Blake DeBock shooting photos from inside the barrel at Torrey Pines State Beach - Photo by Saxon Chang

Summary:

Discover the wild beauty of Torrey Pines through the eyes of fine art photographer Blake DeBock. Raised above the cliffs and mentored by surf legend Aaron Chang, Blake captures this iconic stretch of California coast with rare intimacy—from golden sunsets and twisted pines to the view inside a barreling 10-foot wave, shot while swimming with his camera.

Torrey Pines Through the Eyes of Local Photographer Blake DeBock

Some places shape you before you ever realize it. For me, that place is Torrey Pines. I grew up just above the cliffs, where sandstone canyons tumble toward the sea and the sound of waves echoes through the brush. My earliest memories are filled with wind, salt, and that golden California light. Long before I picked up a camera, the rhythm of this coastline was already part of me.

A Photographers Origin Story

Before I was a photographer, as a young boy I quite literally grew up on the cliffs above Torrey Pines. My father, Joe DeBock is the longtime golf pro at the iconic Torrey Pines Golf Course, holding that prestigious position for over 30 years. Before I could even walk, my parents placed me on the practice green to roll balls back to Tiger Woods as he putted, preparing for the old Buick Invitational. Im sure conversations were had with Tiger and my dad about Torrey’s infamous thick rough or how the greens always break towards the ocean. I watched these legends like Tiger and Phil Mickelson from inside the ropes year after year as a child. The neighboring reserve, with its winding trails through sandstone canyons down to the beach was practically my backyard. I spent my childhood exploring every inch of those cliffs, far beyond where the trails ended. It’s fair to say I know that terrain better than anyone.

In my teens, I learned to surf here and eventually began photographing this place. As a young adult, I had the opportunity to learn from legendary surf photographer Aaron Chang, who taught me how to shoot from the water. Something only a lifetime surfer could ever master. Swimming in the impact zone with a camera in hand, he showed me how to anticipate that fleeting moment a wave barrels and to capture it from the inside out. That feeling—being deep in an overhead tube, salt in the air, light bending through liquid walls—is still one of the most powerful moments I know.

That early connection to the land, the ocean, and the craft continues to define my work. Every time I pick up a camera at Torrey Pines, it feels like coming full circle.

The Landscape That Raised Me

Torrey Pines isn’t just scenic—it’s elemental. Sandstone cliffs rise high above the Pacific, shaped by time, wind, and the weight of winter storms. The trails twist through coastal sage, past gnarled branches of the rare Torrey pine—found only here and on one remote island off the coast. These trees don’t just survive—they endure. Twisted, wind-worn, and silhouetted against the setting sun, they’ve always felt like sentinels watching over this wild edge of California.

The Torrey Pines Reserve was one of my favorite places. I found my beginnings in wildlife photography here shooting coyotes bobcats, owls and ospreys. During the Santa Ana winds, the whole landscape glows at golden hour. Copper ridges lit by warm air, the ocean shimmering in the distance and a view of La Jolla, soft and hazy on the horizon.

And then there’s the ocean. I’ve surfed, swam, and photographed it in every condition imaginable—from glassy dawn patrols to heavy winter swells at Blacks Beach. But no matter how familiar it becomes, I’m always humbled by it. That’s the thing about this place: it teaches you to pay attention, to slow down, and to recognize beauty in it’s most fleeting form.

Why I Still Photograph Here

Torrey Pines has changed, and so have I—but the connection remains. I’ve traveled the world with a camera, shot in some of the most remote and dramatic landscapes on Earth, yet I keep returning here. Not out of habit, but out of reverence. This place raised me. It taught me how to see—not just composition and light, but patience, rhythm, and respect.

When I photograph Torrey now, I’m not looking to document it. I’m trying to translate a feeling—what it means to be from here, to be shaped by the wind and waves, to grow up with salt air in your lungs and sandstone under your feet. It’s personal. Every frame I make in this landscape carries a little of that history.

Some of these moments can’t be planned— when the light is just right, the wave breaks perfectly, or the fog rolls in at the exact second you need it. But I think that’s part of the magic. You don’t control Torrey Pines. You just show up, wait, and hope you walk away with something great.

My Favorite Images of Torrey Pines

Green Room

The place where every surfer aspires to be, where time seems to slow, inside the curl of a perfect wave. Shot from inside the tube of a 10ft wave while swimming with his camera in a waterproof housing, Blake’s perspective places the viewer inside nature’s most elusive and exhilarating moment.

Torrey Reserve

Broken Hill, in the Torrey Pines State Reserve, glows under a warm Santa Ana sunset, its weathered ridges leading toward La Jolla and the shimmering ocean beyond. Blake’s masterful eye reveals the delicate balance between the wild contours of the reserve and the endless sky over the Pacific.

Moonglow

A rare coastal sunrise at Torrey Pines, with the full moon setting behind Broken Hill and reflecting across the Pacific. Soft purples and blues fill the sky as dawn breaks, casting a serene glow over sandstone cliffs and quiet ocean waters. Blake captured this fleeting moment where night transitions to day along one of California’s most iconic coastlines.

Dawn Patrol

A dawn patrol surf check at Torrey Pines, where the iconic lifeguard towers stand against the rocky shoreline and waves roll in as the first light of day paints the sky. Blake’s lens immerses the viewer in the timeless ritual of arriving at the beach at dawn’s first light, with the anticipation of fresh swell on the horizon.

Lone Torrey Pine

A lone Torrey Pine stands resilient against the vast Pacific, silhouetted by a fiery sunset, shot from one of the coastal holes of the Torrey Pines Golf Course. Blake captures the quiet strength of this rare and iconic tree, rooted in the rugged beauty of the coastal landscape.

Still Home

Torrey Pines will always be more than a subject to me—it’s where I learned to see, to surf, to wait for the right moment. It’s where I grew up, both literally and creatively. Every trail, every tide, every ridge of weathered sandstone feels familiar, yet it never fails to surprise me.

Some places keep calling you back—not because they change, but because you do. And with every return, there’s something new to notice, something deeper to feel, something worth capturing before it fades.

If these images speak to you, I invite you to explore the full Torrey Pines collection or California Coastal collection—a series of moments shaped by time, tide, and a lifelong connection to one of California’s most powerful landscapes.

Torrey Pines - A Life Shaped by the Coast & Cliffs