Cyber Monday 2017

Good morning and Happy Cyber Monday, everybody! Beginning today, I am offering 20% off all canvas prints and 15% off all metal prints on my website. If you are looking for a unique gift to brighten someone's home or perhaps you'd like to decorate your own space with an image from my collection, please visit my online store: http://www.colintyler.com/online-store/

Use the code "CYBERCANVAS" for 20% off canvas or the code "CYBERMETAL" for 15% off metal prints at checkout. Both canvas and metal prints arrive ready to hang - no framing required!

Thank you for following along and have a safe and happy holiday season, wherever you are in the world. Feel free to share this post!

Colin

#Optoutside

Don't let the single digit temps deter you, if you'd like to avoid the crowds and shopping malls today we are offering free parking at the Eagle River Nature Center. Given the choice, I will always #optoutside.

Cheers,

Colin

Happy Thanksgiving 2017

Grateful for another beautiful day in this beautiful valley I call home, and for this crazy, beautiful life of mine. Thank you all for following my journey, supporting me, and encouraging me to continue doing what I do best. Happy Thanksgiving from my happy place.

Colin

November Aurora

We had a bit of aurora back in the valley last night. I made it out to capture a few frames before the activity subsided. With temps hovering around zero, I didn’t take long for any exposed skin to freeze but on the bright side, the moisture from my breath sure filled up the light beam from my headlamp.

Have a great holiday and thank you for following along,

Colin

Fading Sun

The sun shone on this spot for 15 minutes today; that was the extent of direct sunlight in this part of the valley. In just a few days it will drop behind the mountains for the next two months. Despite the lack of sunshine and cold temps, I enjoy the quiet solitude of winter.

Colin

Frozen Salmon

I walked out to one of my favorite spots along the river this morning. Surprised to find it nearly frozen solid, I decided it was an opportunity to turn my camera away from the big scene and take a closer look at the rapidly changing river. As a true testament to the season, frost flowers have returned and there was a salmon completely encased in ice.

Have a great Monday out there!

Colin

Providence Medical Staff Ball

A big thank you to the staff at Providence for having me photograph the 2017 Providence Medical Staff Ball at the Denaina Center on Saturday, November 4. It was a lovely event that I truly enjoyed documenting. Here are the images from that night for attendees to peruse.

I look forward to doing this again next year! 

Colin

Early Morning Aurora

Good morning from Eagle River Valley. The moon wasn't the only light source filling the sky in the wee hours today. We had a nice aurora display and from the looks of things, there could be more in the days ahead.

Have a great day out there and as always, thank you for following along!

Colin

Foggy, Frosty, Monochrome Morning

Not all the world is a sunny day and with apologies to Paul Simon, not everything looks worse in black and white. It's been quite foggy in the valley the past few days, creating an ethereal mood in the frosty mornings that is perfect for monochrome images.

Also, if you venture out to the Eagle River Nature Center, the Albert Loop Trail has reopened for the season, which is where I took this earlier. The glacier has stopped melting and you will notice how the water is clearing as the silt is carried downstream. 

Happy Friday, have a great weekend out there!

Colin

November Sun

The sun is sinking lower on the horizon every day now. In just a few weeks it will drop behind those mountains until late January, at which time it will appear for a few minutes a day, staying a bit longer with each pass and bringing the promise of spring. Alaska is a land of extremes, just like those who seek to embrace every season it has to offer. 

Happy Thursday,

Colin

Happy Halloween

Auroras often take on unique shapes while transforming overhead in what is known as a corona. Mirrored images resembling a butterfly or angel wings are common, as are human and animal faces. This is probably why ancient cultures used mythical accounts involving deities and spirits to explain what we now understand is the result of solar particles colliding with gas atoms in the upper reaches of earth’s atmosphere.

Despite having this knowledge, watching images take form across the sky is no less magical and how you interpret them is completely subjective. With a bit of luck, we may have an opportunity to do some cosmic gazing in the next few days as a solar wind approaches earth. In the meantime, I am curious if you see any recognizable shapes in this photo? Share your interpretation in the comments.

Happy Halloween! Have a fun and safe holiday out there

Colin

Aurora Borealis Article

I was hoping for a good aurora borealis display last night but alas, the lights did not cooperate. If earth's magnetic field doesn't shift far enough south, lights stay low on the horizon and are not visible back here in Eagle River Valley as we are surrounded by the Chugach Mountains. Since I have no new images to show, you may enjoy this short article about chasing auroras. I was recently interviewed by Melinda Munson of Tripod Communications for this piece. If you'd like to learn some of the basic science behind the northern lights and view some of my best images from over the years, follow this link: http://alaskafamilyfun.org/chasing-and-catching-the-northern-lights-p350-186.htm

Happy Aurora Chasing!

Colin

October 9

Most days I come out here just to breathe, nothing more. When the thoughts stop flowing and I find my breath, that’s when the magic happens. That’s when I find inspiration, when I can imagine.

Happy Birthday John Lennon.

Colin

September

September came on with a vengeance and now it has nearly passed. When the first dustings of snow arrived above 6,000 feet, I assumed it would quickly melt. Instead, it continued to accumulate, hopefully a sign of a snowy winter ahead. Have a great weekend out there, wherever you are!

PS - Don't forget about my signed & numbered bear print promotion. It's not too early to begin holiday shopping: http://www.colintyler.com/online-store/

Colin

Brown Bear Sow and Cub, Artist Proof Prints, $75 each

Hello and happy Thursday, friends! I am grateful for the overwhelming response to the photos of the brown bear sow and cub that I shared recently. I have added both images to my online store, available on canvas, metal, or high-gloss photo paper. I have also decided to release the first ten artist proofs, 18x12" high-gloss prints, signed and numbered, for $75 each

It's never too early to begin shopping for the holidays! Follow the link to my online store: http://www.colintyler.com/online-store/

As always, thank you for following my journey. Every purchase helps to keep me out exploring and sharing with the world. Feel free to share!

Mama Bear

Timing is everything. Another divine moment from yesterday morning's photo session. Somehow I managed to fire off 1,000 frames in a forty-minute span. The exhilaration left me with trembling hands and tears of gratitude.

Colin

Morning Brown Bear Cub

Occasionally, if your mind is in the right place, opportunities are presented when subject and light briefly collide. After the moment has passed you may find yourself short of breath, reeling from the exhilaration, knowing that you captured the moment perfectly and no matter how many times you go back and look at the image, scanning for details of exposure and clarity, you nailed it.

When the universe provides such a moment, I am grateful for the experience first and the images second. Given a choice of responding with either ego or gratitude, I will always choose gratitude.

Colin

Happy Autumn Equinox!

Happy Autumn Equinox! Scenes like this make it easier to accept the fact that summer is officially behind us. Taken two days ago on the Crow Pass Trail, descending from the pass to Eagle River. In the background is Eagle Glacier, the source of Eagle River.

Colin

Crow Pass

It was a long day but we made it over the Crow Pass Trail, down to Eagle River and to the Yukla Yurt in about 16 hours (21 miles with a 2,000' ascent followed by a 4,000' descent and numerous water crossings to boot). We started off a bit later than planned and, as a result, finished the final 8 miles in the dark. Many thanks to the crew - Tyler, Jennifer, Amanda, and of course, our fearless canine leader, Freija. We were dragging by the end but everyone arrived intact. I'd been saving this bottle of pinot noir that I brought back from Aurum Wines in 2014 - a winery I lived & worked at in New Zealand. I decided this was a worthwhile event to finally open and share it with friends. More photos to come. Thank you for all the well wishes before our departure and, as always, thank you for following along on my adventures.

Cheers!

Colin

Alaskan Llamas

It is not uncommon for a visitor at the Nature Center to inquire about finding an unusual set of tracks while hiking the trails here, smaller than moose but similar in shape. My automatic response, naturally, is that they are the tracks of an elusive unicorn. When that doesn’t fly, I explain that there is a local couple that hikes with their llamas here quite regularly. Last week, I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon with them. It was a great experience. They made good company, even hauled my tripod for me, and I certainly llearned a llot about llamas!

Colin