In case you were wondering what the trail conditions are like out here at the Nature Center, I took this earlier today at Four Corners. The trails aren't just icy; they are solid ice. Cleats are necessary, or skates, definitely not skis.
Unicorned Moose
Today may have been the closest I ever come to fulfilling my dream of witnessing a unicorn in the wild. This is the bull moose that I photographed last week, though he was still carrying a full rack when I previously saw him. It seemed unusual to have his antlers this late in the winter season, so I reasoned that it wouldn’t be long before they were shed. Voila - five days later, you might say he is half the man he used to be.
Winter Photography Class
2016 Winter Photography Class - If you or anyone you know might be interested, I am offering a winter photography course at the Eagle River Nature Center on Saturday, March 19, starting at 9 am until approximately 5 pm. We will spend the first couple hours inside covering the basics of manual photography - ISO, shutter speed, aperture - then go outside for the remainder of the time and put this newfound knowledge to use! Students must provide their own camera gear and tripod, dress for the conditions and be prepared to hike up to 5 miles throughout the day. We will be working with digital SLR's only, no smart phones or "point & shoot" cameras. Cost is $95, limited to 10 people. Please call (907) 694-2108 to register or message me if you have any questions. Feel free to share!
Cheers,
Colin
February Bull Moose
This is the first moose I’ve seen near the Nature Center since last October; they aren’t as prevalent in this part of the valley during the winter months. I'm pretty certain this was one of the bulls I photographed out here last year. I imagine he will shed his antlers in the near future, only to be replaced by a new set in the spring.
Winter Bear Tracks
While hiking on the frozen Eagle River yesterday, I discovered what I believe to be black bear tracks in the ice. They've melted and refrozen, so there wasn't much detail, but I could make out claw marks and the size and spacing lead me to believe a black bear was out of its den during the warm spell we had last week.
Aurora Photography Class
After nearly two weeks of mostly cloudy weather, the skies cleared just in time for my aurora photography class last night. Lo and behold, the lights came out around 11 pm! It was a faint display but bright enough to cast a green glow above the mountains and give the students an opportunity to capture their first images of the aurora. These are the die-hards who braved the cold and stayed out with me until I called it a night and packed up just after midnight.
I will be offering another aurora class in March, most likely on Saturday, the 19th. I will post it as soon as it's on the Nature Center's schedule.
Cheers!
Colin
Return of the Sun
Today I took a long breath, exhaled and smiled from somewhere deep within as the sun climbed over the mountains, making its long awaited return to the valley after a two-month absence, splashing my face with golden sunlight.
PS - It looks as though we're going to have clear skies this evening for my aurora photography class. After a week of clouds and rain, this is a beautiful reprieve!
Early Morning Aurora
Ground Control to Major Tom, we’ve got some geomagnetic activity out there this morning….
The sky was socked in when I went to bed last night. Early this morning I woke to patchy skies and brilliant aurora, so I quickly got dressed, grabbed my gear, brewed a thermos of tea and hit the trail. When I arrived at the viewing decks, the lights had faded a bit and clouds intermittently blocked my view, eventually clearing off in time for another surge in the aurora, which carried on until it could no longer compete with the impending daylight.
Website Updates
I've recently been editing through images from the past year and updating my website, please take a look if you get a chance. I came across this shot last night - a meteor streaking through the Big Dipper during an August aurora display at the Eagle River Nature Center.
January Rains
As expected, southeast winds delivered a fair amount of precipitation to Eagle River Valley today. Unfortunately, it was in the form of freezing rain...
Monthly Astronomy Series: Aurora Borealis
Looking for something to do tomorrow evening? I will be the presenter for the monthly astronomy series at the Eagle River Nature Center and the topic is aurora borealis. I plan to delve into some of the science behind this mysterious phenomenon and share images from Alaska and Minnesota that span my entire career. Of course, I am most excited to share the photographs that I have taken here at the Nature Center! Program starts at 7 pm, admission is free, $5 parking for non-members. See you there!
Colin
Happy 2016!
Happy New Year from Colin Tyler Photography! Here's to another year filled with adventure, magic, and new experiences to share. As always, thank you for following along!
Colin
Blue Christmas
Here’s a photo from yesterday’s hike on the frozen Eagle River. I had to marvel at the fact that I was actually walking on glacier that had thawed, flowed downriver and refroze, all the while maintaining its rich sapphire hue.
Happy Day-After-Christmas from Eagle River Valley!
2015 Winter Solstice Ice Lantern Walk
Last night was the Nature Center’s annual Winter Solstice Ice Lantern walk. For the past few weeks, staff and local volunteers have been making ice lanterns of all shapes and sizes, some of which succumbed to the warm temperatures we had this past week. In the end, though, we pulled through with roughly 600 lanterns lining the trails as well as a record number of attendees (well over 300). Following a performance by the Alaska Fire Circus Performers, guests followed the Sun (played by ERNC Naturalist Ute) on a walk to the classroom yurt where we served hot cocoa next to a raging bonfire, which was constructed by Trail Manager and all around pyrotechnic expert Gus. If you’ve never attended, it is a sight to behold and takes place on the Saturday closest to winter solstice. Happy Holidays from CTP and the Eagle River Nature Center!
Success! All 25 prints sold in less than 3 days...
Well, that concludes the first edition of "December Sunrise" prints. All 25 signed and numbered 12x18" photographs have been purchased in less than 3 days! Thank you, once again, to everybody who purchased a print or helped spread the word to make this a successful promotion. Congratulations to Don Twyman, for getting print #1 and to Shirley Galvan, who just bought #25. As I stated on Tuesday, the proceeds from the 25th and final print of this run will be donated to the Children's Lunchbox of Anchorage.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from CTP!
PS - I will be delivering most of the prints to buyers in the Anchorage/Eagle River/Chugiak areas. The rest will be shipped out when my poster tubes arrive, which should be the middle of next week.
"December Sunrise, Eagle River Valley" Limited edition prints...
This sunrise image from the Eagle River Nature Center last week is continuing to generate a lot of attention. It truly was one of the most spectacular sunrises I have ever experienced and I couldn't have asked for a better location. In response to the requests for prints, I have added it to my online store on www.colintyler.com as a limited edition of 25 signed and numbered 12x18" prints for $75 each, just in time for the holiday season. Follow the link below and please share. When you make a purchase, you help fund my adventures and allow me to share the beauty of the natural world,
Thank you for your support,
Colin
Trending on Nat Geo
Great news - the sunrise images from my previous posts are currently among the most popular photos trending on National Geographic's "Your Shot" page. Both were taken last Thursday morning from the Albert Loop Trail at the Eagle River Nature Center, where I reside. It certainly was one of the most spectacular sunrises I have ever witnessed.
Cheers!
Colin
Happy Clouds
Another image from this morning's incredible sunrise out here at the Eagle River Nature Center. Using a 10-stop neutral density filter, I was able to shoot with a 90-second exposure to soften the lines in the clouds, adding an ethereal quality.
Serenity Now
This is the dramatic sunrise sky that I've been waiting for! When I saw openings in the clouds to the southeast this morning, I grabbed my gear and hiked out to shoot at one of my favorite foregrounds, arriving just in time to catch the first rays of sunlight illuminating the clouds and reflecting on the water. Total serenity...
Editing
I've been catching up on some long overdue editing recently, perusing thousands of images from the past year and narrowing down the list of keepers. It's always fun to look back on your experiences and recall what was going through your mind or what you were feeling at that moment. A picture may be worth a thousand words but when you have a personal connection to an image, it holds memories and emotions as well.
Here are two photos I came across from this past fall. The bear was taken at the Nature Center in October and the bull moose was in Denali National Park in September. Thank you all for continuing to follow along and share my page, which just passed 1,600 likes today (unsponsored) - not bad for being launched less than a year ago! As always, I'll do my best to keep exploring and sharing.
Cheers,
Colin
