Himba village, Nambia, October 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
Happy Earth Day, 2021!
This is a significant day to me for several reasons and each year I make it a point to explore someplace new on Earth Day. Before I head out the door, I wanted to announce that my December Sunrise image was named "Best of Landscape" in the AlaskaWild 2021 showcase that is sponsored by the Alaska Society of Outdoor and Nature Photographers. My brown bear image received an honorable mention as well. It is an honor to receive this recognition and I encourage you to view all the stunning images from this year's gallery: https://asonp.photoshelter.com/gallery/alaskaWILD2021/G0000M8kvyKdYEjU/
Have a fantastic Earth Day out there and I hope you can find a bit of time to enjoy what the natural world has to offer this day and every day!
Colin
December Sunrise, Eagle River Nature Center
I recently submitted some images to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for use in a project called the "Alaska Coastal Mapping Campaign" which will be viewed by the President, Interior Secretary, and other administration officials. It is a honor to have a number of images selected for the project and in the process of searching through my files I came across a few gems that I almost forgotten about, like this one.
Have a great day out there and thank you for following along!
Colin
Hello Everyone,
I am honored to announce that three of my images have been selected to the annual AlaskaWild exhibition sponsored by the Alaska Society of Outdoor and Nature Photographers. I joined the organization last year and have enjoyed meeting other photographers and utilizing the great resources that ASONP offers. If you are in Anchorage, the show will be at Side Street Espresso beginning this Friday, April 2. From there, the photos will be displayed at various locations throughout the state over the next year. If you have a chance, I encourage you to see all the stunning images that have been chosen for this year's show. If you are interested in joining ASONP, you can find more information here: https://asonp.org/
Have a great weekend and thank you for following along...
Colin
Brown bear in autumn, Eagle River Nature Center
Juvenile great horned owl, Eagle River Nature Center
December Sunrise, Eagle River Nature Center
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
I ski past this pair of nesting bald eagles frequently but getting a good perspective & lighting without a distracting background has been challenging. Yesterday, those components came together when one of the eagles was perched in the dead branches of a cottonwood tree. When I saw the symmetry of the stark branches coupled with the direction of the eagle's gaze against an open sky, I knew this would end up being a monochrome image.
Hope you enjoy,
Colin
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
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
Well, Spring sure did arrive with a bang! I skied out onto Eagle River again last night and captured some images from new locations. I will have more to share in the coming days so stay tuned...
Happy Vernal Equinox to those in the Northern Hemisphere and to my friends below the equator, Happy Autumn!
Colin
Aurora borealis over Eagle River Valley, taken around 1 am on Sunday, March 14. I had to search to find a bit of open water and was happy to find this spot looking back toward Ram Valley & Prudhoe Bay Ave. It was a cold night out there but worth the effort to come away with a few images from out on the river. Ski boots aren't the warmest footwear but they do allow me to move around much more quickly than walking. I'm hoping for a few more nights like this before the aurora & ski seasons are over.
Have a great week and thank you for following along!
Colin
Hello everyone!
This year certainly has brought increased auroral activity in recent weeks– a welcome change after the past few seasons. I’d been waiting for the right opportunity to ski out to Eagle River to photograph and last night everything came together for me. It was cold out there and cross-country ski boots don’t offer much for insulation on a frozen river in subzero temps but in the “heat” of the moment when the lights are dancing, the discomfort tends to dissipate.
Stay warm out there!
Colin
Since taking up residence at the Eagle River Nature Center, owls have become one of my favorite subjects. Biology was my best subject in school and even though I am not a biologist by degree, I have accumulated a lot of knowledge regarding owl habits and behavior through observing them and researching online, all while developing a discerning eye for spotting them.
I've had countless encounters with both great horned and saw-whet owls here and on Monday morning, Feb. 1, at 10 am AKST, I will be a guest on Alaska Public Media’s "Hometown Alaska" where I will have the honor of sharing my experiences photographing owls in the ERNC vicinity. You can tune into 91.1 FM if you are in the Anchorage area or stream the program here: https://www.alaskapublic.org/cat.../programs/hometownalaska/. It will be available for streaming after the live program as well.
I hope you are able to listen, I always look forward to sharing my experiences in the field!
Colin
After making a brief appearance between Polar Bear and Eagle peaks, the sun quickly drops out of sight while leaving a warm glow in its wake. This was taken just before noon on January 25, after two months without any direct sunlight in this part of the valley. Five months from now at the height of summer it will drop below the mountains directly opposite, approximately 12 hours later in the day. Living with these extremes of light is one of the many aspects that I cherish about residing in Alaska.
Warm wishes for a sunny day in your part of the world!
Colin
If 2020 had any overriding themes for my photography I'd say it was owls, rainbows, and lynx, in that order. While it's been a challenging year in many ways, I am grateful for the opportunities I found in my backyard and look forward to what 2021 will bring.
I am hopeful that travel will resume before too long and while it's not likely that I will be leading another tour in Cuba this winter, I am looking to return in February of 2022. Michael L Haring and I have two tours scheduled for Iceland this coming August, both of which are already half full. For more information on the tours and to sign up for our e-newsletter, please visit our new website: https://naturalexposurestours.com/. We will also be launching a Facebook page for Natural Exposures Photography Tours, LLC, which I will announce in the near future.
Have a great weekend out there and, as always, thank you for following my adventures!
Colin
Juvenile great horned owl
July double rainbow
Female lynx
The last full moon of 2020 taken, just after sunrise this morning. We're in perpetual shade at this end of Eagle River Valley for few more weeks and with the lack of recent snow, black and white felt appropriate for this image.
Have a safe and Happy New Year, and thank you for following along!
Colin
Hello everyone!
I am discounting all prints on my website through the month of December! You can save 20% on canvas or high-gloss and 10% on metal prints using the following codes at checkout: HIGHGLOSS2020/CANVAS2020/METAL2020. Whether you'd like to share my images with a loved one or deck your own halls, you can take advantage of these discounts all month long. Note: Both canvas and metal prints arrive ready to hang on the wall and I can ship almost anywhere. Message me if you have any questions.
Thank you all for following along and feel free to share!
Have a beautiful season,
Colin
"Íslensk Ást - Icelandic Love" Eastern Highlands, Iceland. Purchase this print: colintyler.com/online-store
Male Lynx, Chugach State Park, Alaska. Purchase this print: colintyler.com/online-store
Bull Moose in Fireweed, Chugach State Park, Alaska. Purchase this print: colintyler.com/online-store
Hey Everyone! You may recall that last summer I was able to join local owl enthusiast, Andrew Fisher, while he checked the activity in nesting boxes he had built & placed around the Anchorage area. Later in the season, I went out with him again along with a biologist from the State of Alaska and documented the banding of saw-whet fledglings. I am excited to say that Andrew will be giving a presentation on his owl boxes for the Eagle River Nature Center via Zoom this Sunday at 2pm (AKST). I will be attending virtually and you can too! Follow this link to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUrcOmvrjojHNDq1dYitqrPYzjmANokF3Hc?fbclid=IwAR3TTTGsXnx4F1vFSdAduHIA6-L5tWLDNlpsVsLfPGjfn7wIPmPRaMvp7RY
Thank you and I hope you can join us!
Colin
Sw-whet owl fledglings
Daylight is fading quickly here. The amount of direct sun that hits this corner of the valley is now measured in minutes and soon we’ll be in perpetual shade until after the new year. Pondering this, I recently discovered a new scene from a familiar location. The low-lying clouds parted just enough to reveal Eagle Peak with the sun passing behind the summit, almost creating a portal into the next season.
This was taken from the Beaver Deck at the Eagle River Nature Center on November 14 at approximately 12:30 pm. Our naturalist has created an online project to document the seasonal transitions from this exact spot and everybody is encouraged to participate. On the right corner of the viewing deck you will see a sign on the handrail with instructions for sharing your photo to Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #erncwatch. Be sure to include the date & time along with any other observations and your photos will help show the changes throughout an entire year!
Have a great week out there and thank you for following along,
Colin
I witnessed another lynx family recently as they were crossing a frozen river. The mother went first and the kittens followed, one at a time and very apprehensively until all of them had crossed. There have been a lot of lynx in my life lately. It feels symbolic and ultimately, they may end up teaching me more about myself and my own journey.
Have a great week out there and let's hope for civility and cooperation as we navigate the coming days.
Colin
A kitten leaps over the darker, thinner river ice to reach its mother on the other side.
I was focused on the timid kitten near the edge when another darted across the frame.
Happy National Cat Day 2020! I've long considered myself a cat lover, both domestic and wild. I think this mother lynx realized that.
That's all for meow,
🐯Colin
