All Posts By

Phil Colla

Galapagos DiariesSharksUnderwater Life

Hammerhead Shark Silhouette

This lone hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) was photographed at Darwin's Arch, Darwin Island, Galapagos Archipelago, Ecuador: Scalloped hammerhead shark, black and white / grainy.Image ID: 16265Species: Scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewiniLocation: Darwin Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
September 22, 2006
Surf

Shorebreak at the Wedge

Another morning at the Wedge. I sympathize with this guy as I have eaten more than my fair share of shorebreak sand too. It looks like the lip caught him in the back of the head just after this shot was taken. And this is only a small inside shorebreak,…
September 21, 2006
AlaskaKenai FjordsMarine Life

Sea Otter Photo

This sea otter (Enhydra lutris), was photographed in Resurrection Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska: Sea otter.Image ID: 16940Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutrisLocation: Resurrection Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska, USA Keywords: sea otter photos, Enhydra lutris
September 19, 2006
Photo of the Day

Moon Photo

Two teleconverters (2x and 1.4x) stacked on a 500mm f/4, yielding an effective 1400mm f/11 megalens, with a Canon 1Ds Mark II body, and a moon just starting to wane: The Moon.Image ID: 17474Location: Earth Orbit, Solar System, Milky Way Galaxy, The Universe
September 10, 2006
National ParksOlympicTreesWashington

Nurse Log Photo

A "nurse log" is a tree that has fallen and, in the process of decay and rotting away, provides nutrients and a substrate for other plants, including seedling trees, to root and grow. Eventually these plants overwhelm the nurse log which rots away and is completely replaced by the new…
September 9, 2006
CaliforniaPelicans of La JollaSeabirdWildlife

Brown Pelican Photo

See my Guide to Photographing Pelicans in La Jolla. This brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) is coming in for a landing on the cliffs of La Jolla, California, just after sunrise: Brown pelican in flight. The wingspan of the brown pelican is over 7 feet wide. The California race of…
September 8, 2006
AlaskaKatmaiKenai FjordsNational ParksWildlife

Alaska Photos (2006)

I have posted 382 photos from my 10-day trip to visit Alaska's Kenai Fjords National Park and Katmai National Park, including sea otters (Enhydra lutris), Stellar sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus), and most notably, brown bears (Ursus arctos, also known as grizzly bears). Here are a few: Sea otter.Image ID: 16940Species:…
September 3, 2006
AlaskaBrown BearKatmaiWildlife

Whisper Bear

Psst, hey buddy, the salmon fishing sucks here and I'm starving. On three I say we bust a move and take out that white-meat photographer over there... Brown bear (grizzly bear).Image ID: 17158Species: Brown bear, Ursus arctosLocation: Brooks River, Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA See also: Photos of brown bears…
August 21, 2006
AlaskaBrown BearKatmai

Photo of Grizzly Bears Fighting

The brown bear on the right, which we nicknamed Scarface for his battered head bearing many previous scars, got hammered hard by the boar on the left. Scarface was not having any luck catching salmon and tried to steal a fish from the one on the left. Big mistake. The…
August 11, 2006
Channel IslandsFishUnderwater Life

Torpedo Ray Photo

In this photo a California torpedo ray (Torpedo californica), or electric ray, is hovering amid the kelp forest while my diving partner Brad Silva is filming it with his bright torchlights and video camera. Santa Rosa Island, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, California. Pacific torpedo ray in kelp forest, filming…
August 8, 2006
Galapagos DiariesSharksUnderwater Life

Galapagos Photos

I have posted 575 new images shot on my latest Galapagos Islands diving trip, a 15-day run on the liveaboard M/V Sky Dancer. We had phenomenal encounters with schools of hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini), literally by the hundreds and thousands on nearly all dives at Wolf and Darwin, not to…
August 7, 2006
Surf

Newport Photos from an August Swell

A nice swell just hit southern California. I have some photos posted. For afternoon in-water shots see August 4th #1 and August 4th #2, and for beach shots see August 5th #1 and August 5th #2. Sorry, but some of the beach shots on August 5th are backlit, I asked…
August 5, 2006
Surf

Newport Today

My wife and I took the kids up to NB for an afternoon in the sun. I had a good time in the water and got a better workout than I do in my usual pool swim, but after 3 hours of watching Dad trying to figure out how to…
August 4, 2006
Galapagos Diaries

Photo of a Galapagos Tortoise

The Galapagos tortoise, Geochelone spp., an endemic species of the Galapagos islands, is thought to have arrived in the Galapagos archipelago on rafts of debris. As it became distributed throughout the islands, it evolved into 14 distinct species of which 11 are still in existence and are endangered. In some…
August 3, 2006
Surf

Evening Glassoff at Ponto

Tonight the little waves at Ponto were glassed off and the water was warm. A fun several hours in the water. Tube, sunset, Ponto, South Carlsbad.Image ID: 16475Location: Ponto, Carlsbad, California, USA Breaking wave, sunset, Ponto, South Carlsbad.Image ID: 16478Location: Ponto, Carlsbad, California, USA More Ponto photos.
July 27, 2006
Skip's Trips

Skip Stubbs at Guadalupe Island

My good friend and diving partner Skip Stubbs recently returned from his annual July visit to Guadalupe Island, Mexico. As usual, the focus of the trip was diving, spearfishing and comraderie. For those of you who do not know Skip, let it be said that he is a skilled marine…
July 26, 2006
Carlsbad

Fireworks at the Aviara Four Seasons

Happy 4th of July! The Aviara Four Seasons Hotel in South Carlsbad, just around the corner from our house, shoots off 4th of July fireworks each year. Sarah and I set up the lawn chairs on the edge of the 17th fairway at 9pm tonight to check it out --…
July 3, 2006
Uncategorized

Wonders of America Stamps — Redwood Photo

One of my redwood tree photos was used as reference for the redwood tree stamp appearing as part of the United States Postal Service's new commemorative issue Wonders of America :: Land of Superlatives. Released on May 27th, 2006, this stamp pane features 40 natural and man-made wonders of the…
June 21, 2006
Photo of the Day

Bobcat Photos

I recently had a chance to gather a few more bobcat photos in Mariposa, in the Sierra foothills near Yosemite. Bobcats (Lynx rufus) are found throughout North America from southern Canada to southern Mexico. In the United States population densities are much higher in the southeastern region than in the…
May 4, 2006
Photo of the Day

Cougar Photos

Recently I had an opportunity to photograph cougars (Puma concolor) in the beautiful foothills of the Sierra Nevada, near Mariposa. Note: these are captive animals, not wild. Here are a few of the images: Mountain lion, Sierra Nevada foothills, Mariposa, California.Image ID: 15791Species: Mountain lion, Puma concolor Mountain lion, Sierra…
May 2, 2006
BirdsCaliforniaSeabirdWildlife

Western Gull, Larus occidentalis

The Western gull, Larus occidentalis, is a large white-headed gull common along the western coast of North America. The Western gull ranges from British Columbia to Baja California. It is exclusively marine, and nests on offshore rocks and islands. While offshore it feeds on fishes and invertebrates that it can…
April 18, 2006
Photo of the Day

Northern Fur Seal Photos

Some years ago I had the good fortune to swim with and photograph a group of Northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) at San Miguel Island, the northernmost of the Channel Islands offshore of central California. I was there on a multi day tank diving trip. Blessed with fantastic weather, we…
April 16, 2006