Phil Colla

Beautiful Views of San Diego La Jolla Seascapes

Spectacular Sunrise in La Jolla

We've had some great sunrises and sunsets lately, thanks to weather patterns in Southern California that provide high clouds and open horizons to let the light reach the undersides of the clouds just at the edge of each day. A few days ago I was photographing the full moon over…

Phil CollaDecember 19, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Beautiful Views of San Diego Seascapes

Moonlight Waves

I once shot photographs of waves by the light of phytoplankton during a major red tide event. That worked out pretty well, although it was pushing the cameras to the limits of what they could record. However, this time I'm not sure what I was thinking: I got up at…

Phil CollaDecember 18, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes California Seascapes

Starlight and Moonlight on Little Corona, Newport Beach

When I was a kid growing up in Newport Beach, we would often visit Little Corona beach and see tons of black abalone. They would be clinging to the rocks, and empty ab shells would be hidden in the all the tidepools and pockets of water. The abalone are long…

Phil CollaDecember 17, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes California Seascapes

Moonlight on Seal Rock, Laguna Beach, California

Seal Rock, a short distance offshore of Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach, is typically covered with many cormorants and at least a few California sea lions. I've made a number of dives at Seal Rock but had never made any effort to photograph it topside. Garry McCarthy and I did…

Phil CollaDecember 16, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes California Seascapes

Big Corona Beach at Night, Corona Del Mar State Beach, Newport Beach

When I grew up in Newport Beach, I spent a lot of time at "Big Corona", aka, Corona Del Mar State Beach. Because this is a great place to take the kids, bodyboard and kick back in the sun, this beach gets crowded. Yachts sail by in and out of…

Phil CollaDecember 15, 2013

Beautiful Views of San Diego Panoramas San Diego

San Diego Awakens, Sunrise over the San Diego City Skyline

This was the scene that greeted my camera on a recently cold winter morning, as dawn crept in from the east and the nighttime lights of downtown San Diego gave way to morning. Cheers and thanks for looking! Sunrise over the San Diego City Skyline Image ID: 28858 Location: San…

Phil CollaDecember 14, 2013

Tear Sheets

Scuba Diver (Korea) Pictorial

Scuba Diver Korea is one beautiful diving magazine! The print quality is excellent and each thick issue is as heavy as a brick. I was recently introduced to Scuba Diver Korea by Kevin Lee. Kevin, a top marine photographer who has photographed underwater on all seven continents, kindly introduced me…

Phil CollaDecember 13, 2013

General

A Look Back at the Natural History Photography Blog

1000 blog posts and 9 blog years and 17 website years later... I am a natural history photographer with a bias towards the ocean and marine-related subjects. I have one marketing channel: my own hand-coded, self-designed web site. In 1997 it was one of the first entirely database-driven, keyword-searchable stock…

Phil CollaDecember 12, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Beautiful Views of San Diego La Jolla Seascapes

La Jolla Cove at Dawn, La Jolla, California

One of my favorite times to photograph in La Jolla is when night is just transitioning to dawn. Sunrise is till 45 minutes or an hour away. In December it can be chilly at this hour, but it is also quiet and, usually, still. The only people I see are…

Phil CollaDecember 11, 2013

Beautiful Views of San Diego San Diego

Encinitas Sign over Coast Highway 101, Encinitas, California

California has many funky beach towns, and Encinitas is one of my favorites. Swami's, Moonlight, Stone Steps, D Street. My kids are lucky to spend their summers on the beach in Encinitas. In the middle of town, a vintage-looking ENCINITAS sign arches over the Coast Highway 101, a landmark in…

Phil CollaDecember 10, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes

VLBA Radio Telescope at Night under the Milky Way Galaxy, Owens Valley, California

The Owens Valley is home to a variety of radio telescopes. This particular radio telescope, photographed with the Milky Way galaxy rising above it in the night sky, is part of the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), a system of ten widely spaced radio telescopes that make certain forms of…

Phil CollaDecember 9, 2013

Beautiful Views of San Diego Panoramas San Diego

Panorama of San Diego City Skyline at Dawn, Storm Clouds and City Lights

I arrived very early one morning at one of my favorite spots from which to photograph America's Finest City, only to find the sky engulfed with thick storm clouds. However, as my eyes adjusted to the dark and I could see the pastel colors that spread outward from the city…

Phil CollaDecember 8, 2013

Beautiful Views of San Diego La Jolla Seascapes

Hospital Point Sunrise, Reef and Waves, La Jolla

Pre-dawn color is splashed across the clouds as small waves break over Hospital Point's distinctive sandstone reefs. A very long exposure makes the water look silky and blurred as it breaks over the rocks and flows back out to sea. Cheers and thanks for looking! Sunrise Clouds and Surf, Hospital…

Phil CollaDecember 7, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Sierra Nevada

Sky Rock Petroglyph with the Milky Way Rising over the Sierra Nevada

The Milky Way Galaxy rises in the night sky over the Sierra Nevada, with the Sky Rock Petroglyph panel in the foreground. I'm sure the original creator of this remarkable set of petroglyphs -- considered by some to be the finest petroglyph panel in the world -- had even darker…

Phil CollaDecember 6, 2013

Beautiful Views of San Diego San Diego

Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel at Sunrise, Embarcadero Marina, San Diego

The blue pre-dawn sky, with just a hint of the color that is to come with sunrise, serves as a backdrop for the distinctive towers of the Manchester Grand Hyatt hotel, overlooking the yachts in their slips along San Diego's Embarcadero marina. Cheers and thanks for looking! Manchester Grand Hyatt…

Phil CollaDecember 5, 2013

Beautiful Views of San Diego San Diego

Sunrise over San Diego Marriott Marina

Dawn breaks over the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina, as viewed from the San Diego Embarcadero Marine Park. Cheers and thanks for looking! San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina, and Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel (left) viewed from the San Diego Embarcadero Marine Park, sunrise Image ID: 28819 Location: San…

Phil CollaDecember 4, 2013

Beautiful Views of San Diego San Diego

Botanical Building and Lily Pond Reflection, Balboa Park, San Diego

The Botanical Building in San Diego's Balboa Park, at 250 feet long by 75 feet wide and 60 feet tall, was the largest wood lath structure in the world when it was built in 1915 for the Panama-California Exposition. The Botanical Building, located on the Prado, west of the Museum…

Phil CollaDecember 3, 2013

Beautiful Views of San Diego La Jolla Seascapes Surf

Surfer and Beautiful Sunrise on Hospital Point Beach, La Jolla

Each winter I try to add fresh and appealing images to my San Diego and La Jolla portfolios. I spent Thanksgiving morning on the rocks at Hospital Point. It was truly a sunrise for which to be thankful. I made two fine photographs which will look great printed at 24"…

Phil CollaDecember 2, 2013

Skip's Trips

Skip Stubbs in the Sea of Cortez (2013)

From Skip: We had a very pleasant 9-day diving trip from Loreto to La Paz this year in mid-October. We lost one day of diving due to TS Octave, which passed right over us south of Loreto. We were tucked into a cove and only got lots of horizontal rain.…

Phil CollaNovember 11, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Beautiful Views of San Diego Panoramas

Full Moon over Pauma Valley, Panoramic Photograph

Pauma Valley at night, viewed from atop Mount Palomar, with the full moon and stars high above. This high resolution panoramic image will print up to 100" wide -- Prints available! Cheers and thanks for looking! Moon and Stars over Pauma Valley, viewed from Palomar Mountain State Park Image ID:…

Phil CollaOctober 31, 2013

New Work

New Work – September 2013

During the last few months my photographic efforts have been limited so I have just a few images to include in this release. These new works arise from photography efforts at Guadalupe Island (Mexico), the White Mountains, Yosemite National Park, the Owens Valley, a blue moon evening along San Diego…

Phil CollaOctober 23, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Mount Rainier Washington

Milky Way and Stars at Night Over Mount Rainier

In this single image (not a composite), made with a special combination of low-light camera and extremely fast lens to best capture the details and colors of the gas areas of the Milky Way, our galaxy rises in the night sky over Mount Rainier. A few specks of light can…

Phil CollaSeptember 5, 2013

New Work

New Work – August 2013

I made a series of very short trips to photograph Yosemite National Park, Death Valley National Park, Crater Lake National Park and Mount Rainier National Park, along with a brief visit to the Alabama Hills. Here is a small sampling of the images I made over the last couple months;…

Phil CollaAugust 31, 2013

New Work

New Work – June 2013

To go straight to the good stuff and skip the verbiage: New Work June 2013. I released some really strong images in June 2013, including some from what is perhaps the most photographically productive southwest trip I've ever made. I froze my ass off during cold May weather high in…

Phil CollaAugust 30, 2013

Crater Lake Landscape Oregon Panoramas

Panoramic Photographs of Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Crater Lake National Park is the most panorama-ready national park I have ever visited. The vistas are sweeping from the rim of the extinct volcano's caldera, encompassing a six-mile wide lake. I have made two short visits to Crater Lake National Park, and spent most of my time composing panoramic…

Phil CollaAugust 28, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier, the Milky Way galaxy, Star Trails and Climbers’ Lights at Night

On my recent trip to Mount Rainier National Park, I had one particular image in mind, and I managed to achieve something very close to what I envisioned with this photograph. Seen here is the northeast side of Mount Rainier, with star trails in the sky and climbers' lights tracing…

Phil CollaAugust 23, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Beautiful Views of San Diego San Diego

Blue Moon over San Diego City Skyline

San Diego City Skyline at Sunset with a Rare Blue Moon Tonight I was fortunate to photograph a rare "blue moon" rising at sunset over San Diego's beautiful city skyline. This view is from Harbor Island looking across San Diego Bay toward the downtown waterfront. Tonight's full moon is indeed…

Phil CollaAugust 20, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Yosemite

Perseid Meteor Shower, Milky Way, Half Dome and Yosemite National Park

Perseid Meteor Shower, Milky Way, Half Dome and Yosemite National Park I spent two evenings at Glacier Point during the peak of the 2013 Perseid Meteor Shower, hoping to capture my first photographs of meteors. I have a few landscape astrophotography images that have chance meteors recorded in them, but…

Phil CollaAugust 14, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Yosemite

Zodiacal Light, Milky Way and Jupiter over Yosemite National Park

Photographing Zodiacal Light over Yosemite National Park August 11-12 was near peak viewing for the 2013 Perseid meteor shower, and many people including myself were viewing the show from Yosemite's Glacier Point all evening long. However, because the moon was nearly new and it was late summer, I knew there…

Phil CollaAugust 13, 2013

Mount Rainier Panoramas

Mount Rainier and Reflection Lake Panorama, Sunrise

Mount Rainier is reflected in the perfectly still, calm waters of Reflection Lake, in the southern part of Mount Rainier National Park, Washington. This enormous panoramic photo will print up to 6' tall by 15' wide at full resolution. If you think this image would look good on the wall…

Phil CollaAugust 8, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Natural Bridges The American Southwest Utah

Owachomo Bridge and Milky Way at Night, Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah

Night Photo of Owachomo Bridge and the Milky Way After making the long drive to Natural Bridges National Monument, we arrived in time to enjoy a colorful sunset and eat some dinner while waiting for the sky to become dark enough for us to begin our photography. The weather was…

Phil CollaJuly 22, 2013

Arizona Astrophotography and Night Scapes The American Southwest The Wave

The Wave Under Stars at Night, North Coyote Buttes, Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness

Astrophotography and Night Photography at the Wave, North Coyote Buttes The Wave, a fantastic area of ancient, stone-frozen sand dunes and tortured rock, is a real favorite of mine. Among photographers it is both something of a Mecca as well as a cliche. There are quite a few photographers who…

Phil CollaJuly 16, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Sierra Nevada

Sky Rock and Full Moon, Chalfant Petroglyphs, Volcanic Tablelands

Sky Rock and Moonlight, Bishop, California. (See also my photograph of Sky Rock at Dawn, Bishop, California and a gallery of other Sky Rock Petroglyph photos.) The Sky Rock Petroglyphs sit atop of an enormous volcanic block. The petroglyphs — dozens of them in many shapes and forms — face…

Phil CollaJune 26, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes California Trees White Mountains

Ancient Bristlecone Pines, Full Moon and Starry Night, Patriarch Grove

This is the best image I made during a May trip through the White Mountains and Tioga Pass. I set out to find new, photogenic ancient bristlecone pine trees, something other than the two iconic brutes along the Discovery Trail near Schulman Grove and the oft-photographed leaner near the Patriarch…

Phil CollaJune 25, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes The American Southwest Utah Zion

Milky Way and Star Trails Over the Watchman, Zion National Park

The Watchman is one of the iconic landmarks in Zion National Park, such that throngs of photographers line the bridge each fall at sunset to photograph the Watchman with the Virgin River and autumn trees in front of it. We elected for a much different image, one with the Milky…

Phil CollaJune 23, 2013

Beautiful Views of San Diego California Landscape San Diego

Torrey Pines State Reserve Panoramic Photo, Sunrise, San Diego

Panorama Picture of Torrey Pines State Reserve at Dawn, San Diego I know Broken Hill and Torrey Pines State Reserve very well, having run on the trails here at all times of day, throughout the year, since about 1986. There is a certain time of year when both the morning…

Phil CollaJune 22, 2013

Beautiful Views of San Diego San Diego

12 Beautiful Photos of San Diego, California

12 Beautiful Photographs of San Diego, California. America's Finest City, indeed. San Diego is a photographer's paradise, with fantastic weather year-round, gorgeous beaches, nearby mountains, the Pacific Ocean on our doorstep, and an attractive city skyline to boot. Here are some of my favorite photos of San Diego. If you…

Phil CollaMay 17, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Joshua Tree The American Southwest

Live Oak and Rocks, Milky Way Galaxy, Joshua Tree National Park

Milky Way Galaxy, Live Oak and Rocks, Joshua Tree National Park at Night I have spent many evenings photographing the landscape and night sky at Joshua Tree National Park. The terrain is harsh and there are few trees other than Yucca and Joshua Tree. I did find one attractive live…

Phil CollaMay 9, 2013

Beautiful Views of San Diego La Jolla San Diego Seascapes

Scripps Pier Sunset Perfect Solar Alignment, La Jolla, San Diego, California

SIO Pier Sunset with Sun Framed Within the Pier Pilings Occasionally the setting sun will be perfectly framed within the pilings the Scripps Institution of Oceanography research pier. This is what the perfect solar alignment through the SIO Pier pilings looks like -- it is a spectacular sight! Contact me…

Phil CollaMay 6, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes The American Southwest Valley of Fire

The Fire Wave at Night, Milky Way and Stars, Valley of Fire State Park

The Milky Way and Stars at Night over the Fire Wave in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada The Fire Wave in Valley of Fire: an interesting striped expanse of sandstone, now commonly photographed. I wanted to make some uncommon images of the Fire Wave, so I set up my…

Phil CollaApril 30, 2013

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