California

Beautiful Views of San Diego San 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…

Phil CollaJanuary 16, 2012

Harbor Seal La Jolla

Nature’s Best Windland Smith Rice Contest: Pacific Harbor Seal, La Jolla, California

Cute Harbor Seal Photo, La Jolla, California. This is the third of three images I had that were Highly Commended in this year's Windland Smith Rice photography competition.* This is one of the famous or, depending on your political position, notorious Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi) the reside at…

Phil CollaDecember 16, 2011

Beautiful Views of San Diego iPhone La Jolla Seascapes

Torrey Pines State Reserve Running Photos

It is for views like this that I run. I've been running for 35 years and will keep running until my body can't do it anymore. I estimate that I have run at least 32,000 miles (1.25 times around the Earth!) and it is views like this that keep me…

Phil CollaDecember 15, 2011

Sierra Nevada

California Fall Color in the Eastern Sierra

In the next month I hope to once again make a brief trip to Bishop, California to enjoy the changing colors of the quaking aspens (Populus tremuloides). Aspen trees in fall, eastern Sierra fall colors, autumn. Image ID: 23320 Species: Aspen, Populus tremuloides Location: Bishop Creek Canyon, Sierra Nevada Mountains…

Phil CollaSeptember 18, 2011

Sierra Nevada

Convict Lake Sunrise, Eastern Sierra Nevada, California

Convict Lake is a small lake at the foot of Laurel Mountain and Mount Morrison, in the Sherwin Range of the Sierra Nevada, California. Convict Lake is named for a group of convicts that escaped from Carson City, fled to and were apprehended after a shootout. Convict Lake is a…

Phil CollaAugust 17, 2011

California Underwater Life Underwater Photography

Salps, Pelagic Tunicates, Cyclosalpa Affinis

Photos of Salps, Pelagic Tunicates, Plankton This summer I've been fortunate to get out on the ocean a few times, and each time we have seen an incredible abundance of pelagic tunicates, in particular the species Cyclosalpa affinis. These open ocean planktonic animals largely drift with ocean currents, although they…

Phil CollaAugust 11, 2011

Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Vernal Falls, Yosemite National Park

Photos of Vernal Falls and the Mist Trail in Yosemite National Park Sarah and I recently made our somewhat-annual hike up the Mist Trail in Yosemite, enjoying the heights and sounds of Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls, as well as the Panorama Trail. It was not a serious photography outing…

Phil CollaAugust 10, 2011

Sierra Nevada

Sky Rock Petroglyphs, Volcanic Tablelands, Bishop, California

Photograph of Sky Rock Petroglyphs, Bishop, California. For some years I've wanted to see the Sky Rock Petroglyphs, a secluded and unusual set of petroglyphs located in the Volcanic Tablelands near Bishop, California. The Sky Rock Petroglyphs sit atop of an enormous volcanic block. The petroglyphs -- dozens of them…

Phil CollaAugust 9, 2011

Beautiful Views of San Diego California La Jolla

Mount Soledad Cross, La Jolla, California

La Jolla's Mount Soledad Cross is a 29-foot Latin cross made of concrete standing atop Mt. Soledad, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The current Mt. Soledad Cross was built in 1954, but a previous cross stood on the spot since 1913. The Mount Soledad Cross has been the subject of much…

Phil CollaMay 10, 2011

California Dolphin Underwater Life Underwater Photography

Pacific White-Sided Dolphin Photos

Pacific White-Sided Dolphin Photos The first dolphins I ever photographed were Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens). This extremely fast moving species of dolphin often appears around San Diego in winter, but is normally found much further north ranging as far as Alaska and around to Japan. We would freedive in…

Phil CollaMay 3, 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

Beautiful Views of San Diego San Diego

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego

Photos of Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, Point Loma, San Diego When I went down to Point Loma to photograph downtown San Diego and Mount Laguna, I spent a while visiting beautiful and solemn Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. I was struck by the sheer number of tombstones covering the grassy rolling…

Phil CollaMarch 30, 2011

Beautiful Views of San Diego San Diego

Downtown San Diego and Snow-Covered Mount Laguna

Mount Laguna, covered in snow, rises over the downtown San Diego City Skyline In Southern California we have the ability to go skiing or sledding in the morning and surfing in the afternoon! A couple times when I was growing up I was able to ditch school and go mid-week…

Phil CollaMarch 29, 2011

Desert The American Southwest Wildflowers

Palm Canyon Brittlebush

This brittlebush photo, at dawn in Palm Canyon in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, was one of only a handful of desert wildflower photos I made last year. It is raining again, the second bout of rain the coast of Southern California has received this week. This is on the…

Phil CollaFebruary 19, 2011

Desert The American Southwest Wildflowers

Henderson Canyon Road Dune Evening Primrose

Its raining now. If the deserts to the east of us get some of this moisture, it should bode very well for the wildflower season. We received a lot of rain in November and December. When this occurs, typically all that is needed is another moderate rain or two in…

Phil CollaFebruary 16, 2011

Beautiful Views of San Diego La Jolla San Diego

Photos of Scripps Pier, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Photos of Scripps Pier, La Jolla Below is the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Research Pier, the pier that supports the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California. The original wooden Scripps Pier was built in 1915 and was replaced by the modern cement pier in 1988. On the hill…

Phil CollaFebruary 7, 2011

Beautiful Views of San Diego La Jolla Morro Bay

Earth Shadow Photographs

Photographs of Earth Shadow Earth Shadow is an atmospheric phenomenon most easily seen on a cloudless morning with a relatively clear horizon. But you have to get up early to see it, since it occurs before sunrise! Have you ever seen those layers of blue, purple and pink along the…

Phil CollaFebruary 6, 2011

California Harbor Seal Wildlife

Cute Harbor Seal

This harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) was quite animated. Most of the harbor seals lie on the sand throughout the day, resting between foraging sessions in the ocean, while younger/smaller seals seem to exhibit most of the activity. It is nearly February and just about time for newborn harbor seal pups…

Phil CollaJanuary 27, 2011

Beautiful Views of San Diego La Jolla Seascapes

Torrey Pines Sunset

Torrey Pines State Park Sunset Tracy and I were treated to a spectacular sunset cloud show at the Torrey Pines Gliderport in La Jolla recently. These two photographs were made just a few minutes apart. The first looks south along Black's Beach towards La Jolla, with the Scripps Institution of…

Phil CollaJanuary 25, 2011

Beautiful Views of San Diego La Jolla San Diego

La Jolla Photos

La Jolla Photos I have been having fun recently making new photographs of one of my favorite cities in California: La Jolla. I spent about 10 years living in La Jolla, first in undergrad and graduate school at UCSD then a while longer before moving to North County (Del Mar,…

Phil CollaJanuary 19, 2011

California La Jolla Pelicans of La Jolla Seabird

La Jolla Pelicans

I was recently contacted by a fellow from outside the country who would like to visit La Jolla to photograph, among other things, California brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus), but was concerned about access to the bluff where these birds are best photographed. Since I had not been down to…

Phil CollaDecember 24, 2010

Aerial Photography Blue Whale California GeoBlog

Blue Whale Aerial Photos

Blue whale aerial photos This blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) was photographed from the air as it surfaced off the coast of Redondo Beach (near Los Angeles, California) to exhale and take a new breath, before diving underwater to feed on krill. Blue whale, exhaling as it surfaces from a dive,…

Phil CollaOctober 21, 2010

Astrophotography and Night Scapes California Sierra Nevada

North Lake, Dusk to Dawn

I suppose photos of North Lake shoreline in fall are cliche, in part because of the internet and the fact that so many photographers now visit this small area to photograph eastern Sierra fall colors during a few weeks each October. I still have yet to be there when a…

Phil CollaOctober 17, 2010

Sierra Nevada

Bishop Creek Canyon Fall Colors

Photos of Eastern Sierra Fall Colors and Aspen Trees in Bishop Creek Canyon Like moths to the flame, Garry and I made a banzai run* up to Bishop Creek Canyon to get some fresh air and check out the fall colors last weekend. The quaking aspen trees (Populus tremuloides) had…

Phil CollaOctober 12, 2010

Aerial Photography California San Clemente Island

San Clemente Island Aerial Photograph

Aerial photograph of San Clemente Island, California San Clemente Island Pyramid Head, the distinctive pyramid shaped southern end of the island. San Clemente Island Pyramid Head, showing geologic terracing, underwater reefs and giant kelp forests Image ID: 26003 Location: San Clemente Island, California, USA San Clemente Island is where I…

Phil CollaSeptember 30, 2010

Aerial Photography California Catalina

Catalina Island Aerial Photograph

Aerial photograph of Catalina Island I was very fortunate recently to have the opportunity to fly over Catalina Island, and was able to take a few photographs of the West End of the island. Growing up in Newport Beach I used to visit Catalina fairly often as a kid, and…

Phil CollaSeptember 29, 2010

California Redwood Trees

Coast Redwood Tree, Sequoia sempervirens

Stock photos of Sequoia sempervirens, the Coast Redwood Tree. Sequoia sempervirens, also known as the Coast Redwood, Giant Redwood, or simply Redwood Tree, is the tallest species of tree in the world. The Coast Redwood tree is the only member of the genus Sequoia, part of the Cypress tree family.…

Phil CollaSeptember 17, 2010

California Redwood Trees

Lady Bird Johnson Grove, Redwood National Park

Lady Bird Johnson Grove in Redwood National Park is gorgeous. From clover and ferns covering the soil to tall rhododendron bushes at eye level to the coast redwood trees (Sequoia sempervirens) and Douglas firs towering above, this grove seems to harbor countless shades of green and brown. I spent two…

Phil CollaSeptember 8, 2010

California Sierra Nevada Yosemite

A Return to Vogelsang High Sierra Camp

Photos of Vogelsang High Sierra Camp in Yosemite National Park Last month I made a brief return trip to Vogelsang High Sierra Camp, following my first visit in 2009. This time my father joined me, and we had a chance to spend a few days together in some of the…

Phil CollaSeptember 7, 2010

California Death Valley Desert National Parks

The Racetrack, Death Valley National Park

Photos of the Racetrack in Death Valley National Park, and the Racetrack's sliding rocks (or sailing stones). The Racetrack is an ancient dry lake bed in Death Valley, famous for its sailing stones. Located between the Last Chance Mountains and the Cottonwood Mountains, the Racetrack Playa lies at 3600' above…

Phil CollaJune 14, 2010

California Death Valley Desert Infrared National Parks The American Southwest

Eureka Valley Sand Dunes, Death Valley National Park

Stock photos of the Eureka Valley Sand Dunes and the Eureka Valley in Death Valley National Park. One of the goals of our recent Death Valley trip was to reach the wonderful Eureka Valley Sand Dunes. At almost 700' tall, these dunes are some of the tallest in the United…

Phil CollaJune 11, 2010

California Death Valley Desert Flora National Parks

Eureka Valley Dune Grass, Swallenia alexandrae

Stock photos of the Eureka Valley Dune Grass, Swallenia alexandrae, in Death Valley National Park. The Eureka Valley Dune Grass (Swallenia alexandrae) is a federally endangered grass found only in the Eureka Valley, in the far northern reaches of Death Valley National Park. Swallenia is a monotypic genus, consisting only…

Phil CollaJune 10, 2010

California Death Valley Desert Flora National Parks The American Southwest Wildflowers

Eureka Valley Evening Primrose, Oenothera californica eurekensis

Stock photos of the Eureka Valley Dune Evening Primrose, Oenothera californica eurekensis, in Death Valley National Park. The Eureka Valley Evening Primrose (Oenothera californica eurekensis) is a federally endangered wildflower found only on and near the sand dune habitat of the Eureka Valley, in the far northern reaches of Death…

Phil CollaJune 4, 2010

Marine Life San Clemente Island Sharks

Leopard Shark Photos, Triakis semifasciata

Stock photographs of leopard sharks, Triakis semifasciata. I've been diving in the kelp forest for about 20 years, yet have never been able to get a decent photo of a leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata) in the wild. I've seen them many times, but never had a good opportunity for a…

Phil CollaJune 3, 2010

California San Clemente Island Underwater Life Underwater Photography

Sea Fans and Gorgonians at San Clemente Island

Photos of gorgonians and sea fans at San Clemente Island. I spent three days diving at one of my favorite spots on Earth: San Clemente Island. The island, about 60 miles offshore of southern California, is home to some of the world's most beautiful kelp forests. Swimming through these kelp…

Phil CollaJune 2, 2010

California Wildflowers

Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve SNR

California Poppy photos (Eschscholzia californica) at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, in Lancaster, California. With Amanda and Tracy in Kansas City at a Volleyball National Qualifier tournament, Sarah and I had the weekend to ourselves -- with absolutely nothing planned. This is unprecedented. We took advantage of it by…

Phil CollaApril 25, 2010

California Flora Wildflowers

In Search of Chocolate Lilies

I got out early this morning with Mike. We went looking for chocolate lilies (Fritillaria biflora) on the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve. We got there at sunrise. It was warm and clear. We found a lot of lilies. They were so dark brown I am declaring them to be…

Phil CollaMarch 20, 2010

Beautiful Views of San Diego Wildflowers

California Poppy Photos, Eschscholzia californica

Photos of California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) from past seasons. I am hoping we get some good displays this year! California poppies cover the hillsides in bright orange, just months after the area was devastated by wildfires. Image ID: 20497 Species: California poppy, Eschscholzia californica, Eschscholtzia californica Location: Del Dios, San…

Phil CollaMarch 19, 2010

California Desert The American Southwest Wildflowers

Anza-Borrego Desert Wildflower Update

Brittlebush at sunrise, dawn, springtime bloom, Palm Canyon, Anza Borrego Desert State Park. Image ID: 24301 Species: Brittlebush, Encelia farinosa Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Anza Borrego, California, USA I made a sunrise visit to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, my first visit this spring. By 9am I had seen enough…

Phil CollaMarch 13, 2010

California Photography San Diego Time Lapse Video

Timelapse Movie of Oceanside Pier at Sunset

Timelapse video of dusk and sunset at the Oceanside Pier, California, as tourists play on the beach and surf fish. Shot with a still camera, my lucky flipflops, and a pack of Altoids. Finished on our new iMac. Gotta love coastal Southern California.

Phil CollaMarch 5, 2010

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