If you are a regular visitor to the Eagle River Nature Center, you've probably noticed some changes in recent years. First, the Salmon Viewing Deck was beautifully rebuilt in 2022 and now offers the same stunning views from a sturdier structure with excellent interpretive signs. Second, the local beavers dammed the creek (pictured here) the following year and created a much larger pond, which now hosts a variety of waterfowl.
I took this on a golden evening in early June when the reflection was too perfect to resist. If you enjoy the photograph and are a fan of local brew, you will soon find it on the labels of the annual "Eagle River Nature Center Fireweed Saison" from Odd Man Rush Brewing. Stop by and grab some cans to go, maybe add one to your mantel...
Cheers!
Colin
Chugach Swans
I've had some version of this image in mind for a while. Last week it all came together perfectly. Trumpeter swans in morning sun with the Chugach Mountains creating a dramatic backdrop...
Colin
A Cold, Still Morning at the Eagle River Nature Center
Reflecting on a beautiful morning at the Nature Center last week...
After an evening of rainstorms with hail and thunder (a rare occurrence here), the sky cleared overnight and the temperature plummeted, leaving a thin layer of ice on the viewing decks and a perfect reflection.
As always, thank you for following.
Colin
Happy Earth Day, 2025
It's an overcast day here without much color but I am going outside to enjoy the fresh air and reflect on 12 years since I was abruptly uprooted and redirected onto a new path, as I always do on this day. It was devastating yet liberating, and there is always a lesson...
Meanwhile, I have been out chasing the many moods of spring in Alaska, from late season snowfall to foggy mornings and the sounds of birds.
Have a good day, and I hope you can get out to enjoy a moment of solitude and reflection.
Colin
Mallard in spring snow
Foggy morning at the Eagle River Nature Center, Chugach State Park
American dipper
World Photography Day 2024
Happy World Photography Day 2024!
It’s a beautiful day to chase the light here in Southcentral Alaska. As always, thank you for following!
Colin
August morning at the Eagle River Nature Center, Chugach State Park
April 2023 Geomagnetic Storm
April 23, 2023 - maybe the most intense geomagnetic storm I've experienced in Southcentral Alaska. I wish my lens was just a little wider to capture the full display that was overhead. This was also the night that I took the cover photo for my 2025 “Seasons of the Eagle River Nature Center” calendars (available for preorder on my site by clicking on the image at the top).
I'm catching up two years’ worth of editing and continue to find winning images like this one. Stay tuned for more...
Have a great weekend!
Colin
Waiting for the Aurora at Paradise Haven Cabin, Eagle River Nature Center
Last night I set up at a familiar locale in hopes of catching the aurora borealis. As it often goes, the lights did not come out and hence, the image I had in mind did not materialize. After struggling to keep a fire going in the wood stove at -20˚F and no activity in the sky, I decided it was best to wait for another opportunity...
There is more potential activity in the coming days and I am scheduled to guide an aurora tour for Alaska Photo Treks this Saturday, so hopefully we will have better luck.
Cheers,
Colin
"Seasons of the Eagle River Nature Center" 2025 calendars are off to press!
It's official - my "Seasons of the Eagle River Nature Center" 2025 calendars have gone to press!
I signed off on the proof & paid the balance for design & printing yesterday (I designed the front cover, the rest of the layout was done by Todd Communications of Anchorage). The calendars will arrive in Alaska this summer and be mailed out in July, after I return from leading our Iceland tour with Nat Expo Tours, LLC. Last year I printed 500 calendars and sold out by the first week of October, so I ordered 1,000 calendars this time, all of which will be signed & numbered..
I've pre-sold almost 50 calendars so far. Cost is $18 each and I am currently running a special of two calendars for $30 (+$5 shipping or local pickup/no shipping). Click here to reserve yours today!
Cheers!
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
AlaskaWILD 2023
Hello everyone,
I was honored to have two images selected to the 2023 AlaskaWILD traveling exhibition with the Alaska Society of Outdoor and Nature Photographers. The show is currently at Jitters Coffee in Eagle River, AK - if you are in the neighborhood, stop by for a coffee and vote for your favorite photo!
Both of these images are featured in my "Seasons of the Nature Center" book and 2024 calendar, which are available on my website. I am also offering 10% off metal prints from my website through 2024 with the purchase of a book: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store
The books are starting to show up in local retailers as well, including Anchorage Barnes & Noble. All mail orders have been shipped, so if yours has not arrived, it is en route. I've now sold more than 500 books and there are roughly 100 calendars remaining, signed & numbered 1-500.
Have a great weekend and thank you for following!
Colin
Bull moose near the Rodak Trail, Eagle River Nature Center, AK
Trumpeter swan sleeping, Eagle River Nature Center, AK
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
Aurora Photography Class
Hello everyone,
Hope you've been catching some of the recent aurora activity! If you or anyone you know is interested, I am teaching a photography class next Saturday night, April 1, at the Friends of Eagle River Nature Center (Alaska) starting at 8 pm. There will be an indoor portion followed by a short walk to the viewing decks to photograph the night sky. As of now, both the aurora and weather forecast look very favorable!
Cost is $75 for members and $85 for non-members, limited to 8 participants. You can register here: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTQzNzQ1
Thank you and feel free to share!
Colin
Photo taken on February 26, 2023...
More February Auroras
I love finding new locations to shoot auroras in my backyard..
Taken Sunday evening around 9:30 pm. My books and calendars "Seasons of the Nature Center" are going to press right now and should arrive in May. If it weren't too late, I may have added this image to the book.
I'm still taking preorders on my website - books are $30 and calendars are $18 or $15 (including multiples) with the purchase of a book: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store
As always, thank you for following along!
Colin
February Aurora Selfie
Aurora selfie from Sunday night, using my headlamp and a Lume Cube Panel Pro for illumination. I have a couple more images to share from that evening's display in the coming days.
I am scheduled to lead an aurora tour this evening for Alaska Photo Treks, however the weather does not look conducive...
Cheers,
Colin
February 2023 Aurora Borealis, Eagle River Nature Center
Mother Nature sure put on a brilliant display last night, and tonight could be very active as well!
We are going into what is typically the most active time of year for aurora borealis - late winter/early spring. I look forward to taking a group to arctic Norway 🇳🇴 in just two weeks with Nat Expo Tours, where we will be spending 6 nights above the Arctic Circle in Tromsø and the Lofoten Islands, home to some of the world's most renowned aurora viewing!
Fingers crossed for more clear skies ahead...🤞
Colin
December Morning
This is my favorite time of year for sunrises, when valley is frozen, the sun is hidden behind the mountains, and the morning sky is painted in pastel colors. Taken yesterday at the Eagle River Nature Center.
Have a great day out there and thank you for following along!
Colin
PS - I have now pre-sold 120 copies of my upcoming limited edition book, "Seasons of the Nature Center." Thank you to everyone who has ordered a copy! I look forward to sending them out in the spring. They are available for prepurchasing here: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store/seasons-of-the-nature-center-book
My First Book - "Seasons of the Nature Center"
Hello Friends,
I have a couple of big announcements...
First, I have lived and worked at the Eagle River Nature Center in Alaska since October of 2014, serving as a resident volunteer and later, Assistant Operations Manager. What was supposed to be a winter stay turned into nearly a decade of residence. I could not ask for a better place to reside, work, and grow as an artist. The staff has been very supportive of my career and more than understanding of my travel schedule in recent years, which allowed me to develop a successful international photo tour company with my good friend and colleague, Mike Haring. Next year's schedule looks to be even busier as we continue to add new destinations to the Nat Expo Tours itinerary, and other opportunities are presenting themselves as well, so it is with bittersweet emotions that I will be departing from my home and position at the Nature Center after April 2023.
Next, as a tribute to this place I have called home for more than eight years, I have embarked on one of the most ambitious and exciting projects of my career thus far - my first book!
"Seasons of the Nature Center, A Photographic Journey of Seasonal Transitions at the Eagle River Nature Center” will comprise more than 100 pages of my favorite photos in a 9x12" limited-edition coffee table book. I am doing much of the design and text in collaboration with a local publisher, with contributions from two very talented Alaskan authors. The foreword was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Kaylene Johnson-Sullivan, author of "Canyons and Ice, The Wilderness Travels of Dick Griffith." My bio was written by Chris Forbes Lundgren (Alaska Adventure Books), author of "Accidental Adventures Alaska, True Tales of Ordinary People Facing Danger in the Wilderness."
With that being said, I would also like to announce that you can help fund this project and pre-order a signed copy of "Seasons of the Nature Center" today! I am now taking orders ($30 for the book + $10 shipping): https://www.colintyler.com/online-store/seasons-of-the-nature-center-book
I will have the books in hand by spring/early summer 2023 and send them out at that time.
Thank you for following along, supporting my journeys, and helping to make this dream project a reality!
Colin
The cover of my upcoming book, now available for pre-purchase…
Happy Autumn and the March 2023 Arctic Norway Aurora Adventure!
Happy Autumn, everyone!
With the equinox comes increased solar activity and subsequently, aurora borealis. Along with that, we are heading toward the next solar maximum, so opportunities for sights like this should continue to increase over the next few years...
I will be guiding local aurora borealis tours for Alaska Photo Treks again this season and speaking of aurora tours, Mike and I have added a new trip to our schedule at Nat Expo Tours – the March 2023 Arctic Norway Aurora Adventure! Dates are March 14-22, 2023. Details and itinerary on our website.
We are offering a $200 discount for all subscribers to our newsletter. You can subscribe on our homepage: www.natexpotours.com
Happy Aurora Hunting!
Colin
Auroral corona & moon at the Eagle River Nature Center, Alaska
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