Himba village, Nambia, October 2021
This is probably my best image of an adult saw-whet owl to date. They are very small creatures and mostly nocturnal, which makes sightings & photo ops extremely rare. Stay tuned for more owl photos in the coming days, including boreal owlets...
Have a great Monday out there and thank you for following along!
Colin
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
I think it's safe to say the aurora viewing season is over at this latitude. Last season was very active, and the activity should continue to increase as we move toward the solar maximum. Here are a few more images from April 9 in Eagle River Valley, AK.
I plan to guide aurora tours again next season for Alaska Photo Treks and if all goes as planned, Mike Haring and I will add a multi-day aurora tour to our schedule with Nat Expo Tours next spring.
Thank you for following along and have a great weekend!
Colin
PS - I recently updated the my aurora borealis galleries…
Another favorite image from the night of April 9, 2022. Again, the aurora dances over Harp Mountain next to a bright moon. Here you can see the footbridge on the Albert Loop trail leading into the forest and toward the river, a favorite route at the Eagle River Nature Center.
Alas, my tour business partner and I are looking into the possibility of leading an aurora photography tour in the spring of 2023 with Nat Expo Tours. Potential destinations include Arctic Alaska or northern Scandinavia. Please stay tuned for details…
Cheers!
Colin
Early morning aurora over Dillon Mountain, Brooks Range, Alaska, March 31, 2022.
Happy Earth Day, 2022! Earth Day is significant to me for many reasons, and every year I make a point to explore someplace new on this date. I am currently in my home state of Minnesota and will be visiting a local wildlife refuge for the first time.
Thank you for following and I hope you take some time to enjoy the outdoors today...
Colin
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
The sky was active over the Knik River last night and I had the pleasure of guiding a group of visitors for Alaska Photo Treks, all but one of whom had never seen the aurora borealis before. As many times as I have witnessed and photographed this beautiful phenomenon, it never gets old, and being able to share it with first timers and watch their excitement is a gift...
Colin
Aurora Borealis over Knik River, March 22/23, 2022
Namibia, one of Africa’s youngest countries and one of the continent’s best functioning democracies. Today marks 32 years since gaining their independence from South Africa. With a storied and at times, brutal history, it’s also a country with rich culture and a promising future. Roughly 40% of Namibia’s land is protected - land that is home to the world’s oldest desert, scenery that is otherworldly, and an array of wildlife that includes at least 50% of the world’s remaining black rhinos.
I look forward to returning to Namibia in October, and I am happy to say that our tour is now 100% full. I hope our guests will be inspired as much as I was on my first visit last year. For anyone interested in joining us, we will be starting a waitlist for 2023. Please contact me for more information, or visit our website: www.natexpotours.com
Colin
Damara Living Museum
Damara Living Museum
Himba Community
Damara Living Museum
Kirkjufell, Iceland's most famous/photographed mountain, under a heavy wind & rainstorm last summer...
Great news - Iceland recently lifted its Covid travel restrictions! Visitors are no longer required to test prior entry or show proof of vaccination. We are optimistic that things will continue trending in the right direction and we now have 6 people confirmed for the August 2022 Iceland tour with Nat Expo Tours, LLC. If you or anyone you know is interested in visiting Iceland this summer, visit our website for more details or message us if you have any questions. Dates are Aug. 13-22 and we are still offering early-booking discounts: www.natexpotours.com
Takk 🇮🇸!
Colin
Happy World Wildlife Day, 2022! I had the pleasure of photographing several new wildlife species last year while visiting Namibia, which was also my first time in Africa. One memorable encounter was watching this large bull elephant from a ground-level blind in Onguma Game Reserve. While elephant numbers have been on the decline due to poaching and habitat loss, they are thriving in this part of the continent and southern Africa has the world’s largest elephant herds. It’s also worth noting that Namibia is home to at least 50% of the remaining black rhinos. Perhaps more countries will adopt similar policies that have allowed endangered species to thrive.
I look forward to returning to Namibia in October, and I am happy to say that our tour is nearly full! More information at: https://natexpotours.com/
Cheers!
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
After more than a decade, I am happy to see this image finally get its due...
I took this in Denali National Park in September, 2010. The scene was perfect - a few mature bull caribou grazing & locking antlers on a ridge with North America's tallest peak (Denali) in the background. I composed in anticipation of it being used for a magazine cover, vertical orientation with one caribou isolated & moving into the frame, and it paid off..
A big thanks to American Essence Magazine and writer Skylar Parker for the wonderful article (I posted last week) and cover story!
Colin
Happy Lunar New Year! And...here's wishing you a great start to the Year of the Tiger 🐅...
I took this in Bandhavgarh National Park, India, in 2013 and it was undoubtedly my most exhilarating experience as a wildlife photographer. Since that time, tiger populations have increased in some critical areas, thanks to the tireless work of NGO's and inter-governmental cooperation: https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/tiger
I look forward to returning to India to lead tours with Nat Expo Tours (http://natexpotours.com/) and once again witnessing wild Bengal tigers in their natural habitat.
PS - this was recognized by Nat Geo editors on the Your Shot page, making the top 10 out of nearly 12,000 images, and recently published in American Essence Magazine...
🐯Colin
Hello Everyone,
It's a nice start to the year when a national magazine puts together a wonderful feature story about you. I was contacted by a staff writer with American Essence Magazine late last year who was searching for an Alaskan photographer to write an essay about and came across my website. We emailed back & forth and did a recorded phone interview right before I left for Namibia. She just finished putting it all together and the article is now in print and online, so I can now share it with you!
It truly is an honor to have been selected for this piece and the writer, Skylar Parker, did a beautiful job of portraying my story and life events that led to where I am today. I hope you will take a few minutes to read it and maybe find some joy and inspiration, and you may want to have a couple tissues nearby...
I attached the PDF's here but you can also link to the story on their website: https://www.americanessence.com/from-ashes-to-beauty_2166.html
As always, thank you for following,
Colin
For all the challenges that 2020 brought, it was also the year of double rainbows here at the Eagle River Nature Center. I captured a number of nice images that summer and this one was in use last year by AT&T Alascom on their 2021 poster calendar. I've now added it to my website and online store, available on canvas, metal, and high-gloss photo paper
Wishing you all double rainbows in the year ahead...
Colin
Double Rainbow at the Eagle River Nature Center, July 2020