My First Book - "Seasons of the Nature Center"

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…

Cuban Skies

“I can always find my Cuban skies

In Rosalinda’s eyes…”

(Billy Joel, Rosalinda’s Eyes, 1978)

That song always transported me to Havana, long before I ever visited. Today it’s taking me back there as I edit through photos from this year’s tour and find myself missing those Cuban skies. This was taken on our first day along Havana’s famous Malecón (sea wall) - always a lively and social place at the end of the day with vendors of all kinds and street musicians beckoning you to join them (for a few pesos) and on this day, a turbulent sea at high tide!

More images to come, including fun shots from the tour as well as some very important reconnections with friends from previous visits to Cuba.

As always, thank you for following my journey!

Colin

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Cooler Days

Well, we have a reprieve from the heat and the air has cleared out a bit in Eagle River Valley but it looks like we are in for more high temps later this week with no rain in the immediate forecast.

These images were taken last week, during the warm spell. I don't recall a time when the heat persisted like it did after the sun dropped behind the mountains. If you look at Eagle Peak in the second photo, you will notice a large patch of snow that broke loose last week as well.

Anyway, I will enjoy the brief respite. Thank you for following along and a reminder that I have a few spots left in my summer photography class here at the Eagle River Nature Center(Alaska) on Sunday, July 21: https://www.ernc.org/courses/digital-photography-workshop

Colin

Sunset, June 27, 2019

Sunset, June 27, 2019

Eagle Peak

Eagle Peak

Sunset, June 30, 2019

Sunset, June 30, 2019

Lupine Sunset

Last night I decided to take a drive out of Eagle River Valley and check out the lupine blooming along Turnagain Arm as the sun was setting through the haze of wildfires. While the smoke and dry weather is creating interesting sunsets, the air quality is poor and I hope the fires are under control soon.

Thank you for following, now let's get out and start doing some rain dances!

Colin

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Summer Solstice Sunset

Sunset on the longest day of the year...

Now the pendulum swings back the other way and six months from now we will celebrate the winter solstice and the return of the light. On another note, the forest fire smoke has been creating some interesting light in the evenings, though I am grateful it's cleared out a bit today.

Happy Sunday out there!

Colin

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Summer Solstice 2019

Happy Summer Solstice! Today marks the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere with the sun setting at 11:43 pm this evening in this part of the world.


This was taken two years ago through a haze of forest fire smoke, similar to what we are seeing now due to the fire on the Kenai Peninsula. The atmospheric particles diffuse the sun and if you look closely, you can see an active sunspot, which is the source of aurora borealis. The sun is "spot-less" right now and even if there were auroras, it doesn't get dark enough at night to see them this time of year. In any case, I hope the fire is extinguished soon.

Have a great weekend and get out & chase the light!

Colin

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Viñales Sunset

The sun is setting on my time here in Cuba. Four weeks of leading tours, embarking on new adventures and visiting old haunts, making new friends and dealing with occasional adversity goes by pretty fast. I have every intention of returning and already have a number of people ready to sign up for next year’s tours.

This was taken in Viñales last night, where we were treated to a tour of local farms and finished up with a beautiful sky to end the day. Today we returned to Havana and I fly out tomorrow, along with the last of my second group. I’ll have more to share as time allows. Until then, hasta pronto!

Colin

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Farewell, Washington!

Farewell, Washington! I've had a wonderful time here, both at the yoga retreat in Gig Harbor and also visiting friends while exploring a new part of the world but as always, I look forward to returning home to Alaska. The air has been filled with smoke & haze from wildfires in the Pacific Northwest recently but thankfully the last couple of days have been better and we were treated to a nice sunset & moonrise on Whidbey Island last night. Until next time!

Namaste,

Colin

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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

 

 

Trinidad Sunset Time-Lapse

Happy Presidents Day! I’ve been back in the states since Saturday night, still organizing my images as well as my thoughts from the entire Cuba experience. I’ve got more to share yet as I saw so much in just one week, from the culture to the scenery and everything in between. 

I would like to give a big shout-out to KB Cuba for arranging such a grand adventure. Traveling to Cuba and navigating your way around can be complicated, so I am grateful to have had everything arranged and run so smoothly so that I could focus on my tasks at hand – exploring, creating, and sharing my experiences. Please check out their page if you are interested in visiting Cuba or visit their other page, KB Tambo Travel, to see the trips they offer around the world. I am also communicating with them about leading a group of photographers to Cuba next year, so please stay tuned for that! 
Here is a time-lapse video I created of the sunset on the beach near Trinidad last Thursday - 700 still images and 40 minutes condensed into 30 seconds. I will be back with more  soon.

Cheers,

Colin

December in Minnesota

I arrived in Minnesota last week where winter is making a late appearance. A few days of low temps (uff-da!) has the lakes creaking and groaning as new ice forms. Meanwhile, the Midwest sunsets never disappoint. It's great to be back in my homeland for a few days to visit family & friends, make lefse with Mom, and explore the land that bore me.

Colin

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September

September came on with a vengeance and now it has nearly passed. When the first dustings of snow arrived above 6,000 feet, I assumed it would quickly melt. Instead, it continued to accumulate, hopefully a sign of a snowy winter ahead. Have a great weekend out there, wherever you are!

PS - Don't forget about my signed & numbered bear print promotion. It's not too early to begin holiday shopping: http://www.colintyler.com/online-store/

Colin

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Iowa Sunset

Back at the airport after a quick weekend getaway to Minnesota and my mom's hometown of Decorah, Iowa to surprise my uncle Harold at his 80th birthday party. Many thanks to my cousin Nikki for taking me out to enjoy the scenery last night and setting us up for this lovely Midwest summer sunset. Let's hope I can get back to Alaska in a reasonable time flying standby.

As always, thank you for following along...

Colin

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