Svalbard

Svalbard, Norway.

I am fortunate to have visited this iconic destination, a place sought after by almost any nature photographer. We spent 9 days cruising around the archipelago with Oceandwide Expeditions, making land excursions (when there weren't any polar bears present) and going beyond 82˚ North latitude, within 500 miles of the north pole. We saw a total of 12 bears, one walking across the polar icepack. I will have more to share when I have time to edit through thousands of images & videos. I am now in Iceland, leading a photography tour with Nat Expo Tours.

As always, thank you for following along!

Colin

Polar bear on the icepack

Arctic plant life

Morning sky from the bow of the Ortelius

Wildflowers and Closeup Photograph Class

I never claimed to be a serious macro photographer but I truly believe that it takes a true artist to celebrate the ordinary. From time to time, I find myself looking for a new perspective on this mountain valley I call home. With wild roses, bluebells, and geraniums in full bloom, now is a perfect time to find beauty in small places. Speaking of which, I still have a few spaces left in this Saturday's class on closeup photography at the Eagle River Nature Center (Alaska). If you are interested, please click the image below for more details and registration. Cost is $75 and limited to 6 people. We will spend some time outside photographing wildflowers and then go over fundamental Photoshop techniques to get the most out of your images. I ask that participants have a basic understanding of shooting in manual mode and also provide their own laptop with Adobe software installed (i.e., CS or Lightroom).

Thank you and feel free to share!

Colin

 

 

Spring in the Valley

Hello and happy Monday, friends! Seems I’ve been wrapped up in some major spring-cleaning and other demanding projects and haven’t posted in a while. In that time, Eagle River Valley has gone from showing the last traces of winter to an explosion of color and wildlife. I’ve been getting out for brief hikes here & there and to catch the last bit of late evening light, but yesterday I met up with a friend and went for a nice 9-mile trek. I was fortunate enough to capture a rare, white calypso orchid while it was still in bloom, spot a couple of black bears, and witness many signs of the oncoming season. The sun is now setting after 11 pm and the valley is full of life.  I look forward to chasing more light during the long days ahead.

Colin