Himba village, Nambia, October 2021
Today I took a long breath, exhaled and smiled from somewhere deep within as the sun climbed over the mountains, making its long awaited return to the valley after a two-month absence, splashing my face with golden sunlight.
PS - It looks as though we're going to have clear skies this evening for my aurora photography class. After a week of clouds and rain, this is a beautiful reprieve!
Ground Control to Major Tom, we’ve got some geomagnetic activity out there this morning….
The sky was socked in when I went to bed last night. Early this morning I woke to patchy skies and brilliant aurora, so I quickly got dressed, grabbed my gear, brewed a thermos of tea and hit the trail. When I arrived at the viewing decks, the lights had faded a bit and clouds intermittently blocked my view, eventually clearing off in time for another surge in the aurora, which carried on until it could no longer compete with the impending daylight.
I've recently been editing through images from the past year and updating my website, please take a look if you get a chance. I came across this shot last night - a meteor streaking through the Big Dipper during an August aurora display at the Eagle River Nature Center.
As expected, southeast winds delivered a fair amount of precipitation to Eagle River Valley today. Unfortunately, it was in the form of freezing rain...
Looking for something to do tomorrow evening? I will be the presenter for the monthly astronomy series at the Eagle River Nature Center and the topic is aurora borealis. I plan to delve into some of the science behind this mysterious phenomenon and share images from Alaska and Minnesota that span my entire career. Of course, I am most excited to share the photographs that I have taken here at the Nature Center! Program starts at 7 pm, admission is free, $5 parking for non-members. See you there!
Colin
Happy New Year from Colin Tyler Photography! Here's to another year filled with adventure, magic, and new experiences to share. As always, thank you for following along!
Colin
Here’s a photo from yesterday’s hike on the frozen Eagle River. I had to marvel at the fact that I was actually walking on glacier that had thawed, flowed downriver and refroze, all the while maintaining its rich sapphire hue.
Happy Day-After-Christmas from Eagle River Valley!
Last night was the Nature Center’s annual Winter Solstice Ice Lantern walk. For the past few weeks, staff and local volunteers have been making ice lanterns of all shapes and sizes, some of which succumbed to the warm temperatures we had this past week. In the end, though, we pulled through with roughly 600 lanterns lining the trails as well as a record number of attendees (well over 300). Following a performance by the Alaska Fire Circus Performers, guests followed the Sun (played by ERNC Naturalist Ute) on a walk to the classroom yurt where we served hot cocoa next to a raging bonfire, which was constructed by Trail Manager and all around pyrotechnic expert Gus. If you’ve never attended, it is a sight to behold and takes place on the Saturday closest to winter solstice. Happy Holidays from CTP and the Eagle River Nature Center!
Well, that concludes the first edition of "December Sunrise" prints. All 25 signed and numbered 12x18" photographs have been purchased in less than 3 days! Thank you, once again, to everybody who purchased a print or helped spread the word to make this a successful promotion. Congratulations to Don Twyman, for getting print #1 and to Shirley Galvan, who just bought #25. As I stated on Tuesday, the proceeds from the 25th and final print of this run will be donated to the Children's Lunchbox of Anchorage.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from CTP!
PS - I will be delivering most of the prints to buyers in the Anchorage/Eagle River/Chugiak areas. The rest will be shipped out when my poster tubes arrive, which should be the middle of next week.
This sunrise image from the Eagle River Nature Center last week is continuing to generate a lot of attention. It truly was one of the most spectacular sunrises I have ever experienced and I couldn't have asked for a better location. In response to the requests for prints, I have added it to my online store on www.colintyler.com as a limited edition of 25 signed and numbered 12x18" prints for $75 each, just in time for the holiday season. Follow the link below and please share. When you make a purchase, you help fund my adventures and allow me to share the beauty of the natural world,
Thank you for your support,
Colin
Great news - the sunrise images from my previous posts are currently among the most popular photos trending on National Geographic's "Your Shot" page. Both were taken last Thursday morning from the Albert Loop Trail at the Eagle River Nature Center, where I reside. It certainly was one of the most spectacular sunrises I have ever witnessed.
Cheers!
Colin
Another image from this morning's incredible sunrise out here at the Eagle River Nature Center. Using a 10-stop neutral density filter, I was able to shoot with a 90-second exposure to soften the lines in the clouds, adding an ethereal quality.
This is the dramatic sunrise sky that I've been waiting for! When I saw openings in the clouds to the southeast this morning, I grabbed my gear and hiked out to shoot at one of my favorite foregrounds, arriving just in time to catch the first rays of sunlight illuminating the clouds and reflecting on the water. Total serenity...
I've been catching up on some long overdue editing recently, perusing thousands of images from the past year and narrowing down the list of keepers. It's always fun to look back on your experiences and recall what was going through your mind or what you were feeling at that moment. A picture may be worth a thousand words but when you have a personal connection to an image, it holds memories and emotions as well.
Here are two photos I came across from this past fall. The bear was taken at the Nature Center in October and the bull moose was in Denali National Park in September. Thank you all for continuing to follow along and share my page, which just passed 1,600 likes today (unsponsored) - not bad for being launched less than a year ago! As always, I'll do my best to keep exploring and sharing.
Cheers,
Colin
The sun rose at exactly 10 am today and will set at 3:42 pm. With Winter Solstice just over a week away, we will lose approximately 15 more minutes of daylight before the Northern Hemisphere begins to tilt toward the sun and the light returns.
I was facing away from the sunrise here, using a 3 minute exposure to show the motion of the clouds moving in from the inlet, hopefully bringing a fresh layer of snow to the valley.
Another brisk, beautiful morning at the Nature Center. Beginning in mid-November, sunlight does not reach this part of the valley floor for approximately two months, leaving us in perpetual shade. On or around January 20, the sun will begin to slowly return, bringing long awaited light back into the valley. While this can be a challenge in terms of photography, I often seek out reflected light where there is open water.
"People might look at you a bit funny, but it's okay. Artists are allowed to be a bit different." One of my favorite quotes from the late, great artist Bob Ross.
I spent today exploring Eagle River Valley, seeking out happy trees and a peaceful little corner of the world, far from the repetitious cycle of tragic news stories and the vitriolic exchange that it always generates. I found solace in a frozen landscape with only the sounds of rushing water and crackling ice to break the silence. I wish everyone could have experienced this same tranquility, maybe the world would be a bit more civil.
I have been living here at the Eagle River Nature Center for 14 months now as a resident volunteer (since then, they’ve also given me the title of Artist-in-Residence). I moved in one year ago last October for what was initially going to be a winter stay, until they asked if I would like to stay on through the summer and now for another winter. Recently, I asked if I could stay through next summer, for a total of two years, and the staff obliged. In the end, I will have a body of work, which I plan to turn into a project that will be announced at a later date, when the details have been worked out.
Yesterday evening at our annual Holiday Potluck, two of us were given the honor of being named “Volunteer of the Year” for 2015 – local volunteer Steve Rasic and myself. Places like this, typically managed by non-profit organizations, run on volunteer power. Without all of the wonderful people who donate their time and effort, we could not exist. While I was humbled and honored to receive this recognition, I have to say that this has been one of the greatest opportunities that has ever come my way. Living here at the Nature Center and having this beautiful mountain valley for a backyard has allowed me to immerse myself in photography and writing, as well as accomplish a number of goals that I simply would not have been able to do otherwise. Building my new website, for instance - something that I had been trying to do for years – finally came to fruition last winter.
I will proudly display my “Volunteer of the Year” plaque and continue to give back to this organization as much as I can. Honestly, though, I don’t feel that I could possibly repay what I have gained here, both personally and professionally. So I would like to thank the ERNC staff and community that have provided me with this incredible opportunity and continue to keep me around. I am confident that someday when I look back on this time and fully realize the benefit of being here, I will say, “I would not be where I am today without the Eagle River Nature Center.”
Friends,
Mark your calendars! If you or someone you know might be interested in learning how to photograph the northern lights, I will be offering a class at the Eagle River Nature Center on Saturday, January 30, 2016 at 7pm. The cost is $25 per person, is limited to 20 people and should run about two hours. If conditions permit, I will take a group out hiking afterward to photograph the night sky and with a bit of luck, we will have some lights. The outdoor portion is an additional $45 and is limited to 10 people. Attendees must provide their own digital SLR, tripod, headlamp and be prepared to hike in cold weather. No iPhones or point & shoot cameras please, as we will be shooting in manual mode.
Call (907) 694-2108 to register. Feel free to share!
Cheers,
Colin
