All Posts By

Phil Colla

Surf

Moonlight Morning Glass

Dropped my daughter off at junior lifeguard class this morning and got in a quick swim before starting work for the day. The skies were overcast and the waves were small, but so glassy. Combination of the flat light and glassy water made it difficult to discern swells coming in…
August 2, 2007
Guadalupe IslandMexico

Guadalupe Island Reminiscing

Skip Stubbs has been the main force behind many (most?) of the noteworthy diving trips to Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe) during the last two decades. The trips Skip has led began in '91 and '92 on the Bottom Scratcher, and continued annually since '94 on the Horizon, and preceded the…
July 24, 2007
Surf

Tabletop Tiny Afternoon

Got out for a quick swim while my daughter was in soccer practice. Not much going on, surf was tiny, had to get right up on the reef in order to find anything that was remote hollowish. The water was warm, summer is here. Bored photographer takes own pictureImage ID:…
July 2, 2007
Surf

Ponto Morning Solitude

One of my favorite frames from last year. I had South Ponto entirely to myself all morning, and nice hollow waves were firing, pitching up over the sandbars that had set up just north of the cliffs. Breaking wave, Ponto, South Carlsbad, California.Image ID: 17394Location: Ponto, Carlsbad, California, USA More…
June 30, 2007
CaliforniaPhoto of the DaySan Diego

Photos of Common Dolphins

Common dolphin.Image ID: 00071Species: Common dolphin, Delphinus delphisLocation: San Diego, California, USA These common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) are gathered just under the surface of the water in front of my boat. We'll motor slowly, leaning over the bow, trying to get a good picture of them without it looking like…
June 27, 2007
Black BearMinnesotaPhoto of the DayWildlife

Black Bear Photo

Black bear walking in a grassy meadow. Black bears can live 25 years or more, and range in color from deepest black to chocolate and cinnamon brown. Adult males typically weigh up to 600 pounds. Adult females weight up to 400 pounds and reach sexual maturity at 3 or 4…
June 25, 2007
Beautiful Views of San DiegoSan Diego

Del Mar Cobblestones

We used to live a few miles from Torrey Pines and Del Mar, and walked on the beach there fairly often. As they erode, the cliffs above the sand supply the beach with cobblestones. Depending on the season and recent surf energy, the beach ranges from nearly stone-free to being…
June 24, 2007
Photo of the Day

Photo of a Yellowtail School

My daughter's favorite fish is yellowtail (Seriola lalandi). We grill it on the bbq, in foil, with olive oil and garlic. Its pretty good that way! While out searching for kelp paddies offshore of San Diego, we would often find yellowtail in the summer, schooling around the paddies. These predatory…
June 23, 2007
Guadalupe IslandMexico

Guadalupe Cobblestones

I've spent hundreds of hours in the shallows at Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe). The diving is so special there that I will spend every minute I can in the water, breathing a little as possible and waiting until my tank is drained before surfacing to call for a skiff ride…
June 22, 2007
HaleakalaHawaii

Photo of Haleakala Silversword

High atop Haleakala volcano on the island of Maui lives the Haleakala Silversword (Argyroxiphium sandwicense macrocephalum). This remarkable plant lives only in the crater and on the slopes of Haleakala, above 6800' (2100m). The silversword grows from seed and lives from 15 to 50 years. At the end of its…
June 21, 2007
Guadalupe IslandMarine LifeMexico

Photo of Cortez Chub

Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe) straddles both tropical and temperate fish ranges and offers a unique mix of species to see. It is not uncommon to see Panamic fanged blennies and red-tailed triggerfish alongside blacksmith and garibaldi. Shown here is a small school of Cortez chub (Kyphosus elegans) that was stationed…
June 20, 2007
Guadalupe IslandMexico

GuadalupeFund.Org

Eco Fund Launched To Protect the Great White Shark - GuadalupeFund.Org (California) June 9, 2007 Isla Guadalupe, Mexico has become the internationally recognized destination for divers seeking unprecedented encounters with Great White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias). The 90 square mile island located in the Pacific is also home to many rare…
June 10, 2007
Photo of the Day

Photo of Common Dolphins on a Overcast Day

Common dolphin leaping (porpoising).Image ID: 18933Species: Common dolphin, Delphinus delphisLocation: San Diego, California, USA It's morning offshore of San Diego and the clouds have not yet burned off. It is hard to take good photos in this type of light. For some reason this shot of a common dolphin (Delphinus…
June 8, 2007
Photo of the Day

Common Dolphin Photos

Common dolphin.Image ID: 06421Species: Common dolphin, Delphinus delphisLocation: San Diego, California, USA This is a small herd of common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), porpoising and leaping as they travel. This was taken about 10 miles offshore of San Diego.
June 7, 2007
Photo of the Day

Photo of a Common Dolphin Leaping

Common dolphin leaping (porpoising).Image ID: 02354Species: Common dolphin, Delphinus delphisLocation: San Diego, California, USA This is a common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), leaping alongside our liveaboard boat on the way down to Guadalupe Island. We've seen herds of common dolphins numbering in the thousands. They are amazing leapers.
June 6, 2007
CaliforniaPhoto of the DaySan Diego

Common Dolphin Gliding

Common dolphin.Image ID: 00066Species: Common dolphin, Delphinus delphisLocation: San Diego, California, USA This is a common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), sometimes called a short-beaked saddleback dolphin, gliding under a glassy ocean just in front of the bow of my boat, with overcast skies reflecting back.
June 5, 2007
Black BearMinnesotaPhoto of the DayWildlife

Photo of a Cinnamon Black Bear

Black bear portrait. American black bears range in color from deepest black to chocolate and cinnamon brown. They prefer forested and meadow environments. This bear still has its thick, full winter coat, which will be shed soon with the approach of summer.Image ID: 18742Species: American black bear, Ursus americanusLocation: Orr,…
June 3, 2007
Photo of the Day

Last Fractal

Ok, here's a last fractal (for now). I'm just completing a set of fractal images for printing 6'x6' (that's big!) and will finish off this month's blog by showing you just one more: Detail within the Mandelbrot set fractal. This detail is found by zooming in on the overall Mandelbrot…
May 31, 2007
Photo of the Day

Fractal of the Day

Whoa, here's another crazy fractal from the Mandelbrot set. When I was setting the colors on this one it sort of reminded me of the trippy hippy art of the '70's. Right on man. The Mandelbrot Fractal. Fractals are complex geometric shapes that exhibit repeating patterns typified by self-similarity, or…
May 30, 2007
Photo of the Day

Mandelbrot Fractal Picture

Fractal 'o' the day, from the classic Mandelbrot family of inequalities: Detail within the Mandelbrot set fractal. This detail is found by zooming in on the overall Mandelbrot set image, finding edges and buds with interesting features. Fractals are complex geometric shapes that exhibit repeating patterns typified by self-similarity, or…
May 29, 2007
Photo of the Day

Julia Set Fractal

Today's fractal picture is: Fractal design. Fractals are complex geometric shapes that exhibit repeating patterns typified by self-similarity, or the tendency for the details of a shape to appear similar to the shape itself. Often these shapes resemble patterns occurring naturally in the physical world, such as spiraling leaves, seemingly…
May 28, 2007
Photo of the Day

Fractal Picture

Here's another example of detail within the Mandelbrot fractal set, illustrated by assigning color to the number of iterations required for the expression to explode: The Mandelbrot Fractal. Fractals are complex geometric shapes that exhibit repeating patterns typified by self-similarity, or the tendency for the details of a shape to…
May 27, 2007
EgyptPhoto of the Day

Photo of the Temple of Hatshepsut

The Temple of Hatshepsut is the mortuary temple for Pharoah Hatshepsut, one of the rulers of the 18th Dynasty of ancient Egypt and one of the most successful female pharoahs in history. The Temple of Hatshepsut is located at Deir el-Bahri, near the Valley of the Kings, across the Nile…
May 26, 2007
EgyptPhoto of the Day

Photo of the Ramesseum

The Ramesseum is the mortuary temple for one of the greatest rulers the world has ever known: Pharoah Ramesses II. Also known as Ramesses the Great, Ramesses II was a 19th Dynasty pharaoh who ruled for 67 years during the 13th century B.C. The Ramesseum is part of the ancient…
May 25, 2007
CaliforniaDesertThe American Southwest

Photo of 17 Palms Oasis

17 Palms Oasis is located in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, several miles down the lunar-looking Arroyo Salado wash. The drive along Arroyo Salado is fun and relatively simple, although a four-wheel drive car is recommended. Seventeen Palms Oasis, consisting of (not surprisingly) 17 palms, appears out of nowhere as you…
May 23, 2007
Photo of the Day

Sunset Colors

Over the years I have had the good fortune to spend many weeks on liveaboard boats, in remote locations, diving and shooting photos. Typical trips will schedule some night dives, however we are not hard core on the diving and usually prefer to stay dry in favor of happy hour…
May 22, 2007
AbstractBahamasUnderwater Photography

Underwater Light

Much of my time underwater is spent looking for simple, available light photographs. These are not sexy photos, but they tend to sell well and are typically used as backgrounds or screened back with text or inset photos laid over the top. The best part is they are simple to…
May 21, 2007
EgyptIconsPhoto of the Day

Photo of the Egyptian Pyramids

We wrapped up our stay in Egypt with some time at my brother's house in Cairo, touring the older parts of the city and seeing some off-the-beaten-path markets, mosques, and other amazing stuff. One highlight of our time in Cairo was a day at the Giza necropololis to see the…
May 20, 2007