All Posts By

Phil Colla

Surf

Sunrise Color at the Wedge

Today I was fortunate to meet one of the surf world's great filmmakers: Jack McCoy. He introduced himself to me while I was standing on the sand waking up and waiting for the sun to rise before heading out in the water. A tall, quiet man with a quick smile,…
August 20, 2012
Surf

Newport Surf Photos

I tested out my latest Del Mar Surf Housing this morning. I had great light for about 20 minutes right at sunrise, then swam around for a few hours trying to photograph the set waves. I wish I was about 20 years younger, I feel pretty worked over. Thanks for…
August 18, 2012
Beautiful Views of San DiegoSurf

Patience at Dusk

Blood Red Sunset, Surfers waiting for waves, Encinitas, California. These guys were enjoying the last hour of light, waiting around under the deepening red dusky sky, catching a few waves. Encinitas, California. Two surfers at sunset, blood red dusk, Encinitas. Image ID: 27976 Location: Encinitas, California, USA
August 17, 2012
Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale Breaching Near San Diego

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are found throughout the worlds oceans, but seeing them near San Diego is somewhat unusual. Conventional wisdom has it that humpback whales in California are most often seen in the Channel Islands near Santa Barbara, as well as the central coast near Monterey Bay. However, if…
August 7, 2012
Astrophotography and Night ScapesCaliforniaTreesWhite Mountains

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Trees, Pinus longaeva, White Mountains, Inyo National Forest

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Trees, Pinus longaeva, White Mountains, Inyo National Forest Ancient Bristlecone pine trees (Pinus longaeva) live in a relatively restricted area of eastern California, Nevada and Utah, typically at altitudes above 9500'. The ancient bristlecone pine tree is considered to be the world's oldest species of tree (and…
June 12, 2012
IconsWisdom

The World’s Greatest Photo Subjects

The World's Greatest Photo Subjects. I'm going big with this blog entry! After 20 years of making photographs, I realized I have had the good fortune of seeing some of Earth's greatest natural history spectacles with my own eyes. I looked back and made a list of eleven of the…
June 8, 2012
Surf

New Surf Photos?

I've decided to renew my surf photography efforts this year, using the new Canon 5D Mark III camera as the workhorse. I am having my surf housing retooled to work with this camera, along with the 15mm fisheye and 16-35mm f/2.8 zoom, and will have it fitted with flash capability…
June 6, 2012
New Work

New Work – May 2012

I have posted a collection of newly released photographs from February through May 2012. Included are many night photographs including some from Yosemite, Joshua Tree National Park, Los Angeles and the ancient bristlecone pines of Inyo National Forest. Please take a gander: New Work - May 2012. Thanks for looking!…
May 31, 2012
Sierra Nevada

Lathe Arch, Alabama Hills, California

Lathe Arch, Alabama Hills, Sierra Nevada, California Lathe Arch in the Alabama Hills is one of my favorite natural arches. Lathe Arch is quite accessible but relatively hidden in the sense that it is easy to walk right by it without even noticing it. I first photographed Lathe Arch, along…
March 2, 2012
Tear Sheets

Plus One Collection

Plus One Collection Limited Edition Book The exciting new collaborative photography project Plus One Collection has just released its first Limited Edition portfolio. The best part is: the net profits from the Limited Edition Book go entirely to Kiva.org, which provides micro loans to entrepreneurs in all countries and cultures…
February 10, 2012
New Work

New Work – November 2011

I have posted a collection of newly released photographs from November 2011. Included are some dynamite blue whale underwater portraits including several just a few feet from my underwater camera housing, images of the Hotel Del Coronado, sunset and sunrise cityscapes of gorgeous San Diego, and new underwater images from…
February 1, 2012
San Diego

Stock Photos of Coronado, San Diego, California

Stock photos of Coronado, San Diego, California My recent San Diego Magazine cover photo of the San Diego Coronado Bridge has generated some potential new clients for me over the past few days. I've assembled a gallery of Coronado Island photos for them to consider for related publishing projects. We'll…
January 29, 2012
Beautiful Views of San DiegoSan Diego

Leucadia Sunset

Sunset over the Ocean, Leucadia, California This photo was made a few minutes after the sun went down, in Leucadia, California, an eclectic beach community in north San Diego county that is home to great surf, great taco shops and nouveau riche homes teetering on the edge of crumbling sea…
January 18, 2012
Beautiful Views of San DiegoSan Diego

Imperial Beach Pier

The Imperial Beach Pier is an old, charismatic wooden pier reaching out in the lovely Pacific from that funky and most-southerly city in California: Imperial Beach. The Imperial Beach Pier, of "I.B. Pier", was most recently built in 1989. It is 1491' long and 24' wide and situated in water…
January 16, 2012
New Work

New Work – October 2011

If you want to go straight to the eye candy and skip the verbage, visit my “New Work - October 2011” gallery! My October 2011 release of new photography is fairly focused and includes some underwater images of blue whales, nighttime photographs of bioluminescence caused by red tide dinoflagellate plankton,…
January 15, 2012
Best Photographs of the Year

Best Photos of 2011

Best Photos of 2011 In a past "best of" post I stated that one of my goals is to make a handful of really strong images each year, images that could be included in a career retrospective portfolio. This year I will admit that another of my goals is to…
January 9, 2012