Himba village, Nambia, October 2021
Back to the Arctic for this one - the aurora dances over Sukakpak Mountain in Alaska's Brooks Range. Taken in the early morning hours of March 31, 2022 near the community of Wiseman.
Looks like I will be guiding one more aurora tour for the season with Alaska Photo Treks tonight. Fingers crossed we have a nice display for our guests!
Colin
If you had clear skies this past weekend, you may have been treated to some vibrant auroras - truly one of the most brilliant displays I’ve seen in this part of Alaska!
I had two students who were making up a class rescheduled from last month, and our timing was perfect. They learned the basics of setting up to shoot the lights and then got a crash course in making quick adjustments to capture fast moving aurora! In the end, we all came away with beautiful images.
Have a great week out there and thank you for following along!
Colin
From the Latin word for crown, 'corona' refers to an auroral display that appears to be flowing from a central point, generally directly overhead. These were taken in the early morning hours of March 31, 2022 in Alaska's Brooks Range, well above the Arctic Circle. If you look closely, you can see the Big Dipper is at the center of the corona.
Thank you for following along, and please stay tuned for more arctic auroras...
Colin
Just north of Wiseman lies what is likely the most recognizable and photographed mountain on Alaska’s Dalton Highway, Mount Sukakpak. The translation from Inupiat is: “Marten deadfall.”
We set up at this location for most of the night, the aurora was visible as soon as twilight arrived. It was faint at first but displaying a spectrum of color, the intensity continuing to build toward morning. These were taken early, with the brightest and most active period coming later, shortly before daybreak.
As always, thank you for following. More to come...
Colin
There is no place quite like the far north, the Arctic. I just returned from a 1,500-mile road trip to Alaska’s Brooks Range and the log cabin community of Wiseman. My goal was to capture arctic auroras and a bit of wildlife. I was joined by a good friend from Minnesota, Joe, and his daughter, Nadia, who was on spring break. While most spring breakers go south, we went well above the Arctic Circle to a beautifully remote landscape and our timing could not have been better - we witnessed a vibrant display last Wednesday night/Thursday morning that certainly was one of my best sessions in more than twenty years of aurora chasing! We also had great weather to drive over Atigun Pass onto the north slope, where we were welcomed by dozens of caribou.
I will be sharing more aurora images in the coming days, so please stay tuned…
Colin
Joe and Nadia watching the aurora dance across the sky
A small herd of barren ground caribou in Atigun Pass
A dirty Four Runner with extra fuel on top is a sign of a great road trip to the far north…
Two more images from Tuesday night's colorful display, taken while guiding for Alaska Photo Treks. I explained to my group how the colors of the aurora are caused by charged particles colliding with different gas molecules at varying altitudes and how red can be difficult to see. Lo and behold, within the hour we had visible colors in the aurora and the guests were elated...
Colin
I am happy to offer an aurora photography class once again at the Eagle River Nature Center! If you are in the vicinity of Anchorage/Eagle River (AK) and looking to sharpen your nighttime photography skills while learning to track solar activity so you can be ready when the lights are active, please join me at the visitor center on Saturday, March 5, 2022. The indoor portion begins at 8 pm, followed by a trip to the viewing decks to photograph the night sky and with any luck, aurora borealis!
Cost is $65 for ERNC members and $75 for non-members; limited to 8 people. Register here: https://www.ernc.org/public-programs.html
Thank you and feel free to share!
Colin
Aurora photography class at the 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
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 friends! Soon we will be entering what is typically the best season for viewing aurora borealis – late winter/spring. Even though we are currently in a solar minimum and activity is lower, we still get some nice displays here in Alaska. I offer a class on nighttime/aurora photography every year at the Eagle River Nature Center and since it usually fills quickly, I’ve decided to offer two classes this year on consecutive Saturdays - March 16 & March 23. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about night sky photography, please follow the links for more information and to register. Cost is $75 and each class is limited to 10 people.
March 16: https://www.ernc.org/courses/nighttime-aurora-photography
March 23: https://www.ernc.org/courses/nighttime-aurora-photography-1
I can’t guarantee auroras but I can promise that you’ll learn some good techniques for exposing and focusing at night as well as tracking auroral activity.
Thank you and feel free to share!
Colin
Self portrait under the aurora. Taken at the public use cabin, Eagle River Nature Center, AK.
March 2018 Aurora Borealis Class, Eagle River Nature Center, AK.
Good morning, America, how are you? Today is Election Day, so be sure to cast your ballot and when you do, vote for more auroras! Here are a few more images from Sunday night/Monday morning's display, taken at the the Eagle River Nature Center.
I am getting ready to travel to Minnesota later this week. If you are in the Minneapolis area, I will be working two travel shows with KB Tambo Travel & KB Cuba. The Star Tribune Vacation & Travel Experience is this Saturday & Sunday at the Minneapolis Convention Center and the second show is the Midwest Mountaineering Outdoor Expo on Nov. 17 & 18. Please stop by if you are in the area. I'll be promoting KB's tour packages and hopefully filling the remaining spots in my second February 2019 Cuba Photo Tour (https://www.colintyler.com/phototours-and-classes/). I have 4 people registered for the second tour and the first tour is full, so if you are interested in joining me in Cuba, please contact me ASAP!
Cheers!
Colin
It was a beautiful night to be out under the stars. After a couple days of waiting, the geomagnetic storm arrived later than anticipated last night but the lights actually kicked up much earlier in the evening than I had expected. I was scrambling to get ready but made it out for the second wave of activity.
Happy Monday!
Colin
I was editing through photos from my Iceland trip last night and came across this eery aurora image taken on the foggy drive from the north coast back to Reykjavik. It was a short, action-packed trip and I am just now catching up on sleep and settling back into this time zone. I was able to use the long flights to work on senior portraits and create my Cuba slideshow, which I presented last night at the Anchorage REI store. I had another person register for the February 2019 Cuba Tour after the program, so it looks like I’ve only got one spot left!
If you are interested in joining me in Cuba this coming February, details can be found here: http://www.colintyler.com/phototours-and-classes/
Gracias!
Colin
Well, apparently the Norse gods are smiling upon me because I couldn't possibly leave Iceland without seeing the aurora. We were under clouds during a big display a couple nights back but I did manage to get a few shots on my overnight drive from the north coast back to Reykjavik - I captured this image on the edge of Reykjavik just a couple hours ago. Now I begin the long journey home. Many thanks to William Janecek and KB Tambo Travel for including me on this adventure. Until next time, Iceland, ha det bra!
Colin
Hello and Happy May Day, friends! Mother’s Day is soon approaching and it’s not too late to order Mom special prints for her special day. I still have a few signed & numbered original artist proofs of Mother’s Love (cow moose & twin calves) and Mother’s Day Aurora (taken May 8, 2016) available for $75 each, or get the pair for $125 AND I will include a 2019 Aurora Borealis calendar as well – my photo is on the month of March, which I will sign for you, although it was also taken on Mother’s Day, May 8, 2016. Order today and they will be in the mail tomorrow! Follow the link to purchase: http://www.colintyler.com/online-store/combined-limited-first-edition-ten-signed-and-numbered-12x18-prints
Cheers,
Colin
Hello friends. While the aurora-viewing season is drawing to a close, I am happy to announce that I landed a photo in the 2019 Aurora Borealis Calendar from Todd Communications of Anchorage. I have them available for purchase here: http://www.colintyler.com/online-store/2019-aurora-borealis-calendar
My image, taken at the Eagle River Nature Center (Alaska), is on the month of March, which I will sign for you. If you are purchasing as a gift, I am happy to include a birthday or holiday greeting on a specific date for the recipient, just send me an email with the details. For the record, the photo was actually taken on Mother's Day, May 8, 2016.$20 includes shipping.
Cheers!
Colin
The clouds parted just long enough last night to witness a nice little light show around midnight, as the aurora-viewing season is quickly drawing to a close.
