Himba village, Nambia, October 2021
After briefly subsiding around midnight on Sunday, the geomagnetic activity picked up again and produced one of the most intense displays I've seen in quite a while.
I'm still editing through images and will have more to share in the coming days...
Cheers!
Colin
Aurora Borealis over the Chugach Mountains. Eagle River Nature Center, Alaska
Happy Monday out there, everyone! You know it's going to be a good night when the sky starts to dance before nautical twilight has arrived.
In the ephemeral darkness of springtime in Alaska, Mother Nature put on a brilliant display for us last night. More to come...
Cheers!
Colin
Aurora Borealis at the Eagle River Nature Center, Alaska
Scenes from our first Arctic Norway Adventure with Nat Expo Tours. Words don't aptly describe the topography, the culture expressed in the quaint Nordic architecture, and the scenery of Tromsø and the Lofoten Islands. It truly is one of the most beautiful places I've visited and I look forward to returning next year!
We've scheduled next year's Arctic Norway Adventure 🇳🇴 - dates are March 11-21, 2024. If you are interested in spending summer solstice in Iceland 🇮🇸 this year, we have a few spots open on that venture (June 19-28, 2023). We do have spaces in the October 2023 Namibia Tour 🇳🇦 as well (Oct 16-27. 2023). More details and itineraries on our website: www.natexpotours.com
It looks like the February 2024 Cuba Tour is full...🇨🇺
Thank you for following and feel free to share!
Colin
Vestpollen
Aurora borealis near Tromsø
Reine
I could not imagine a more idyllic Nordic town. We just spent 6 nights above the arctic circle in Norway - 3 nights in Tromsø and 3 nights on the Lofoten Islands, on our first trip to Norway with Nat Expo Tours. The landscape is unlike anything I have ever experienced. We will definitely be back next year!
In the meantime, we do have a few spots open on our June 2023 Iceland tour: https://naturalexposurestours.com/2021-iceland-tour/ Please message me if you are interested...
Cheers!
Colin
Hello everyone,
Hope you've been catching some of the recent aurora activity! If you or anyone you know is interested, I am teaching a photography class next Saturday night, April 1, at the Friends of Eagle River Nature Center (Alaska) starting at 8 pm. There will be an indoor portion followed by a short walk to the viewing decks to photograph the night sky. As of now, both the aurora and weather forecast look very favorable!
Cost is $75 for members and $85 for non-members, limited to 8 participants. You can register here: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTQzNzQ1
Thank you and feel free to share!
Colin
Photo taken on February 26, 2023...
I love finding new locations to shoot auroras in my backyard..
Taken Sunday evening around 9:30 pm. My books and calendars "Seasons of the Nature Center" are going to press right now and should arrive in May. If it weren't too late, I may have added this image to the book.
I'm still taking preorders on my website - books are $30 and calendars are $18 or $15 (including multiples) with the purchase of a book: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store
As always, thank you for following along!
Colin
Aurora selfie from Sunday night, using my headlamp and a Lume Cube Panel Pro for illumination. I have a couple more images to share from that evening's display in the coming days.
I am scheduled to lead an aurora tour this evening for Alaska Photo Treks, however the weather does not look conducive...
Cheers,
Colin
Mother Nature sure put on a brilliant display last night, and tonight could be very active as well!
We are going into what is typically the most active time of year for aurora borealis - late winter/early spring. I look forward to taking a group to arctic Norway 🇳🇴 in just two weeks with Nat Expo Tours, where we will be spending 6 nights above the Arctic Circle in Tromsø and the Lofoten Islands, home to some of the world's most renowned aurora viewing!
Fingers crossed for more clear skies ahead...🤞
Colin
Christmas Moose.
Hope everyone had a nice holiday! I was able to get outside to capture some moose photos in the deep snow (we still have close to 30" on the ground). This was one of three bulls that were feeding together and as you can see, he had a branch stuck in his headgear that wouldn't fall off. Two bulls still had their antlers and one had already shed his for the season.
Thank you to everyone who has pre-ordered copies of my upcoming limited edition book, "Seasons of the Nature Center" (cover photo in first comment). The orders keep coming in and my end-of-year goal is now 200 books! Cost is $30 + $10 shipping: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store/seasons-of-the-nature-center-book
I created a separate link for those in Southcentral Alaska who would like to arrange to get their books in person and skip the shipping fee: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store/seasons-of-the-nature-center
For those in the area who have already ordered and paid for shipping, I will gladly deliver your books to you in person.
Thank you,
Colin
Fire and ice at 10˚ below zero.
The annual Winter Solstice Ice Lantern Walk has always been one of my favorite events to photograph here at the Nature Center, and I'm glad I was able to get a few more images this year, my last as a resident staff member. With 3 feet of snow on the ground and subzero temps, conditions were perfect for this celebration of light.
I believe one of these new images is going to make it into my upcoming book, "Seasons of the Nature Center." This will be a limited edition, 9x12" coffee table book with more than 100 pages of my favorite photos from nearly a decade of residence at the Eagle River Nature Center. I am now taking pre-orders for signed copies, $30 + $10 shipping: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store/seasons-of-the-nature-center-book
Thank you for following,
Colin
Lioness, Etosha National Park, Namibia.
What you can't see here is that she is wearing a radio collar, which is cleverly camouflaged by the tall grass. It almost seemed as though she was intentionally hiding it...
Cheers,
Colin
This is my favorite time of year for sunrises, when valley is frozen, the sun is hidden behind the mountains, and the morning sky is painted in pastel colors. Taken yesterday at the Eagle River Nature Center.
Have a great day out there and thank you for following along!
Colin
PS - I have now pre-sold 120 copies of my upcoming limited edition book, "Seasons of the Nature Center." Thank you to everyone who has ordered a copy! I look forward to sending them out in the spring. They are available for prepurchasing here: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store/seasons-of-the-nature-center-book
Hello Friends,
I have a couple of big announcements...
First, I have lived and worked at the Eagle River Nature Center in Alaska since October of 2014, serving as a resident volunteer and later, Assistant Operations Manager. What was supposed to be a winter stay turned into nearly a decade of residence. I could not ask for a better place to reside, work, and grow as an artist. The staff has been very supportive of my career and more than understanding of my travel schedule in recent years, which allowed me to develop a successful international photo tour company with my good friend and colleague, Mike Haring. Next year's schedule looks to be even busier as we continue to add new destinations to the Nat Expo Tours itinerary, and other opportunities are presenting themselves as well, so it is with bittersweet emotions that I will be departing from my home and position at the Nature Center after April 2023.
Next, as a tribute to this place I have called home for more than eight years, I have embarked on one of the most ambitious and exciting projects of my career thus far - my first book!
"Seasons of the Nature Center, A Photographic Journey of Seasonal Transitions at the Eagle River Nature Center” will comprise more than 100 pages of my favorite photos in a 9x12" limited-edition coffee table book. I am doing much of the design and text in collaboration with a local publisher, with contributions from two very talented Alaskan authors. The foreword was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Kaylene Johnson-Sullivan, author of "Canyons and Ice, The Wilderness Travels of Dick Griffith." My bio was written by Chris Forbes Lundgren (Alaska Adventure Books), author of "Accidental Adventures Alaska, True Tales of Ordinary People Facing Danger in the Wilderness."
With that being said, I would also like to announce that you can help fund this project and pre-order a signed copy of "Seasons of the Nature Center" today! I am now taking orders ($30 for the book + $10 shipping): https://www.colintyler.com/online-store/seasons-of-the-nature-center-book
I will have the books in hand by spring/early summer 2023 and send them out at that time.
Thank you for following along, supporting my journeys, and helping to make this dream project a reality!
Colin
The cover of my upcoming book, now available for pre-purchase…
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
I have much to be grateful for this year, including many new experiences in premiere destinations around the world, and 2023 is shaping up to be another banner year for travel and tours as well!
Finally, thank you all for following along and supporting my adventures. You are the reason I am able to continue this journey. I will have a couple big announcements in the coming weeks, so please stay tuned for those...
All the best,
Colin
Polar Bear on the icepack, 82˚ North, Svalbard
Zebras in Etosha National Park, Namibia
Humpback whale, northern Iceland
Looking back to earlier in the season when a brown bear cub had just finished eating a salmon caught by its mother, then paused briefly for this photo. I'm glad I was able to get a few autumn bear images before leaving for Africa…ezg
Have a great Thanksgiving holiday and thank you for following!
Colin
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
Zebras are the most common animal in Etosha National Park, Namibia, numbering around 20,000. They are usually found in groups, but this lone animal provided a beautiful composition against the open plains. I switched from my telephoto to a wider angle lens and used a polarizing filter to bring out detail in the sky, with the clouds signaling the coming of the rainy season.
I will be giving a presentation on Namibia at 2 pm this Sunday at the Eagle River Nature Center. If you are in the Anchorage/Eagle River area (Alaska), please stop by!
Cheers,
Colin
Please message me if you are interested in joining us in Namibia next October - the tour is already half full. You can see a list of all our 2023 tours on our website: www.natexpotours.com
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
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
This was the first pride of lions we saw on the Namibia tour with Nat Expo Tours. It was late morning and judging from the blood-soaked mane of the male here, they had just finished eating. After drinking from the waterhole, they moved to the shade of a camel thorn tree, where they likely remained until nightfall, when they would hunt again.
Stay tuned for a short series over the coming days: "Etosha in Black & White"
Cheers!
Colin
PS - please contact me if you are interested in joining any of our 2023 tours, including Cuba, Norway, Iceland, and Namibia, or visit our website for more info: www.natexpotours.com
Lions in Etosha National Park, Namibia