Phillip Darling's creative outlet

Phillip Darling.

Photo taken on the Cayman Islands.

When Tehachapi attorney Phillip H. Darling isn't practicing law on the mountains, he likes to spend his time at the beach photographing the ocean.

Darling has his bachelor's in mechanical engineering, and his juris doctorate in law. Throughout his life he appreciated a good challenge and was drawn to more difficult professions. He began his legal career working in litigation, but he discovered what branch of law pertained to him by reviewing the trust and wills of people close to him. Darling opened his own firm locally in 1999. The Law Office of Phillip H. Darling specializes in estate planning and trust documents.

Over the many years in Tehachapi, he has filled a number of positions and roles within the community. He was the former Director and Chairman of the Greater Tehachapi Chamber of Commerce, on the board of Sharing and Caring, and he spent six years on the Bear Valley CSD board.

However, his knowledge doesn't just pertain to law. Darling has pursued his passion for ocean photography for over 50 years. It began when he would go on diving trips along the California coast when he was 12 years old. He was inspired by the photographers who would flaunt their photos after the expedition, so he began taking photos, too. He used a Canon AE-1 and developed the film himself. Darling said that he was grateful for the advancements in technology because it makes his hobby much easier today.

Phillip Darling.

California Moray.

He currently uses a Canon Rebel, Cannon T5i, strobe lights and Adobe Lightroom to perfect his photos.

His passion for the ocean and pictures extends well beyond the beaches of California's central coast. He has photographed locations around the world, including many coastal cities in California, Fiji, Mexico, Aruba and Venezuela. Because of his travels, he's made many connections with people and memories he'll never forget.

"I like taking nice pictures," Darling said. "It's nice to be able to look at them on my wall and think that I got to go to all these different places." He also stated that he can recall when and where most of the photos have been taken just by glancing at them. They adorn the walls of his firm in Downtown Tehachapi.

"There's not a lot of creativity to it, but then again, I've been doing photography for over 50 years, it absolutely is muscle memory," he said.

Phillip Darling.

Photo taken on Darling's trip to Crystal Cave in 2005.