Craig K. Collins
@craigkcollins.bsky.social
Author, Photographer, Former Tech Executive. Purveyor of thoughtful, hand-crafted prose. Midair: http://amzn.to/3lGFROD Thunder: http://amzn.to/3oA5wt3. Medium Blog: https://craigkcollins.medium.com. Substack: https://substack.com/@craigkcollins
I captured a shot of rare S. Calif. waterspout/tornado while riding over the Coronado Bridge in an Uber today. It was churning up water just offshore and headed toward the Silver Strand. I thought about paying the Uber driver extra to do some storm chasing, but he didn't look up for it.
November 16, 2025 at 9:19 PM
I captured a shot of rare S. Calif. waterspout/tornado while riding over the Coronado Bridge in an Uber today. It was churning up water just offshore and headed toward the Silver Strand. I thought about paying the Uber driver extra to do some storm chasing, but he didn't look up for it.
I came across these hefty Pismo clams during my run on the Silver Strand, Coronado, CA. Pismos were once so abundant that there are photos from the early 1900s of people hauling wagonloads away from their namesake Pismo Beach near San Luis Obispo. Today their numbers are vastly diminished.
November 11, 2025 at 2:45 AM
I came across these hefty Pismo clams during my run on the Silver Strand, Coronado, CA. Pismos were once so abundant that there are photos from the early 1900s of people hauling wagonloads away from their namesake Pismo Beach near San Luis Obispo. Today their numbers are vastly diminished.
I encountered some wavy turban snails during my run on the Silver Strand, Coronado, CA, including one that's picked up a few hitchhikers. These gastropods range from Baja to S. Calif., and “graze” on the film of algae that collects on the kelp leaves, or blades, as they're formally known.
November 9, 2025 at 5:38 PM
I encountered some wavy turban snails during my run on the Silver Strand, Coronado, CA, including one that's picked up a few hitchhikers. These gastropods range from Baja to S. Calif., and “graze” on the film of algae that collects on the kelp leaves, or blades, as they're formally known.
I saw this guy during my run on the Silver Strand yesterday. He was taking the scenic route on his commute from Imperial Beach to Coronado.
November 8, 2025 at 4:04 PM
I saw this guy during my run on the Silver Strand yesterday. He was taking the scenic route on his commute from Imperial Beach to Coronado.
The Beaver Moon rising over the Coronado Bridge and San Diego Bay. This full moon is so called because it signals the start of winter, when beavers gain their full winter coats. In the 1800s, during the North American fur trade, the Beaver Moon marked the start of the beaver trapping season.
November 6, 2025 at 6:51 AM
The Beaver Moon rising over the Coronado Bridge and San Diego Bay. This full moon is so called because it signals the start of winter, when beavers gain their full winter coats. In the 1800s, during the North American fur trade, the Beaver Moon marked the start of the beaver trapping season.
Sulfuric Apocalypse. Last month, I was at the Crater Sulfur Mine in Death Valley's Last Chance Range for some otherworldly astrophotography. Photo is looking northwest with the tail of Milky Way dipping to the horizon, and Andromeda Galaxy in the upper right corner. Read the full story below.
August 14, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Sulfuric Apocalypse. Last month, I was at the Crater Sulfur Mine in Death Valley's Last Chance Range for some otherworldly astrophotography. Photo is looking northwest with the tail of Milky Way dipping to the horizon, and Andromeda Galaxy in the upper right corner. Read the full story below.
I made a stop two weeks ago at Manzanar, where over 10,000 Japanese-Americans were detained during WWII without due process. Not sure if the sign is supposed to read: Stop Military Police! or Stop! Military Police! #Manzanar #1798AlienEnemiesAct #ICE #Trump #FDR #Obama medium.com/picturethis/...
July 4, 2025 at 3:29 PM
I made a stop two weeks ago at Manzanar, where over 10,000 Japanese-Americans were detained during WWII without due process. Not sure if the sign is supposed to read: Stop Military Police! or Stop! Military Police! #Manzanar #1798AlienEnemiesAct #ICE #Trump #FDR #Obama medium.com/picturethis/...
I came across this deceased bristlecone pine atop a ridge at 11,000 feet near the Patriarch Grove in the White Mountains of Eastern California. Its honeyed wood, burnished by centuries of sun and wind and snow, glowed as the sun set over the Eastern Sierra to the west.
June 24, 2025 at 2:11 PM
I came across this deceased bristlecone pine atop a ridge at 11,000 feet near the Patriarch Grove in the White Mountains of Eastern California. Its honeyed wood, burnished by centuries of sun and wind and snow, glowed as the sun set over the Eastern Sierra to the west.
A deceased bristlecone pine clings to an 11,000-foot-high ridge near the Patriarch Grove in the White Mountains of Eastern California as the Milky Way rises in the southeast. These hardy trees can live to nearly 5,000 years. Even after death, they can remain upright for several centuries.
June 24, 2025 at 2:07 PM
A deceased bristlecone pine clings to an 11,000-foot-high ridge near the Patriarch Grove in the White Mountains of Eastern California as the Milky Way rises in the southeast. These hardy trees can live to nearly 5,000 years. Even after death, they can remain upright for several centuries.
My happy place -- Bishop, CA. I stopped along Hwy. 395 near the Bishop Golf Course to say hello to a couple old friends, who seemed fairly preoccupied in their lush, green meadow with the Eastern Sierra rising majestically in the background.
June 24, 2025 at 1:46 PM
My happy place -- Bishop, CA. I stopped along Hwy. 395 near the Bishop Golf Course to say hello to a couple old friends, who seemed fairly preoccupied in their lush, green meadow with the Eastern Sierra rising majestically in the background.
The Milky Way rises over the Last Chance Range near the Eureka Sand Dunes at the northern corner of Death Valley National Park. The stars here were dazzling, and the quiet and solitude were balm for the soul in these trying times. I was the only human in this 30-mile-long, 10-mile-wide valley.
June 24, 2025 at 12:33 AM
The Milky Way rises over the Last Chance Range near the Eureka Sand Dunes at the northern corner of Death Valley National Park. The stars here were dazzling, and the quiet and solitude were balm for the soul in these trying times. I was the only human in this 30-mile-long, 10-mile-wide valley.
On my way home from a photography expedition through Death Valley, the wind kicked up to 50-60 mph. I ended up driving through a hellacious sand storm as I approached the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes and Stovepipe Wells. I made it home in one piece, fortunately. They call it Death Valley for a reason.
June 24, 2025 at 12:30 AM
On my way home from a photography expedition through Death Valley, the wind kicked up to 50-60 mph. I ended up driving through a hellacious sand storm as I approached the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes and Stovepipe Wells. I made it home in one piece, fortunately. They call it Death Valley for a reason.
I've been marveling at the dramatic return to the S. California shorelines of ospreys. Their surprising rebound comes following their regional extinction due to the pesticide DDT, which was banned by the EPA in 1972. Today, there are a dozens of nesting pairs along our coasts.
June 15, 2025 at 6:32 PM
I've been marveling at the dramatic return to the S. California shorelines of ospreys. Their surprising rebound comes following their regional extinction due to the pesticide DDT, which was banned by the EPA in 1972. Today, there are a dozens of nesting pairs along our coasts.
Great sign, but even better T-shirt. (From last Saturday's Hands Off! March in San Diego.)
April 11, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Great sign, but even better T-shirt. (From last Saturday's Hands Off! March in San Diego.)
Succinct. #HandsOff #SanDiego#Concourse
April 5, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Succinct. #HandsOff #SanDiego#Concourse
Out exercising my First Amendment right of peaceful assembly with 20,000 like-minded friends.
April 5, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Out exercising my First Amendment right of peaceful assembly with 20,000 like-minded friends.
Welcome to the Thelma & Louise economy. #bearmarket #trump #elonmusk #dowjones #s&p500 #marketcrash #tariffs
April 4, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Welcome to the Thelma & Louise economy. #bearmarket #trump #elonmusk #dowjones #s&p500 #marketcrash #tariffs
The ancient city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, is home to some of the most spectacular architecture in the world. And as an important stop on the Silk Road, hospitality has been a way of life here for millennia. Check out my Substack podcast The Bread Men of Uzbekistan: bit.ly/4kSjcgO
March 24, 2025 at 1:35 AM
The ancient city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, is home to some of the most spectacular architecture in the world. And as an important stop on the Silk Road, hospitality has been a way of life here for millennia. Check out my Substack podcast The Bread Men of Uzbekistan: bit.ly/4kSjcgO
Crossing the stream. A Salk Institute scientist heads home after a day of work. #SalkInstitute #LaJolla #Photography
March 23, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Crossing the stream. A Salk Institute scientist heads home after a day of work. #SalkInstitute #LaJolla #Photography
Happy vernal equinox from the Salk Institute. A crowd of about 30 Salk researchers gathered to watch the event -sort of a modern-day Stonehenge for nerds - when the courtyard reflecting pool aligns perfectly with the setting sun. substack.com/@craigkcollins
March 21, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Happy vernal equinox from the Salk Institute. A crowd of about 30 Salk researchers gathered to watch the event -sort of a modern-day Stonehenge for nerds - when the courtyard reflecting pool aligns perfectly with the setting sun. substack.com/@craigkcollins
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Festivus for the Rest of Us to one and all. I spied this silhouette of a great blue heron roosting atop a Torrey Pine at dawn on Christmas morning. I prefer to regard this bird as a harbinger of peace, goodwill toward men and a prosperous New Year for all.
December 25, 2024 at 3:17 PM
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Festivus for the Rest of Us to one and all. I spied this silhouette of a great blue heron roosting atop a Torrey Pine at dawn on Christmas morning. I prefer to regard this bird as a harbinger of peace, goodwill toward men and a prosperous New Year for all.
November 29, 2024 at 5:19 AM
Gobble. Gobble. I took a photo of this big Tom last spring during mating season near Julian, CA, in the mountains east of San Diego. #Thanksgiving #turkey #wildturkey
November 28, 2024 at 2:07 PM
Gobble. Gobble. I took a photo of this big Tom last spring during mating season near Julian, CA, in the mountains east of San Diego. #Thanksgiving #turkey #wildturkey
A trio of oranges on the beach at sunset. Why? Because.
November 13, 2024 at 4:22 PM
A trio of oranges on the beach at sunset. Why? Because.