April 2011

Falklands Penguin Southern Ocean

Surfing Penguins

Last year I got to cross off one of my bucket list items: surfing penguins. I was fortunate to see surfing gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) on New Island in the Falkland Islands. After hiking around some of New Island for most of the afternoon, visiting a couple of penguin and…

Phil CollaApril 27, 2011

Arizona The American Southwest White Pocket

Tortured Landscape, White Pocket, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

White Pocket was the highight of our recent banzai trip to northern Arizona and southern Utah. A remote and spectacular setting in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument that includes such well-known landscapes as the Wave, North Coyote Buttes and Buckskin Gulch (thank you Bill Clinton!), White Pocket lies not far…

Phil CollaApril 25, 2011

Arizona Horseshoe Bend

Horseshoe Bend and Colorado River

Horseshoe Bend is a stunning 180° bend in the Colorado River which has eroded a dramatic, 1100-foot gorge below the surrounding mesa. It lies near Page, Arizona, Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell and is a short, easy hike from the highway to the precipice. Thankfully the personal injury attorneys…

Phil CollaApril 19, 2011

California San Clemente Island Underwater Life Underwater Photography

Giant Kelpfish, Master of Camouflage

One of my favorite California fishes is the giant kelpfish (Heterostichus rostratus). Giant kelpfish are camouflage masters, blending into the brown and green kelp blades perfectly. Many times I have found myself hovering over a clump of kelp for a few minutes, not aware of a giant kelpfish only a…

Phil CollaApril 14, 2011

Antarctica Penguin Southern Ocean

Standing Around Looking Cool

These Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) in Antarctica seem unable to make up their minds which way to go. In fact, they are on a mission, walking from their nests on Paulet Island to the edge of the water, to swim out to sea and forage. I had earlier laid my…

Phil CollaApril 13, 2011

Guadalupe Island Sea Lion

California Sea Lion at Guadalupe Island, Mexico

I've been photographing California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) for about 20 years and still do not have the perfect image of one. They are a lot of fun to dive with, but are notoriously fickle about staying put and posing for the camera. In addition, the fur of a seal…

Phil CollaApril 12, 2011

Astrophotography and Night Scapes The American Southwest Utah

Milky Way Rising Over Hoodoos

The first morning of my recent roadtrip around northern Arizona and southern Utah with a few old diving buddies found us at the Toadstool Hoodoos a few hours before dawn. Garry McCarthy is always thinking of ways to creatively photograph the night sky, and on this trip he suggested photographing…

Phil CollaApril 11, 2011

iPhone

iPhone Panorama Photos

Making Panoramic Photographs with the Apple iPhone 4 First, a Bit of Background... I recently shared a fun roadtrip with some buddies for a bit of fresh air and landscape photography at a handful of iconic American Southwest locations. Each of us had the iPhone 4 so naturally we spent…

Phil CollaApril 4, 2011