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Phil Colla

Wisdom

Sun and Water Beget the Summer Girl

Ferris wheel and fair rides at sunset, blurring due to long exposure. Image ID: 20872 Location: Del Mar Fair, California, USA I am readying gear for a bit of diving, so I had to drag the camera out of deep storage and call upon one of my two favorite fitness…
May 23, 2010
AntarcticaSouthern OceanVideo

Pack Ice at the Edge of the Weddell Sea

Photos of the Weddell Sea, approaching the Antarctic Peninsula. "The Weddell Sea is, according to the testimony of all who have sailed through its berg-filled waters, the most treacherous and dismal region on earth." -- from The White Continent by Thomas R. Henry (1950). This morning finds us on the…
May 12, 2010
Sharks

Hammerhead Shark Cover Photo, Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

The latest issue of Physiological and Biochemical Zoology uses a hammerhead shark photo of mine on the cover to accompany the article Temporal Resolution and Spectral Sensitivity of the Visual System of Three Coastal Shark Species from Different Light Environments (McComb, Frank, Hueter and Kajiura). This is at least the…
May 3, 2010
CaliforniaWildflowers

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…
April 25, 2010
PhotographyWisdom

A Breath-Holding Exercise for Water Photographers

I finish my swim workouts with a few minutes of active breathholding exercises which I feel make me a better waterman and a better photographer. Photographers working in or under the water must often deal with chaotic, stressful or just plain physically demanding situations. I have found that being able…
April 19, 2010
South Georgia IslandSouthern Ocean

Hercules Bay, South Georgia Island

Photos of Hercules Bay and Macaroni Penguins, South Georgia Island It is snowing this morning. We are anchored at Stromness but can hardly see the mountains over which we hiked yesterday. The M/V Polar Star is covered with snow. The beaches surrounding our anchorage are dusted with snow and look…
March 30, 2010
South Georgia IslandSouthern Ocean

Fortuna Bay, South Georgia Island

Photos of Fortuna Bay and Antarctic Fur Seals, South Georgia Island Fortuna Bay, with icebreaker M/V Polar Star at anchor.Image ID: 24593Location: Fortuna Bay, South Georgia Island This morning we awake anchored in Fortuna Bay. Some early birds opt for a 6am landing, while others wait until after breakfast to…
March 26, 2010
CaliforniaFloraWildflowers

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…
March 20, 2010
South Georgia IslandSouthern Ocean

Right Whale Bay, South Georgia Island

Photos of Right Whale Bay and Antarctic Fur Seals, South Georgia Island Antarctic fur seal colony, on a sand beach alongside Right Whale Bay, with the mountains of South Georgia Island in the background, sunset.Image ID: 24315Species: Antarctic Fur Seal, Arctocephalus gazellaLocation: Right Whale Bay, South Georgia Island Upon reaching…
March 18, 2010
AlbatrossFalklandsSouthern Ocean

Steeple Jason, West Falklands

Photos of Steeple Jason Island and Black-browed albatross, West Falklands, Falkland Islands Steeple Jason, one of the Jason group of islands, is to be our only landing today. There has been quite a bit of anticipation for this visit. It is considered one of the major landings of the trip,…
March 10, 2010
La Jolla

Paragliding, Torrey Pines Gliderport

A photo of a paraglider at sunset, viewed over the Pacific ocean from the Torrey Pines Gliderport in La Jolla, California. I shot this yesterday at sunset, wearing shorts, flip flops (my lucky pair!), and a t-shirt. Sorry Rest-Of-The-Country, you can have your Big Apple and Windy City and Rockies…
March 1, 2010
Wisdom

How I Lost My Apple-ginity

You know the feeling. That special iFeeling. You walk into the Apple Store and immediately have the joy. Oooh. Aaah. "How cool would it be to have one of those? Just think how my photography experience would improve with THAT! I know I could be twice as productive with that…
February 26, 2010
FalklandsSouthern Ocean

Westpoint Island, Falkland Islands

Photos of Westpoint Island and Rockhopper Penguins, Falkland Islands Morning finds us at Westpoint Island. We can only see about 200’ up into the rolling green hills; heavy cloud cover obscures everything above that. It looks wet in the hills. Our zodiac lands on a small boat ramp, one of…
February 23, 2010
FalklandsSouthern Ocean

New Island, Falkland Islands

Photos of New Island, Falkland Islands Tall seacliffs overlook the southern Atlantic Ocean, a habitat on which albatross and penguin reside.Image ID: 23809Location: New Island, Falkland Islands, United Kingdom Today is New Years Day, an appropos date on which to land at New Island in the Falklands, our first landing…
February 22, 2010
La JollaPelicans of La JollaSeabird

Sunrise Pelican

On a recent winter morning I found this adult California brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) displaying the species' characteristic winter breeding plumage (note the chestnut hindneck) posing nicely as the distant sky took on the pre-sunrise purple glow. This is basically straight out of the camera. I did not adjust…
February 15, 2010
Pelicans of La JollaSeabird

California Pelican with Identification Tag

Garry McCarthy forwarded this link to me today, about the distress that many California brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) are in this winter: 14 recovering pelicans released along Calif. coast. It appears that this year's El Nino phenomenon is causing fish to be deeper in the ocean than normal, making…
February 14, 2010
La JollaPelicans of La JollaSeabird

Brown Pelicans

This morning I photographed brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) in La Jolla. I really don't need any more photos of pelicans but the setting is so beautiful that I keep returning. I've enjoyed these cliffs for 30 years. (We used to cliff dive off of them in college but now…
February 13, 2010
Southern Ocean

Sunset Arch, Southern Ocean

During our crossing from Falklands to South Georgia Island we were treated to a magnificent sunset: Photographer takes picture of a spectacular sunset arch, spanning the heavens from horizon to horizon, over the open sea between the Falkland Islands and South Georgia Island.Image ID: 24096Location: Southern Ocean A long band…
February 6, 2010