Day 4, Etosha in Black and White: "The Lion Tree"

In celebration of my Facebook page recently passing 6,000 followers, I am sharing my favorite image from Namibia and the final installment of the “Etosha in Black and White” series. As the lions left the waterhole and started making their way to the shade of the camel thorn tree, I had a vision that soon came to fruition. The first lion lay down facing toward the second, approaching lion, and they paused for this moment with the Etosha Pan in the background - a massive dry lakebed of approximately 1900 square miles (4800 square km), comprising around 20% of Etosha National Park. Again, the high key/bright highlights of the harsh midday sun made for an excellent black and white image that conveys the torrid environment.


This image will be added to my online store, available on canvas and metal: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store

As always, thank you for following my journeys. Reminder that I will be giving a slideshow on Namibia and discussing the 2023 tour with Nat Expo Tours (www.natexpotours.com) this Sunday, Nov 20, 2pm at the Eagle River Nature Center, Alaska.

Colin

Day 2, Etosha in Black & White: "Tusker"

A large bull elephant crossing the parched landscape of Etosha National Park (Namibia) in midday heat. A simple composition with a big sky suggests a sense of space while the single bush anchors the image behind the elephant, giving perspective and scale.

Thank you for following,

Colin

Please message me if you are interested in joining the October 2023 Namibia tour with Nat Expo Tours. For a list of all our upcoming tours, please visit our website: www.natexpotours.com

Day 1, Etosha in Black & White: "Zebra Fight"

One advantage of revisiting a destination is not feeling the pressure to capture all the new species that you might otherwise be observing for the first time. It allows you to see the subjects from a more relaxed perspective; to create new and unique images.


After the golden hour of early morning, the light in Etosha National Park (Namibia) becomes very hot, like the ambient temperature of 100˚F/38˚C. While it may not have the appeal of low angle sun, it conveys the harsh environment in which these animals thrive. I chose to utilize the high key light and bright contrast to convey a sense of place in this short series of black & white images. Please stay tuned for more...

Colin

Please message me if you are interested in joining us in Namibia next October. You can find more information about all our upcoming tours on our website: www.natexpotours.com

Cheetah Portrait

Good (early) morning out there! I am back in Alaska and trying to adjust to the time change. With the end of daylight saving time, I am now a full 12 hours behind where I was just a few days ago in Ethiopia, and waking up much earlier than I need to.

I'm still editing through images from Namibia and will continue to post in the coming days. Here is another portrait from the cheetah rescue facility at Neuras Lodge, in affiliation with Naankuse Wildlife Sanctuary. Next year's Namibia tour with Nat Expo Tours, LLC is half full already. Please contact me if you are interested in joining.

Have a great Sunday and thank you for following along!

Colin

Humpback whale in Iceland's longest fjord, Ejyafjördur

After 2 days of strong winds, we were able to take our group out with Whale Watching Hauganes on Sunday morning before driving back to Reykjavik for the final night of the tour. It definitely was one of the best whale experiences I've had in Iceland, with several moments like this right next to our boat.

I'm home and getting settled in, with a bit of editing here & there. I have much more to share from both Svalbard and Iceland in the coming days. We will be posting details of our 2023 Iceland Tour with Nat Expo Tours, LLC in the near future as well, and we are looking at June of next year...

As always, thank you for following along,

Colin

Namibian Independence Day

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

Winter's Tone

This is the start of my eighth winter here at the Eagle River Nature Center and it has undoubtedly been the best season we've had in terms of a snow-blanketed landscape, soft winter tones, and excellent skiing conditions. Wildlife activity has been slow recently but the scenery is breathtaking...

As always, thank you for following,

Colin

Taken from the Albert Loop Trail, Eagle River Nature Center, Alaska

Sesriem in Black & White

Sesriem National Park, Namibia. A study in tones, lines, and scale. While the warm hues in the sand and rich blue skies were saturated and visually appealing, I was often envisioning black & white when shooting the landscape..

We will be visiting Sesriem and Sossusvlei on Days 2 & 3 of the October 2022 Namibia Tour. Itinerary & details will be shared soon on the Nat Expo Tours website.

Have a great weekend out there and thank you for following!

Colin

Oryx/gemsbok in Sesriem National Park, Namibia

Hikers atop the dune surrounding Sossusvlei dry ancient lake bed, Namibia

Perhaps the most photographed dune in Sesriem National Park, Namibia

Earth Day 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

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Fading Sunlight

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

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Earth Day 2019

Happy Earth Day 2019! This day will always remain significant to me for many reasons: https://www.colintyler.com/news/2015/4/22/from-ashes-to-adventure-one-year-in-this-big-giant-life?rq=from%20ashes%20to%20ad
In keeping with tradition on this date, I am off to explore a location that is new to me and thankfully the rain has turned to snow for my day hike excursion. I took this image last year on Earth Day in Hatcher Pass, Alaska. Exactly one month later it made the Daily Dozen at National Geographic Yourshot.

Colin

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Daily Dozen at National Geographic Your Shot

Good morning, friends. It’s been a busy couple of weeks and I am just getting ready to leave for Valdez, where I will be spending a few days in an area of Prince William Sound that I have never visited before. In the meantime, I wanted to share some exciting news - the photo I took of the skier in Hatcher Pass, Alaska on April 22, Earth Day, received an editor’s note on the National Geographic Your Shot page yesterday and subsequently made the Daily Dozen, as chosen by Nat Geo editors. It is always rewarding and simultaneously humbling to receive recognition from National Geographic. My image is currently one of the most popular trending on Your Shot today. Unfortunately I arrived home too late to post this yesterday and ask you to vote for your favorite of the Daily Dozen but you can still view them by clicking the image below. Have a great week and I hope to return with new images and experiences to share!

Colin

PS - I would love to contact the skier in this photo. It was taken around 5 pm on Sunday, April 22. I was shooting across the valley from the Marmot Peak area in Hatcher Pass. There were two skiers; this is the second person to descend. Please contact me if you or someone you know might be pictured here.

Ethereality is my Reality

"Ethereality is my reality."

Here are two more photos from Monday's ski trek in Portage Valley. I'd wanted to hike up to Byron Glacier to explore the ice caves but with the recent snow slides on either side of the valley and all the wind-packed snow, avalanche danger was too high to risk going up there. Better to be safe than sorry, as they say, and live to create another day!

Colin

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Happy Vernal Equinox, 2018!

Happy Vernal Equinox! Today marks the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and we just passed 12 hours of daylight here in South Central Alaska. I decided to leave my home turf yesterday and explore Portage Valley, south of Girdwood. A friend and I skied up toward Byron Glacier. The skies were clear and the wind was ripping, which made for some interesting scenic images with my telephoto lens. At 400mm, I could isolate the top of Bard Peak and focus on the lines & textures. Black & white always brings an ethereal mood to a wind-blown landscape.

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Cold Rain and (finally) Snow!

If you live in south central Alaska, you might agree that we've had some interesting, albeit obnoxious weather recently. After a couple days of rain on top of ice, which prevented me from being able to drive home on Monday evening, we've got a bit of snow on the ground again. If this continues I might actually be able to dust off my skis for the first time this season.

Be safe and stay upright out there!

Colin

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Foggy, Frosty, Monochrome Morning

Not all the world is a sunny day and with apologies to Paul Simon, not everything looks worse in black and white. It's been quite foggy in the valley the past few days, creating an ethereal mood in the frosty mornings that is perfect for monochrome images.

Also, if you venture out to the Eagle River Nature Center, the Albert Loop Trail has reopened for the season, which is where I took this earlier. The glacier has stopped melting and you will notice how the water is clearing as the silt is carried downstream. 

Happy Friday, have a great weekend out there!

Colin

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Dani and Will, July 7, 2017

The best memories are spontaneous moments rather than directed and posed. I do my best to capture the mood in moments like these, to document the sequence of events, and to tell the story of every event I photograph. Congratulations, Dani and Will! July 7, 2017.

Winter Landscape Photography Class

There is no solitude like that of a quiet winter day. After two rather mild years, we are having what many Alaskans are referring to as a "real winter." Every snowfall brings a fresh look to the valley and familiar scenes take on a new light.

Speaking of new light, I still have a few spaces left in my all-day winter landscape photography class on Saturday, March 4, at the Eagle River Nature Center. If you are interested, please call (907) 694-2108 to register. Cost is $75 and limited to 10 people. Feel free to share and thank you for following along!

Cheers,

Colin

17 inches of fresh snow and counting...

It's been a few years since we've had a winter wonderland back here in Eagle River Valley. Last year at this time the landscape was brown and the trails were a mix of ice and mud. We've gotten 17 inches over the past two days with more on the way. I'm getting ready to leave for Minnesota to visit family and had to ski out to my favorite spot today to soak up the scenery. Have a great week and be safe on the roads out there, a winter storm warning is in effect for South Central Alaska. Thank you for following along!

Colin