 in response to tripling of the rent. Maybe the landlord was hasty and greedy, because the retail space stayed mostly unoccupied for nearly 7 years.