An Interview with Ann Collins, Author of “La Jolla – Jewel By the Sea”

I was delighted to recently interview award-winning photographer and author, Ann Collins, about her coffee table book, La Jolla: Jewel by the Sea. My interview was inspired by a mutual love and appreciation for La Jolla’s splendor, history, lifestyle and heritage. I was intrigued by the synchronicities of what Ann was capturing in her book and what we are capturing in our Tour Freely audio walking tour of La Jolla. Through Ann’s photography, you are moved to experience La Jolla’s glory and it’s that same experience that aligns with our La Jolla tour. It’s a joyous harmonic convergence!  I sought to explore more in the interview… and I wanted to have my “pretending to be Oprah moment!“

Ann has literally traveled around the globe, with camera in tow. Though she has been able to shoot the grandeur of France, Japan or simply New Hampshire’s White Mountains, she was always captivated by the magnificence of her hometown of La Jolla. As she shared, “I wanted to create a book that faithfully represented La Jolla, and the local area that we all love, with its blue skies and clear weather and beautiful coastline. I also wanted to include the annual community events, the distinctive churches and the everything that is the essence of La Jolla.”

Ann has always been interested in photography, even as a child, taking her mom’s 35-millimeter camera with a light meter to sixth grade camp! As Joseph Campbell reminds us to “follow your bliss”, she certainly has! It has been very rewarding for Ann, as she expressed, “That people have admired and enjoyed what I created“. She hopes to spark readers’ interest about the community’s history, through short snippets, so readers are inspired to learn more. Clearly, Ann has loads of fun facts about La Jolla, as she recounts, “La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club was originally slated to be a yacht club!” We both marveled at the spectacular contributions of Ellen Browning Scripps, who was vital to the development of La Jolla from the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla, to La Jolla Recreation Center, to Scripps Institution of Oceanography, to Torrey Pines State Reserve and the list goes on. We owe it all to her!

Whether it’s Ann’s book or our La Jolla: The Riviera of California walking tour, they both zero in the spectacular coastal stretch from the Children’s Pool to La Jolla Cove and on up the coastline. Ann explains in this video excerpt, why this zone is such a magnet for tourists and locals alike.

I shared with Ann that her book means so much to those I have given it to who have moved away from La Jolla, as they miss La Jolla tremendously. It’s the cure for homesickness! Ann chimed in that it has been a great gift, “Especially around Christmas time…. it sells itself!”

It was enchanting to see La Jolla through the eyes of a local photographer. I am so pleased Ann has shared her passion for photography and her talent for perfecting her craft via the digital darkroom with all of us. I have always been taken by the magic and power of photography…when I didn’t want to be Oprah, I wanted to be a photographer! So this was a treat for my eyes and I wanted share it with all of you. Her book can be ordered just in time for the holidays at Amazon for around $22.