• Projects
  • About
  • Publications
  • Blog
Menu

ryan b. anderson

Environmental, cultural, and coastal anthropology
  • Projects
  • About
  • Publications
  • Blog

Composite photograph showing an image from 2026 with a black and white inset from the late 1980s to early 1990s.

California Coast Rephotographic Project: Carlsbad Seawall

August 20, 2026

After Tamarack State Beach made the news for losing a bunch of it’s sand in the last couple of weeks, I managed to get down there for a few comparative photographs. The composite above shows a stretch of the seawall that’s at the end of Sycamore Avenue in Carlsbad. This one was pretty easy to relocate and photograph. I found the historical image, which dates to the late 1980s or early 1990s, via the Carlsbad Library:

Historical photograph showing the Carlsbad seawall. Circa late 1980s to early 1990s.

And here’s the full image that I just took in August 2026:

Photograph taken in August 2026 in the same location. Taken with a Canon 5D Mark IV.

In Photography, Coastal Anthropology Tags Seawalls, San Diego County, Carlsbad, Repeat photography
Black's Beach, December 2005 →

Latest Posts

Featured
California Coast Rephotographic Project: Carlsbad Seawall
August 20, 2026
California Coast Rephotographic Project: Carlsbad Seawall
August 20, 2026

After Tamarack State Beach made the news for losing a bunch of it’s sand in the last couple of weeks, I managed to get down there for a few comparative photographs. The composite above shows a stretch of the seawall that’s at the end of Sycamore Avenue in Carlsbad. This one was pretty easy to relocate and photograph. I found the historical image, which dates to the late 1980s or early 1990s, via the Carlsbad Library:

Read more →
August 20, 2026
IMG_4984-Blacks Beach DEC 2005.JPG
August 9, 2026
Black's Beach, December 2005
August 9, 2026
Read more →
August 9, 2026
CRW_2451_RT8_BW-small.jpg
August 9, 2026
Wilder Ranch in 2005
August 9, 2026
Read more →
August 9, 2026
The Cliff House in SF
August 4, 2026
The Cliff House in SF
August 4, 2026

Here’s another spot I’d like to rephotograph up at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. The photograph above was taken by William Henry Jackson between 1880 and 1910. It’s from the 1974 monograph of Jackson’s work that was edited by Beaumont Newhall and Diana E. Adkins (published by Morgan & Morgan). This is the second Cliff House, so it had to be taken after 1896.

Read more →
August 4, 2026
Location Scouting: Lover's Point, Pacific Grove CA
August 4, 2026
Location Scouting: Lover's Point, Pacific Grove CA
August 4, 2026
Read more →
August 4, 2026
Wadell Creek Beach, 12/1/24.
August 4, 2026
Wadell Creek Beach, 12/1/24.
August 4, 2026
Read more →
August 4, 2026
Asilomar, July 2026
August 1, 2026
Asilomar, July 2026
August 1, 2026
Read more →
August 1, 2026
Near the shore after leaving Oceanside (1888)
November 22, 2025
Near the shore after leaving Oceanside (1888)
November 22, 2025

This is a photograph from the Huntington Digital Archive that I stumbled across while I was working on a recent draft for a paper about the long-term coastal histories of California. I was searching for images of Oceanside, California, which was one of the case studies mentioned in the draft, and I found this one.

It’s from the 1880s. It’s part of a small collection of photographs that someone put together after a trip through parts of Southern California.

Read more →
November 22, 2025
Coastal Rephotographic Project: Point Sur
July 29, 2025
Coastal Rephotographic Project: Point Sur
July 29, 2025

Last week I got the chance to do a little more location scouting for my coastal rephotographic project. This time I got to check out one of my favorite sites along the Big Sur Coast, which is the view of Point Sur. I have always loved this particular spot because of the many photographers who stopped and made photographs here. Brett Weston is at the top of my personal list. In fact, it’s this image, from his book Voyage of the Eye, that has always been one of my favorites.

Read more →
July 29, 2025
Failed Seawall, Cabo Pulmo 2024
July 18, 2025
Failed Seawall, Cabo Pulmo 2024
July 18, 2025
Read more →
July 18, 2025

Powered by Squarespace