Earth Day 2019

Happy Earth Day 2019! This day will always remain significant to me for many reasons: https://www.colintyler.com/news/2015/4/22/from-ashes-to-adventure-one-year-in-this-big-giant-life?rq=from%20ashes%20to%20ad
In keeping with tradition on this date, I am off to explore a location that is new to me and thankfully the rain has turned to snow for my day hike excursion. I took this image last year on Earth Day in Hatcher Pass, Alaska. Exactly one month later it made the Daily Dozen at National Geographic Yourshot.

Colin

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Daily Dozen at National Geographic Your Shot

Good morning, friends. It’s been a busy couple of weeks and I am just getting ready to leave for Valdez, where I will be spending a few days in an area of Prince William Sound that I have never visited before. In the meantime, I wanted to share some exciting news - the photo I took of the skier in Hatcher Pass, Alaska on April 22, Earth Day, received an editor’s note on the National Geographic Your Shot page yesterday and subsequently made the Daily Dozen, as chosen by Nat Geo editors. It is always rewarding and simultaneously humbling to receive recognition from National Geographic. My image is currently one of the most popular trending on Your Shot today. Unfortunately I arrived home too late to post this yesterday and ask you to vote for your favorite of the Daily Dozen but you can still view them by clicking the image below. Have a great week and I hope to return with new images and experiences to share!

Colin

PS - I would love to contact the skier in this photo. It was taken around 5 pm on Sunday, April 22. I was shooting across the valley from the Marmot Peak area in Hatcher Pass. There were two skiers; this is the second person to descend. Please contact me if you or someone you know might be pictured here.

Ethereality is my Reality

"Ethereality is my reality."

Here are two more photos from Monday's ski trek in Portage Valley. I'd wanted to hike up to Byron Glacier to explore the ice caves but with the recent snow slides on either side of the valley and all the wind-packed snow, avalanche danger was too high to risk going up there. Better to be safe than sorry, as they say, and live to create another day!

Colin

Happy Vernal Equinox, 2018!

Happy Vernal Equinox! Today marks the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and we just passed 12 hours of daylight here in South Central Alaska. I decided to leave my home turf yesterday and explore Portage Valley, south of Girdwood. A friend and I skied up toward Byron Glacier. The skies were clear and the wind was ripping, which made for some interesting scenic images with my telephoto lens. At 400mm, I could isolate the top of Bard Peak and focus on the lines & textures. Black & white always brings an ethereal mood to a wind-blown landscape.

Cold Rain and (finally) Snow!

If you live in south central Alaska, you might agree that we've had some interesting, albeit obnoxious weather recently. After a couple days of rain on top of ice, which prevented me from being able to drive home on Monday evening, we've got a bit of snow on the ground again. If this continues I might actually be able to dust off my skis for the first time this season.

Be safe and stay upright out there!

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

Dani and Will, July 7, 2017

The best memories are spontaneous moments rather than directed and posed. I do my best to capture the mood in moments like these, to document the sequence of events, and to tell the story of every event I photograph. Congratulations, Dani and Will! July 7, 2017.

Winter Landscape Photography Class

There is no solitude like that of a quiet winter day. After two rather mild years, we are having what many Alaskans are referring to as a "real winter." Every snowfall brings a fresh look to the valley and familiar scenes take on a new light.

Speaking of new light, I still have a few spaces left in my all-day winter landscape photography class on Saturday, March 4, at the Eagle River Nature Center. If you are interested, please call (907) 694-2108 to register. Cost is $75 and limited to 10 people. Feel free to share and thank you for following along!

Cheers,

Colin

17 inches of fresh snow and counting...

It's been a few years since we've had a winter wonderland back here in Eagle River Valley. Last year at this time the landscape was brown and the trails were a mix of ice and mud. We've gotten 17 inches over the past two days with more on the way. I'm getting ready to leave for Minnesota to visit family and had to ski out to my favorite spot today to soak up the scenery. Have a great week and be safe on the roads out there, a winter storm warning is in effect for South Central Alaska. Thank you for following along!

Colin

Going the Extra Mile

Yesterday I walked a few miles along the river, examining the receding ice. My goal was to document the changes and, more specifically, take a close look under the ice bridges, most of which have collapsed by now. I found this bridge intact with rushing water directly below and a nice view of the valley in the background, the only issue being that the water was too deep for my Xtra Tough rubber boots. Determined to get the shot and set up just above the surface of the water, I removed my boots, pants, and thermal layer and waded into the icy water barefooted, repeatedly telling myself that it really isn’t that cold. In the end, it really wasn’t too bad and I came away with a unique perspective of the river and the valley.

Spring Breakup, Lake George, Minnesota

Contrary to what Paul Simon might say, all the world is not a sunny day, and not everything looks worse in black and white. Fog creates the mystery while monochrome creates the mood during spring breakup.

Happy Trees, Happy Mountains, Happy Clouds...

"People might look at you a bit funny, but it's okay. Artists are allowed to be a bit different." One of my favorite quotes from the late, great artist Bob Ross.

I spent today exploring Eagle River Valley, seeking out happy trees and a peaceful little corner of the world, far from the repetitious cycle of tragic news stories and the vitriolic exchange that it always generates. I found solace in a frozen landscape with only the sounds of rushing water and crackling ice to break the silence. I wish everyone could have experienced this same tranquility, maybe the world would be a bit more civil.

Rodak Nature Trail Reopened

After nearly three weeks of closure, the Rodak Nature Trail was reopened today by Chugach State Park. It was a blustery evening with rainy weather making its way down the valley yet beautiful in a monochromatic way, and always a good place to clear my mind, breathe and create. I’ve used this little hiatus to catch up on a bit of editing as well as process last summer’s salmon, but I truly missed this scene and starting my days here.