About Nate Collins Photography

Dolphin Photography and Wildlife Prints

Dolphins are fun subjects and make popular prints for a variety of reasons. 

These photos illustrate some parallels between dolphin and human behavior: family (or pod) connections and playful activities. 

There are a range of Dolphin species found near the beaches and offshore around San Diego.

Large pods of both Long and Short Beak Common Dolphins are found offshore. Common Dolphins tend to have distinct color variations running down their flanks. They are frequently seen on whale watching tours, a great way to spend time in Southern California. 

Common Dolphins can be seen in large pods and enjoy interacting with the boats and tend to put on impressive aerial shows.

Dolphins more commonly seen close to shore are coastal Bottlenose Dolphins. Most of the images of the Bottlenose on this site are captured while walking on Pacific Beach and Mission Beach.

The local dolphins are family oriented and typically you’ll see a variety of sizes in each pod. In fact some of my favorite shots are larger dolphins surfing in groups with younger, smaller dolphins.

The photos of Dolphins surfing and jumping represent a lot of miles walking north and south along the beach following pods. 

Typically I’ll wait near where Pacific Beach and Mission Beach meet. Watching just outside the breaking waves for a pod to come into view. Unless they’re exceptionally motivated you can pace them along the shoreline. They tend to traverse about 3 mph or a 20 minute mile. 

Depending on their moods they surface in different intervals. When they come to the surface in shorter frequency they seem more likely to be excitable, whether hunting or playing.

You might see their fins and follow them up and down the beach without seeing anything for days. But when you see them play it’s always an amazing experience.

Photographing Dolphins jumping is one of my favorite challenges. 

Unlike land animals or birds getting action shots of dolphins leaping involved predicting where they might be or go and reacting in the split seconds they may break the water. 

Their actions are fast and seldom is the first jump captured.  You’re hoping that collectively the Dolphins begin to play, giving you more chances at capturing a fun photo. 

Learning to watch the water for underwater movement or knowing how they tend to behave in and out of waves will help you capture a better image.

Dolphins use wave energy in a variety of ways. 

Occasionally you’ll see them all surf in the same direction seemingly just to cover distance with less effort. They frequently use the waves to accelerate and hunt small fish. Nearly as common they seem to simply enjoy surfing – leaping out of the faces of breaking waves or jumping out the back or over the crest.

 Dolphins blasting along with waves is  incredible to see and when you capture the moment it produces a fun image.

It seems Dolphins’ overall behaviors are highly influenced by the members and size of the pod. It’s rare to see a lone or small pod playing, jumping, splashing or surfing – although occasionally you’ll see a pair of larger Dolphins blast through the surf launching high in the air.

In medium or larger pods you can watch one or two Bottlenose Dolphins decide they want to play, splashing, tail slapping or racing towards the shore motivating a larger number to take part.

Occasionally I’ll see Dolphins surf or jump in a group of surfers, especially in larger pods. However, more often they seem to get close to the edge of surfers and “show off” there.

When very excited it’s fun to see them run in with waves nearly close to the edge of the water. I’ve had experiences standing knee deep where I could nearly splash them as they make a turn back to deeper water. So close I have too much lens on the camera to even capture it.

Unlike Seals and Sea Lions the Dolphins tend to behave like animals with less predators and have movements that can be easy to predict and track.

Dolphins also tend to have a pattern, at least for a bit. They might come up or down the same stretch of beach at close to the same time for several days in a row (conversely you might not see them for a couple days too). 

One of my favorite stories about photographing Dolphins in Pacific Beach / Mission Beach follows: As I’m not the most socially astute person you’ll ever meet, I couldn’t resist giving them a hard time. 

A couple walked up and said “We’ve seen you for three days while we’ve been here with those Dolphins.”

“Well ya, I work for Sea World and I take them on morning walks for the tourists.”

Next thing I know they’re super upset and getting their phones out to call and complain – to whom is anyone’s guess! I let it go for a second or two and told them no, they’re wild and this is what I do…

Seal Photography Prints

Seals are one of my favorite photography subjects. 

As with Dolphins there are a lot of miles walking the beach following a Seal to capture a fun image. Similar to Dolphins I can follow seals at about a 20 minute mile, maybe slightly faster.

Unlike the fairly predictable movement of Dolphins, Seals behave as you’d expect an animal that is considered prey for more apex animals. Seals tend to have a less predictable pace and timing between breaths.  In addition they move in nearly to the edge of the water and out into the surf line. 

Outside of Children’s Pool in La Jolla most Seals I encounter are solitary, although occasionally I’ll see them in pairs. Along Pacific Beach and Mission Beach I’ve photographed Seals in a wide range of sizes. 

Seals have unique patterns in their fur. This makes it easy to identify if it’s a new or previously seen Seal off the beach. 

Getting good photos of Seals is a rewarding feeling. It can be a lot of work and time you may have to follow them especially with how erratic their surfacing patterns may be. 

I find Seals fairly photogenic. Particularly contrasted with whitewash from breaking waves. However, since I tend to photograph in the morning they often close their eyes to the sun, which can make for an awkward face! As observant animals if you follow a Seal or pair of Seals for any length of time it seems they definitely will acknowledge you with eye contact as they look around.

When people ask for tips to spot a Seal at the beach I tell them to look for an anomaly between the edge of the water and the first set of breaking waves. You will notice a dark spot, similar to the size of a human head but one hundred times more graceful and at ease in the water than any human looks. 

I’ve seldom seen them turn around, so I follow the way they were facing and scan a swath of the water for another anomaly. 

Seals will even pop out exceptionally close to look at you. A handful of times I’ve missed them because my lens is set to focus 10 yards to infinity. I have to change a setting to focus that close. This behavior is more frequent at low tide where there can be a “step” in the water going from relatively shallow to thigh or waist deep quickly.

I have a pretty funny following Seal story from fall 2024. I had been tracking a Seal heading south along Pacific Beach from before sunrise, waiting for the sun to come over or between the houses so I could snap some golden hour shots. 

Someone came up to me and asked what I was doing. I had been walking with focus and purpose for quite a while and hadn’t really been taking photos since the light wasn’t there just yet.

Right about then the Seal popped up not too far from the edge of the water between the whitewash of two waves.

“Well, my dog’s out there and I can’t get them to come back in for some reason” I shrugged.

Like the Dolphin story, a cell phone came out of a pocket pretty quick, and I think they wanted me to hand them my camera and bag so I could go out and get the dog… After a long moment of an odd look I told them it was a Seal I was following. Not sure they found it as funny as I did but its was funny to me. (the photo above is the Seal from that particular day)

Sea Lion Photography and Prints

Like Dolphins, Sea Lions photography is fun. It’s fun to watch them have fun. Sea Lions tend to play in groups and definitely enjoy their surroundings. 

Watching them surf, jumping in and out of waves is exciting. It also illustrates a level of play, or enjoyment of existence in their lives. Watching animals play for “plays sake” is an eye opener to the level of brain function they’re capable of.

Most of the Sea Lion photography on my site is from La Jolla Cove or around the corner to Boomers. A large group of Sea Lions live there, hauling out on the rock outcroppings as well as using the beach to thermoregulate. 

Occasionally I will see Sea Lions in the surf off Mission Beach or Pacific Beach and can find them in areas like the Quivira Basin resting on the commercial docks or swimming in the inlet to Mission Bay.

I tend to visit La Jolla Cove when the surf is big or after storms (I keep my feet out of the water after the rain for a few days). It’s impressive to watch even small Sea Lions confidently maneuver in large breaking waves along both rocks and sand beaches.

Some of my favorite Sea Lion prints are from large days as they play in the surf.  You’ll get a good show both in the cove as well as the break around the rock corner called Boomers.

Juvenile Sea Lions are particularly playful in groups usually in the protection of the cove.

While access to the Sea Lions at La Jolla is easy it’s important to give them their space. For your safety and theirs. 

Sea Lions are bigger and faster than one might think. Also they’re wild animals with no tolerance for people encroaching their space if they deem it a threat.

Equally as important – Sea Lion mothers are known to abandon pups if people interfere. There’s no “selfie” worth that. If you go to La Jolla Cove, give them their space and enjoy watching their natural behavior.

Under Construction but Coming Soon!

Pacific Beach & Mission Beach

There’s a long list of beautiful wildlife photography options in and around San Diego. That said, I do have a handful of go-to favorites that many of these wildlife prints come from. 

Many of the images you’ll see on this site are captured early in the morning walking up and down a local haunt: the sand strip of Pacific Beach and Mission Beach. 

I can head out the door, walk to the edge of the water and chalk it up as exercise as well as a chance for some time behind the camera. 

Typically to get the best shots of dolphins, seals and sea lions you’ll follow them along the shore. Between Pacific Beach’s Tourmaline Surf Park and the Point Medanos Jetty in Mission Beach, other than Crystal Pier, is an uninterrupted sand length with beach break waves.

Along this stretch are a handful of channels which bring in a range of animals both large and small out from deeper water. Near these channels you can be looking north, south, north, south and suddenly have animals, particularly Dolphins or the occasional Sea Lion, appear right in front of you. 

One of my favorite spots sits on the north end of Mission Beach. I’ll walk down, post up and wait. Often I come across pods of dolphins who seem to arrive suddenly from deeper water to parallel the beach. I’m guessing they come from deeper water at an angle close to perpendicular to the beach. I’ve found it is very hard to see Dolphins approach “head-on”. 

This stretch of beach gets great light early in the morning. It often has amazing sunrises and golden hours. 

From Tourmaline to just north of Belmont Park will hold fog and create some moody shots as well. 

Animals Along PB and Mission Beach

Dolphins are relatively common visitors. Typically they are seen swimming just outside the breaking waves or even surfing, playing or hunting inside the surf zone. They tend to parallel the beach for some time in one direction with the occasional turn to look at something or shepherd the juveniles back in a bit. Sometimes they will swim great lengths in one direction while other times they will head north and south between similar spots a couple times. Overall they seem to head to deeper water and go well outside the Jetty or Pier if they intend to cross it. They’re also pretty amazing at disappearing, even decent size pods can seem to just head out from where you last saw them.

Seals can be seen along Pacific Beach and Mission Beach. Compared to Dolphins, Seals are less frequent, seen solitary or perhaps in twos, and tend to be shy and harder to predict where they will pop up next. Seals tend to be inside the surf zone, relatively close to shore in the whitewash or smaller breaking waves. Seals travel north or south with purpose seldom changing direction back and forth.

Sea Lions are less common than Seals but can be seen now and then. Occasionally they’ll parallel the beach like seals and other times they’ll surf waves, swim in and out as they want with frequent, and hard to predict, direction changes. Overall the Sea Lion’s I’ve experienced along Pacific Beach and Mission Beach tend to be quiet, a notable distinction from places like La Jolla with larger numbers in place.

A range of shorebirds fly over the beach notably including Brown Pelicans, Snow Egrets, Willets, Marbled Godwits, Cormorants and even the occasional Osprey at the edge of the water. In the right light with the right conditions or shapes these make popular prints. Brown Pelicans are comfortable alone or in large pods and fly gracefully seemingly using the ground effect from waves and their large wings. Watching Brown Pelicans fly in “follow the leader” undulations reminds me of how I imagine people would fly given the chance. 

La Jolla: Beaches to the Cove

Another place many of these wildlife prints are photographed is the stretch between the La Jolla Tide Pools, past Children’s Pool to the La Jolla Cove.

La Jolla is famous for the populations of Seals and Sea Lions. 

Seals tend to congregate on the beach at Children’s Pool although you can also see them along adjacent beaches just north and south.

Sea Lions are found on the rocks just outside La Jolla Cove near Boomers as well as in the Cove itself. 

I tend to find myself in La Jolla when there are storm swells. It’s fun to watch the Sea Lions in particular, as they surf and play in the waves.

Being introspective I suppose I like the storm days because there are less people overall. While I am usually there pretty early, the sun doesn’t come over the foothills until 45 mins give or take from “sunrise” – making it a good option if you get up late – but, also meaning more people tend to be around. And people should be around, don’t get me wrong, it’s a great place to see these animals and how they behave. La Jolla has provided a range of viewing areas that are great. But, more people always increases the odds of annoying people who don’t respect the animals’ space. Both Seals and Sea Lions are known to abandon cubs if people interfere. It’s common sense that if your actions are causing them to change their behaviors you’re doing something wrong… I guess it’s hard for some self absorbed people to see that their selfie, that honestly is gonna have lousy composition and resolution, isn’t worth it. It’s even worse to see them aligning their kids trying to get the perfect shot near wild animals. Anyhow, off my soapbox for now…

La Jolla has a paved walking path near the cliff’s edge overlooking everything from the Tide Pools to the Cove. This gives a great perspective to look further out to sea as well as giving you some “eye to eye” opportunities with birds flying past. I personally haven’t seen one, but Whales can be spotted from the overlook. I imagine this would be most likely during Grey Whale season as they come closer to shore than many other migrating species. 

The corner near the Sea Lion’s rocks between the Cove and Boomers also is popular for bird watching. In fact, during storms you’ll see a lot of dedicated bird watchers there as off-shore birds tend to head closer to shore. 

La Jolla has large populations of Brown Pelicans, Cormorants, Terns and a range of other birds I’m not as versed on! Access along the walkway gives great angles for nesting or resting birds along the cliffside as well as when they fly past.

That, along with the Seals and Sea Lions makes wildlife photography in La Jolla about the equivalent of working in a zoo – except they’re free and wild. You’re hard pressed to leave without an image you’ll like.

Quivira Jetty / San Diego River Mouth

Quivira Jetty is a spot that I don’t frequent as much as some of the others, but it tends to have interesting things to see on the right day with the right tide.

The Quivira Jetty separates the Mission Bay Entrance Channel and San Diego River. 

The San Diego River Mouth, particularly at low tide, is an interesting place to see a range of birdlife. Some of my favorite shots of Egrets and Herons come from this section of the river. 

Brown Pelicans and Osprey’s are frequently seen as well. 

There are a handful of places you can get down closer to the river which provide a nice perspective shift from the walkway higher up on the jetty.

A path parallels the river inland – but I seldom go further than the first bridge. That said if you’re looking for more rare birds that’s probably a decent place to check out. 

On the ocean end the walkway along the top of the Quivira Jetty gives you access to both the river and the entrance to the bay. 

On the bay side you can occasionally see Dolphins but more frequently you’ll come across Sea Lions heading out from Quivira Basin (where they’re often found on the bait receiver dock). Some of my favorite Seal photographs are from the Jetty on the bay side as well. 

Parking is easy here, as other than a bar and some boat yards there isn’t much “right” there. 

That said, it can be a bit of a balancing act between being “empty” while having people you might not want to be around, well, around. I’ve never had any issues here but you might assess the area if you’re alone and have reservations.