After a couple days of mixed wintry weather, Eagle River Valley awoke to a beautiful combination of fall colors with a fresh blanket of snow this morning.
As always, thank you for following,
Colin
Fall Moose Guiding
It's been a few weeks since I finished my season as a guest lecturer with Princess Cruises and I've spent almost every day since guiding photographers in Southcentral Alaska. Whether we're chasing colorful landscapes, moose, or auroras, fall is a busy time for local tours. I had the privilege of spending a couple days with one of the most impressive bulls around recently while guiding for Alaska Photo Treks, along with his harem of cows and a couple smaller bulls who dared to get too close, only to be chased off!
Cheers,
Colin
Recent Guiding Moments
A few highlights from recent guiding ventures in Alaska. I am now on my way to Southern Africa where we will be leading our 4th consecutive tour of Namibia with Nat Expo Tours, LLC, which now includes a few days in northern Botswana. Stay tuned for photos of the Namib Desert and the array of Africa wildlife!
We are currently taking reservations for next year's Southern Africa Adventure (Oct 16-30, 2026), Experiencing Cuba (Feb 18-27, 2026), Arctic Norway Aurora Adventure (March 15-25, 2026), Exploring Nepal (May 13-26, 2026) and Exploring Iceland (June 17-27, 2026). Please message me if you are interested in joining any of our guided adventures to some of the world's most renowned photographic destinations! You can view all of our itineraries here: https://natexpotours.com/
Cheers!
Colin
Aurora borealis & Big Dipper, Palmer
Brown bear in the rain, Lake Clark National Park
Young bull moose, Chugach State Park
Surprise Geomagnetic Storm!
Wow, what a storm last night!
It truly was one of the best displays I've witnessed in my years of chasing auroras, which date back to the days of film. Never did I imagine back then how digital technology would allow one to capture images of the aurora with such detail and vibrance, using a shutter speed fast enough to freeze the rapidly dancing lights.
Geomagnetic storms are more common and can arrive unpredicted around both the autumnal and vernal equinoxes, due to a phenomenon known as the Russell-McPherron Effect. Click here to learn more…
Cheers!
Colin
Happy Moose Monday/Fun-day!
This certainly was a unique opportunity from a recent guiding adventure. I've witnessed a lot of rutting behavior in recent years, but this is rare. We'd hiked close to 10 miles in the rain the previous day without taking a single frame, but this day sure did "produce."
As always, thank you for following,
Colin
Happy Autumn!
Today marks the first day of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, though it has looked and felt like fall for a few weeks in Southcentral Alaska. I’ve been busy guiding and just had two very successful days of moose photo safaris with Alaska Photo Treks. This is one of the biggest bulls I’ve ever seen, with antlers that span around 70” across…
alaskaWILD 2024 People's Choice Award
I am honored that my image "Paws and Reflect" was not only selected for alaskaWILD 2024, a traveling exhibition curated by Alaska Society of Outdoor and Nature Photographers, but was also awarded "People's Choice" after receiving more than 400 votes from various venues around Alaska! This was revealed last night at the monthly ASONP members' meeting.
I belong to ASONP and also serve on the board of directors. If you are an avid photographer, I encourage you to visit their website and consider joining. It's a great organization for networking with other photographers and there are many opportunities for workshops and excursions, both in Alaska and abroad: https://asonp.org/
Cheers!
Colin
“Paws and Reflect”
Chasing Autumn Scenes in Southcentral Alaska
These were taken while guiding a couple on a 3-day private custom photography tour. It was their first visit to Alaska, and the first tour I led under the new collaboration between Nat Expo Tours and well known, highly regarded photographer, Jeff Schultz (longtime official photographer of the Iditarod and founder of Alaska Stock Photo Agency). I had a wonderful time showing them some of the best fall scenes in this part of the state, despite the helicopter/glacier flight being grounded due to low visibility. Next time…
Jeff contacted me last summer to see if I would be interested in leading some of his tours. These will be custom tours for small groups and individuals. We are honored to have formed this partnership, and look forward to more opportunities!
As always, thank you for following.
Colin
Virgin Creek Falls, Girdwood
Turnagain Arm
Surfing the incoming tide in Turnagain Arm
Granite Creek
Pioneer Peak in fog
Knik River Valley
Fall Rainbow
Autumn is in full swing here in Southcentral Alaska, and I have been chasing colors and fall scenes over the past couple of weeks. I took this yesterday evening while guiding a tour for Alaska Photo Treks as the setting sun illuminated a wall of rain along Turnagain Arm.
Have a great weekend!
Colin
Early Season Auroras
Hello everyone,
I hope you've been able to catch some of the recent auroral activity! This season is starting out to be very active and should continue as we are in the Solar Maximum.
These were taken last Friday while guiding for Alaska Photo Treks. The show continued through the night, and all of our 17 guests were thrilled! Click here to visit their site if you're interested in booking a local tour.
In other news, at Nat Expo Tours we are excited to announce a new partnership right here in Alaska that will allow our business to expand to include my home state in addition to our international destinations! These will be custom, private tours for small groups. I led my first multi-day tour last week. More to come on that…
Happy skywatching!
Colin
Moose vs. Branch
Here is a moose with a lot on his mind...
He tangled with the wrong branch but eventually shook it loose and went about his day. Taken near Anchorage, AK September 2023.
Happy Monday out there and thank you for following along!
Colin
From one year to the next, this brown bear cub seems to be growing up nicely. The first image was taken in 2022 and appears on page 17 of my book, "Seasons of the Nature Center." The second photo was taken earlier this fall.
Speaking of my book, I will be at Title Wave Books in Anchorage tomorrow, Saturday Nov 25, from 1 to 3 pm for a book signing along with 3 other Alaskan authors. Please stop by if you can!
Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving holiday and look forward to the season ahead. A big thank you to Title Wave for hosting the event tomorrow and I hope to see you there.
Cheers!
Colin
PS - Signed copies of "Seasons of the Nature Center" are still available on my site, please allow 2-3 weeks for shipping: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store
Great Horned Owl in Autumn Foliage
A master of camouflage, the great horned owl is easy to miss without closely analyzing the environment for patterns and shapes that begin to stand out. This recent sighting was the first I've had in a while, but something tells me they've been observing me...
I depart on Sunday to begin the long journey to southern Africa, where we will be leading our second tour of Namibia with Nat Expo Tours: https://natexpotours.com. I will fulfill any incoming book, calendar, and print orders when I return in mid-November. Note: I only have 4 calendars left out of 500!
"Seasons of the Nature Center" books & calendars are available here: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store
Thank you for following along and I look forward to sharing new images and experiences from Namibia!
Colin
Eagle Peak in Autumn, Black & White
Eagle Peak emerging from the clouds on an autumn evening.
This is a new perspective on a familiar scene; a mountain I've photographed countless times, yet each time tells a different story...
Reminder that I am teaching a class titled "Storytelling with Photography" this Sunday at the Eagle River Nature Center from 1 - 4 pm. There are spaces available: https://www.ernc.org/public-programs.html
Thank you and feel free to share!
Colin
Moose Photo Safaris
Happy Wednesday out there, everyone! I've had a busy and successful week guiding moose photo safaris for Alaska Photo Treks (so much that I skipped the auroras Monday night after leading an evening tour followed by an early start the next morning).
These are some of my favorite images from this week's guiding adventures. Please check out www.alaskaphototreks.com if you are interested in experiencing Alaskan scenery, wildlife, or aurora borealis with local expertise!
Also, if you are in the area, I am teaching a "Storytelling with Photography" class this Sunday afternoon from 1 - 4 pm at the Eagle River Nature Center. What stories can you piece together from the photos here? Everyone will have an individual response just like every person has their own unique story to tell. You can register here: https://www.ernc.org/public-programs.html
As always, thank you for following...
Colin
Fall Bear Cub
Looking back to earlier in the season when a brown bear cub had just finished eating a salmon caught by its mother, then paused briefly for this photo. I'm glad I was able to get a few autumn bear images before leaving for Africa…ezg
Have a great Thanksgiving holiday and thank you for following!
Colin
Caribou Magazine Cover
After more than a decade, I am happy to see this image finally get its due...
I took this in Denali National Park in September, 2010. The scene was perfect - a few mature bull caribou grazing & locking antlers on a ridge with North America's tallest peak (Denali) in the background. I composed in anticipation of it being used for a magazine cover, vertical orientation with one caribou isolated & moving into the frame, and it paid off..
A big thanks to American Essence Magazine and writer Skylar Parker for the wonderful article (I posted last week) and cover story!
Colin
Well-fed Brown Bear
It's unfortunate the annual NPS "Fat Bear Contest" is over with because I think this big bruin would have been a contender!
A healthy, well-fed bear is a sign of a functioning ecosystem and this one looks to have enough reserves to sustain it through winter, even with our current temperature of -10˚F...
Colin
2021 Autumnal Equinox Time Lapse
Happy Autumn to those in the Northern Hemisphere! It was a brisk and beautiful morning to welcome the autumnal equinox. Here's a 15 second time lapse video taken over a 30 minute period as sunlight began to work its way down the Chugach Mountains and into the valley.
It's tough to imagine that in just a couple weeks I will experience springtime in Namibia!
As always, thank you for following...
Colin
First Snowfall
It's always nice to have fall colors juxtaposed with fresh snow. September 21, 2021, Eagle River Nature Center.
Colin
