Aurora and Open River, April 23, 2023

Another photo from Sunday's epic aurora display!

I've had this image in mind for quite a while, I just needed everything to come together for a late season geomagnetic storm that brought lights far enough across the eastern sky to line up with the river and Polar Bear Peak, with the river ice opening up to expose the flowing water below. I used a Lume Cube to briefly illuminate the ice shelf during the exposure.

This image probably would have ended up in my book "Seasons of the Nature Center" if I'd captured it before press time. Speaking of my book - I am picking up two advance copies today! The rest are en route and should arrive in about 6 weeks. I am still taking preorders for books and 2024 calendars on my website and will be offering a discount on metal & canvas prints to everyone who has ordered a copy: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store

As always, thank you for following!

Colin

Intense Geomagnetic Storm

After briefly subsiding around midnight on Sunday, the geomagnetic activity picked up again and produced one of the most intense displays I've seen in quite a while.

I'm still editing through images and will have more to share in the coming days...

Cheers!

Colin

Aurora Borealis over the Chugach Mountains. Eagle River Nature Center, Alaska

Nature Photography Day, 2022

Happy Nature Photography Day, 2022! A far cry from the days of shooting film, the art and technology of photography continues to evolve and while I do miss the simplicity and excitement of examining 35mm slides after a big shoot, the limit of what is possible continues to expand beyond what was imaginable just a few years ago.

Aurora borealis time lapse video. Taken in Eagle River Valley, April 2022.

As always, thank you for following along!

Colin

PS - If you received this via email, please click “Read in browser” to view the video

End of Aurora Season...

I think it's safe to say the aurora viewing season is over at this latitude. Last season was very active, and the activity should continue to increase as we move toward the solar maximum. Here are a few more images from April 9 in Eagle River Valley, AK.

I plan to guide aurora tours again next season for Alaska Photo Treks and if all goes as planned, Mike Haring and I will add a multi-day aurora tour to our schedule with Nat Expo Tours next spring.

Thank you for following along and have a great weekend!

Colin

PS - I recently updated the my aurora borealis galleries…

Earth Day 2022

Early morning aurora over Dillon Mountain, Brooks Range, Alaska, March 31, 2022.

Happy Earth Day, 2022! Earth Day is significant to me for many reasons, and every year I make a point to explore someplace new on this date. I am currently in my home state of Minnesota and will be visiting a local wildlife refuge for the first time.

Thank you for following and I hope you take some time to enjoy the outdoors today...

Colin

 



Aurora over Sukakpak Mountain

Back to the Arctic for this one - the aurora dances over Sukakpak Mountain in Alaska's Brooks Range. Taken in the early morning hours of March 31, 2022 near the community of Wiseman.

Looks like I will be guiding one more aurora tour for the season with Alaska Photo Treks tonight. Fingers crossed we have a nice display for our guests!

Colin

 

April Auroras, Eagle River Valley

If you had clear skies this past weekend, you may have been treated to some vibrant auroras - truly one of the most brilliant displays I’ve seen in this part of Alaska!

I had two students who were making up a class rescheduled from last month, and our timing was perfect. They learned the basics of setting up to shoot the lights and then got a crash course in making quick adjustments to capture fast moving aurora! In the end, we all came away with beautiful images.

Have a great week out there and thank you for following along!

Colin 

 

M M M My Corona!

From the Latin word for crown, 'corona' refers to an auroral display that appears to be flowing from a central point, generally directly overhead. These were taken in the early morning hours of March 31, 2022 in Alaska's Brooks Range, well above the Arctic Circle. If you look closely, you can see the Big Dipper is at the center of the corona.

Thank you for following along, and please stay tuned for more arctic auroras...

Colin

 

Brooks Range Auroras – March 30, 2022

Just north of Wiseman lies what is likely the most recognizable and photographed mountain on Alaska’s Dalton Highway, Mount Sukakpak. The translation from Inupiat is: “Marten deadfall.”

We set up at this location for most of the night, the aurora was visible as soon as twilight arrived. It was faint at first but displaying a spectrum of color, the intensity continuing to build toward morning. These were taken early, with the brightest and most active period coming later, shortly before daybreak.  

 As always, thank you for following. More to come...

Colin

 

Black Bears & Cottonwood Trees

Cottonwood trees are popular with black bears - not only do cubs easily ascend them but the adults are proficient climbers as well, often reaching heights of 50 feet or more to strip and eat the seeds in late spring & early summer. With all the cotton releasing in the breeze right now, it looks like this source of nutrition will soon be gone for the season...

Colin

Black bear cub in a cottonwood tree, Alaska.

Black bear cub in a cottonwood tree, Alaska.

Minnesota Swan Gallery

I recently created a gallery on my website for the trumpeter swan images I took in Minnesota last month if you'd like to have a look: https://www.colintyler.com/wildlife#/trumpeter-swans-of-lake-george-mn/

I've also been adding the photos to my online store (just in time for Father's Day) and from now through the end of June, I am offering 20% off canvas prints and 15% off metal prints by using the codes: FATHERSDAYCANVAS21 of FATHERSDAYMETAL21 at checkout: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store

Have a great weekend out there and feel free to share!

Thank you for following along,

Colin

Trumpeter swans landing on Lake George near my hometown of Outing, MN on a foggy morning in May, 2021.

Trumpeter swans landing on Lake George near my hometown of Outing, MN on a foggy morning in May, 2021.

COY - "Cub of the Year"

Hello everyone! I'm happy to have something new to share today - a black bear COY or "Cub of the Year." This tiny little bear and its sibling were showing off their innate climbing skills while their mother was grazing on vegetation right below them. Black bears retain their ability to scale large trees into adulthood, serving as a method of escape from larger and dominant brown (grizzly) bears as well as a means to feed on cottonwood seeds in the spring.

Colin

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Earth Day 2021

Earth Day 2021 Adventure, Turnagain Pass. I decided to explore the backcountry on my skis and couldn't have asked for a better day. The snow was soft and the light was amazing. I hope you all had a chance to enjoy the outdoors as well.

Have a great weekend and thank you for following along!

Colin

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Weekend Auroras?

Happy Friday, everyone!

The aurora forecast is calling for possible G-1 class geomagnetic storms this weekend, however the weather forecast is predicting clouds. If the skies are clear enough for a display, I will be out chasing lights on my skis again.

Have a great weekend and thank you for following!

Colin

Aurora gazing on Eagle River

Aurora gazing on Eagle River

Panoramic Auroras

Good morning and Happy Monday out there!

Here are a couple panoramic images I created this weekend. Both are a series of vertical frames stitched together from Friday night/Saturday morning's display. I'd literally been waiting years for the right conditions to be able to ski out onto Eagle River and shoot auroras from this angle. The way this season is going, I might get another chance before the river thaws. We could have more activity this week, weather-permitting.

Cheers!

Colin

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"Friday Night Lights"

Here's an image from Friday night/Saturday morning as the activity was really starting to intensify. The aurora had come far across the sky, setting up perfectly for my eastward-facing composition over the Chugach Mountains. I shortened my shutter speed to capture the vertical curtains as they were starting to form.

Have a great Sunday out there and thank you for following along!

Colin

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