Chasing Autumn Scenes in Southcentral Alaska

These were taken while guiding a couple on a 3-day private custom photography tour. It was their first visit to Alaska, and the first tour I led under the new collaboration between Nat Expo Tours and well known, highly regarded photographer, Jeff Schultz (longtime official photographer of the Iditarod and founder of Alaska Stock Photo Agency). I had a wonderful time showing them some of the best fall scenes in this part of the state, despite the helicopter/glacier flight being grounded due to low visibility. Next time…

Jeff contacted me last summer to see if I would be interested in leading some of his tours. These will be custom tours for small groups and individuals. We are honored to have formed this partnership, and look forward to more opportunities!

As always, thank you for following.

Colin

Virgin Creek Falls, Girdwood

Turnagain Arm

Surfing the incoming tide in Turnagain Arm

Granite Creek

 

Pioneer Peak in fog

Knik River Valley

Giraffe Color Patterns

Like the spots of a leopard or the stripes of a zebra, giraffes have color patterns that are unique to each individual. These patches also provide camouflage that helps them to blend in with the trees and savannah.

Details for the October 2024 Namibia Tour with Nat Expo Tours are on our website: www.natexpotours.com and it looks like we are already half full...

Please message me if you are interested in joining!

Colin

 

Icelandic Horse in Lupine and Angelica Flowers

Icelandic horse in a field of lupine and angelica flowers with the Greenland Sea in the background. This day was the most inspired I'd been on the tour. I could have spent all afternoon photographing these beautiful horses surrounded by wildflowers along the coast. We will be back in Iceland next June with Nat Expo Tours. Stay tuned for tour details and please message me if you are interested!

Colin

Polar Bear on the pack ice, 82˚N latitude, Svalbard, Norway

A polar bear crosses the pack ice north of Svalbard, Norway with Oceanwide Expeditions. Our ship, the M/V Ortelius, passed 82˚N latitude as we watched this female bear cross the moving ice. Footage by Mike Haring and myself.

It's very possible that we will lead a group to Svalbard in the near future with Nat Expo Tours. We currently have next year's tours up on our site and if you subscribe to our newsletter on the homepage, you will get a $200 discount on the Arctic Norway Aurora Adventure, March 14-22, 2023: www.natexpotours.com

Thank you for following,

Colin

Atlantic Walrus

The Atlantic walrus, or Odobenus rosmarus, is also known as “Tooth Walker” by Inuit peoples because they use their tusks to haul themselves ashore and move around on land. Odobenus translates from Latin as “tooth walking sea horse.”

Svalbard, Norway was my first opportunity to witness and photograph these saber-toothed sea cows of the north (I wrote that one). At more than 2,000 pounds, they are massive creatures, and it would be easy to underestimate their agility by just watching them on land but to observe them in the water is a different story…

I have more to share from our Svalbard adventure with Oceanwide Expeditions, so please stay tuned. We may eventually take a group there with Nat Expo Tours, but for now we are scheduled to return to arctic Norway for an Aurora & Arctic Landscape Tour in March of 2023! Please message me for details on that or visit our website: https://naturalexposurestours.com/norway-tour/

Cheers!

Colin

 

 

 

Atlantic Puffins, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland

The Westman Islands in Iceland are home to the world's largest Atlantic puffin colony. We were lucky to have great weather on the islands as we observed & photographed the puffins collecting food for their young, which will soon emerge from their burrows and plunge into the ocean below. Take a look at the third image and you'll see what I mean when I say these little sh*ts are challenging to capture in flight...

We have already scheduled next year's Iceland tour with Nat Expo Tours. Dates are June 19-28, 2023. Cost is $4,695. More details on our website: www.natexpotours.com

Please message me if you have any questions. Thank you and feel free to share!

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

April Auroras, Eagle River Valley

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 

 

Oryx of Sesriem, Namibia

I certainly have developed a reverence for the oryx, also known as gemsbok. Whether it's their unique masks & markings, spiraled horns, the environment they inhabit or some combination thereof, they are one my favorite species from Namibia.

In other Namibia-related news, our October 2022 tour is now 60% full and it looks like two more guests will register in the near future, leaving only two spots/one room still available. Please contact me if you or anyone you know might be interested in joining us.

Happy New Year!

Colin

Taken in October 2021 with Nat Expo Tours