Beautiful Views of San Diego

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beautiful Views of San Diego San Diego

San Diego Downtown Skyline, Waterfront and Embarcadero, Sunrise

The San Diego Embarcadero and City Skyline at Dawn America's Finest City! It sure is, and here's another view showing why San Diego is such a lovely place to live. This is the Embarcadero area of the San Diego City Skyline, including the Manchester Grand Hyatt and San Diego Marriott…

Phil CollaApril 19, 2013

Aerial Photography Beautiful Views of San Diego San Diego

Coronado Aerial Photos

Aerial photographs of Coronado, California, including Coronado Island, the Hotel del Coronado, and the San Diego Coronado Bay Bridge. These five Coronado Aerial Photographs are just a selection. If you like them, please be sure to see also my full collection of Coronado Aerial Photos and a gallery of San…

Phil CollaFebruary 12, 2013

Beautiful Views of San Diego Blue Whale Humpback Whale

Whale Triple Header: Blue Whales, Humpback Whales, Fin Whales, Del Mar, California

GREAT WHALE TRIPLEHEADER. What's that you say? Read on... This is a photograph of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) performing a peduncle throw (or "tail throw", or "tail lob"). The man who taught me most of what I know about whales, friend and whale researcher Dr. Dan Salden, often referred…

Phil CollaJanuary 17, 2013

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Beautiful Views of San Diego San Diego

Night Star Trails over the Downtown San Diego City Skyline

San Diego City Skyline Night Photograph with Star Trails I met friend and photographer Garry McCarthy at 0-dark-30 yesterday morning, with the goal of photographing the downtown San Diego city skyline with star trails circling above. Exceptionally clear skies are required for this sort of photograph since any moisture or…

Phil CollaJanuary 6, 2013

Beautiful Views of San Diego San Diego

Broken Hill, Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego

Dawn breaks over the mesa at Torrey Pines State Reserve, overlooking the Pacific Ocean with La Jolla in the distance. This sandstone formation is known as "Broken Hill" and presides above one of the most spectacular vistas in the San Diego area. I was alone here at dawn with nary…

Phil CollaJanuary 4, 2013

Beautiful Views of San Diego Surf

Patience at Dusk

Blood Red Sunset, Surfers waiting for waves, Encinitas, California. These guys were enjoying the last hour of light, waiting around under the deepening red dusky sky, catching a few waves. Encinitas, California. Two surfers at sunset, blood red dusk, Encinitas. Image ID: 27976 Location: Encinitas, California, USA

Phil CollaAugust 17, 2012

Beautiful Views of San Diego Surf

Moonlight Beach, Encinitas, Sunrise Wave Photo

Sunrise Barrel, Moonlight Beach, Encinitas The surf was small but fun. The water just cool enough to be refreshing but not chilly. No wind, glassy water. Beach empty. I got in the water right as the sun rose and touched the waves. From famous Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, California. Breaking…

Phil CollaAugust 17, 2012

Beautiful Views of San Diego Carlsbad

Carlsbad Sunset Triptych

Carlsbad Sunset Triptych From one of my favorite local beaches, South Ponto. The surf was almost nonexistent so I photographed from shore. See more Ponto Beach photos.

Phil CollaAugust 16, 2012

Beautiful Views of San Diego Carlsbad Surf

Ponto Magic – Carlsbad Sunset

Ponto in South Carlsbad is one of my favorite beaches simply because I have spent so much time there. We used to live very close to Ponto and it is the first place I tried taking surf photos. We often walk the sand at Ponto, below the bluffs upon which…

Phil CollaJuly 14, 2012

Beautiful Views of San Diego San Diego

San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina Panorama

This is a panoramic photo of the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina viewed from North Embarcadero Park along San Diego Bay's beautiful waterfront. The Marriott Hotel is the pair of curved glass-covered buildings rising directly ahead. Between and below them is Roy's Restaurant. The Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel is…

Phil CollaJune 9, 2012

Beautiful Views of San Diego San Diego

San Diego Magazine Cover Photo: Coronado Bay Bridge and Downtown

The February 2012 cover of San Diego Magazine is my aerial photo of the San Diego Coronado Bay Bridge, with the bay and downtown in the background. The boat wake shaped like a heart ("heart" = "reasons to love San Diego", get it?) was the work of the cover illustrator.…

Phil CollaJanuary 27, 2012

Beautiful Views of San Diego San Diego

Leucadia Sunset

Sunset over the Ocean, Leucadia, California This photo was made a few minutes after the sun went down, in Leucadia, California, an eclectic beach community in north San Diego county that is home to great surf, great taco shops and nouveau riche homes teetering on the edge of crumbling sea…

Phil CollaJanuary 18, 2012

Beautiful Views of San Diego San Diego

Hotel Del Coronado with Christmas Lights, San Diego

Christmas Holiday Lights at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, California. During the holidays I joined my photographer friend Garry McCarthy at sunset to photograph the Hotel Del Coronado on beautiful Coronado Island in San Diego. During the holidays "The Del" puts on quite a holiday show, with a…

Phil CollaJanuary 17, 2012

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beautiful Views of San Diego California San Diego

Downtown San Diego and USS Midway

One more photo of San Diego, then on to other things. Seen here are the high rise office buildings along the waterfront of downtown San Diego, lit with warm sunset light. Dominating the foreground is the USS Midway, a US Navy aircraft carrier that is now permanently docked in San…

Phil CollaFebruary 14, 2009

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