‘La Jolla Seascapes’: Local photographer showcases her native home in 2022 calendar

Ann Collins is giving La Jolla her best shots in a new calendar highlighting the “amazing” place where she grew up.

The 13-month calendar, which covers 2022 and January 2023, showcases iconic locations along La Jolla’s coast, Collins said.

Among them are photographs of Black’s Beach, Windansea and Scripps Pier.

One shot of Coast Walk Trail was taken after a rainstorm, Collins said. “The clouds were gorgeous, but the sun had also come out.”

For the calendar’s cover photo, Collins went to La Jolla Cove “when the tide had been quite high but was going out, so some sand would be showing.”

Ann Collins says La Jolla, where she grew up, is “very photogenic.”

(Roxyanne Young)

Collins, who was born and raised in La Jolla and now lives in University City, said she keeps track of the tides and weather and relies on her knowledge as a native La Jollan to know when to capture the best shots.

The calendar notes federal, Christian and Jewish holidays, along with the full moons.

Collins designed the entire calendar — from making sure to use scenes taken during the corresponding season on the calendar to choosing a coordinating bar color for each month and selecting the size of the date squares. It took her several months to complete.

“I have a much greater appreciation for calendar designers now,” she said. “It was a lot more work than I had anticipated.”

Nancy Warwick, owner of Warwick’s bookstore in La Jolla, suggested that Collins make a calendar.

A Warwick’s employee also had encouraged Collins to create her 2018 photo/history book, “La Jolla: Jewel by the Sea.”

Collins said having the calendar project “was good because I wasn’t getting out and taking photos” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “It was a good motivator to get me out there.”

Most of the photos were taken during 2020 and ‘21, she said.

Collins calls herself a “semiprofessional photographer” whose work is seen all over the world in health care facilities, hotels, restaurants and homes. “It’s a lot of fun.”

In October, Lenswork magazine featured a 10-photo series of Collins’ work called “Yosemite Waters.”

Her photos also regularly appear in Sierra Club calendars.

Designing her 2022 calendar took Ann Collins several months, she says.

(Courtesy of Ann Collins)

Collins said she’s been interested in photography since childhood. “My family always had Instamatic cameras, so I would use those.”

She said she then bought herself a 35-millimeter camera and took photos while sailing. The pictures were published.

Collins, an avid traveler, would carry a camera on her trips, and “I always came home with lots and lots of slides,” she said.

“I love going where you can find beautiful nature and landscapes,” she added. “Our national parks are just such a gift.”

She graduated to digital cameras in late 2006 and found that they improved her skills as a photographer. “I could see the results right away, make adjustments and then retake the photo,” Collins said. “That was so wonderful.

“The better I got, the more confident I felt in trying to sell my work to different avenues and get it published.”

La Jolla is “very photogenic,” she said. “There’s just so much variety to photograph,” from wildlife at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve to landscapes and seascapes.

“I was very lucky to grow up here,” she said.

The “La Jolla Seascapes” 2022 calendar is $18 and is available at Warwick’s at 7812 Girard Ave. or at imagesbyanncollins.com. ◆