Daily Dozen at National Geographic Your Shot

Good morning, friends. It’s been a busy couple of weeks and I am just getting ready to leave for Valdez, where I will be spending a few days in an area of Prince William Sound that I have never visited before. In the meantime, I wanted to share some exciting news - the photo I took of the skier in Hatcher Pass, Alaska on April 22, Earth Day, received an editor’s note on the National Geographic Your Shot page yesterday and subsequently made the Daily Dozen, as chosen by Nat Geo editors. It is always rewarding and simultaneously humbling to receive recognition from National Geographic. My image is currently one of the most popular trending on Your Shot today. Unfortunately I arrived home too late to post this yesterday and ask you to vote for your favorite of the Daily Dozen but you can still view them by clicking the image below. Have a great week and I hope to return with new images and experiences to share!

Colin

PS - I would love to contact the skier in this photo. It was taken around 5 pm on Sunday, April 22. I was shooting across the valley from the Marmot Peak area in Hatcher Pass. There were two skiers; this is the second person to descend. Please contact me if you or someone you know might be pictured here.

Upcoming Close-up Photography Class

Good afternoon, friends! Spring is a little behind this year but soon the valley should be in full bloom. To celebrate the oncoming season, I am offering a class on close-up photography with a portion dedicated to learning the basics of Adobe software to get the most out of your images. This will be held on Saturday, June 30 at the Eagle River Nature Center (Alaska). Participants must provide their own camera gear and laptop computer with either Adobe CS (Photoshop) or Lightroom installed and have working knowledge of their camera as well (i.e. shooting in manual mode). Cost is $75 and limited to 6 people, of which there are 5 spaces left. I am keeping this to a smaller group so I can offer more individual attention.

Click the image below to register. Thank you and feel free to share!

Colin

More Mother's Day Offers...

With Mother’s Day just over a week away, I have added a couple more promotions to my website. In addition to the Mother’s Love (moose) and Mother’s Day Aurora prints, I am offering another pair of signed & numbered 12x18” artist proofs (first ten prints, of which there are 5 left) of the sow and cub brown bears from last fall at the Eagle River Nature Center – also $75 for the pair and I will include a 2019 Aurora Borealis Calendar from Todd Communications of Anchorage as well. My photo is on the month of March, which I will sign for you. Click the image below to make a purchase. http://www.colintyler.com/online-store/brown-bear-sow-and-cub-signed-numbered-artist-proofs-purchase-both-and-save-25

In addition to the artist proof prints, I am offering a 25% discount on all canvas and metal prints through Mother’s Day by entering the following codes at checkout: MOTHER’SDAYCANVAS or MOTHER’SDAYMETALPRINT http://www.colintyler.com/online-store/

You can also order a personalized 2019 Aurora Borealis calendar for mom - I will sign under my photo on the month of March and include a birthday note for her (message me the details). $20 includes shipping. http://www.colintyler.com/online-store/2019-aurora-borealis-calendar

Thank you and feel free to share. Have a great weekend!

Colin

Mother's Day Print Sale

Hello and Happy May Day, friends! Mother’s Day is soon approaching and it’s not too late to order Mom special prints for her special day. I still have a few signed & numbered original artist proofs of Mother’s Love (cow moose & twin calves) and Mother’s Day Aurora (taken May 8, 2016) available for $75 each, or get the pair for $125 AND I will include a 2019 Aurora Borealis calendar as well – my photo is on the month of March, which I will sign for you, although it was also taken on Mother’s Day, May 8, 2016. Order today and they will be in the mail tomorrow! Follow the link to purchase: http://www.colintyler.com/online-store/combined-limited-first-edition-ten-signed-and-numbered-12x18-prints

Cheers,

Colin

Earth Day 2018

Earth Day will always remain a significant day to me for many reasons but mostly because it’s the day my life took a big turn. Looking back on all of my experiences since that time, the places I’ve gone and the people I have met, it is clear that what began as a tragedy ultimately turned into opportunity, and the worst thing I ever experienced turned out to be one of the best things that has ever happened to me.  It wasn’t easy, but there were a lot of valuable lessons along the way. If you’d like, you can read the story here: http://www.colintyler.com/news/2015/4/22/from-ashes-to-adventure-one-year-in-this-big-giant-life?rq=ashes

Five years have since passed and each year I make a point to go outside on Earth Day to do something new or explore a place I have not been. Yesterday I took my skis to Independence Mine State Park in Hatcher Pass to enjoy the dwindling snowpack and appreciate the light. I took my camera gear out for a bit on my backcountry skis and later ditched the camera to do some skate skiing, so the panoramic is courtesy of my iPhone 8 Plus. The image of the downhill skier was taken with a telephoto at 550mm. Graceful and proficient, this person was carving a beautiful line and the sidelight created a wonderful texture.

So, Happy Earth Day 2018. My greeting is belated because I was out exploring but honestly; we ought to be compelled to honor the earth each and every day.

Colin

2019 Aurora Borealis Calendar

Hello friends. While the aurora-viewing season is drawing to a close, I am happy to announce that I landed a photo in the 2019 Aurora Borealis Calendar from Todd Communications of Anchorage. I have them available for purchase here: http://www.colintyler.com/online-store/2019-aurora-borealis-calendar 

My image, taken at the Eagle River Nature Center (Alaska), is on the month of March, which I will sign for you. If you are purchasing as a gift, I am happy to include a birthday or holiday greeting on a specific date for the recipient, just send me an email with the details. For the record, the photo was actually taken on Mother's Day, May 8, 2016.$20 includes shipping. 

Cheers!

Colin

April Aurora

The clouds parted just long enough last night to witness a nice little light show around midnight, as the aurora-viewing season is quickly drawing to a close.

Easy Like Sunday Mornin'

It's a sunny, swanny Sunday morning in Eagle River Valley. Get out and enjoy the day!

Colin

Swans

Apparently the swans have not left the area yet. I went out yesterday evening and caught them with the last bit of sunlight reflecting on the creek at the Eagle River Nature Center. 

Colin

Swan in April Snow Shower

Trumpeter swan in April snow shower. I was happy to see the snowfall yesterday and a bit disappointed that more didn't accumulate. I went looking for the swans again this morning but did not find them. Maybe they were just out of sight someplace or it is possible that they have already continued their migrational journey north. If the latter is true, then it was a short stay this year.

Spring Bull Moose

 Another sure sign of spring - bull moose are sprouting new antlers. Look closely in front of the ears and you will see the start of a new rack. During summer months, bull moose focus their energy on antler development, which can grow up to an inch per day. A fully developed set of antlers can end up weighing more than 50 pounds and span 6 feet in width. Photo taken recently at the Eagle River Nature Center. 

Snowshoe Hare

Now I don’t want to split hares here but technically speaking, Lepus Americanus is actually not a rabbit. With larger bodies and longer hind legs than rabbits, snowshoe hares also have unique behavioral characteristics and their fur changes color throughout the year, being brown or grey in summer and morphing into white for camouflage in wintertime. Snowshoe hares go through a population boom and bust cycle that lasts from 8 to 11 years and they are currently nearing their peak in Southcentral Alaska, which explains the recent increase in lynx sightings, as they (lynx) are dependent on snowshoe hares for their primary food source.

Taken yesterday at the Eagle River Nature Center.

Aurora Photography Class, March 2018

Last night's aurora photography class was a success! Thank you to everyone who attended. We had the best night of auroras this valley has seen in months, proving once again that timing is everything. I didn't get too many images since I was assisting people and making sure my attendees were capturing the display but I did take a few of everybody in action. We even witnessed the auroral arc that, for some reason, the Canadian scientific community has dubbed "Steve." I do not have another class scheduled for this season but I am always available for individual and group instruction.

Cheers!

Colin

Return of the Trumpeters, 2018

Timing is everything. I’ve said this on several occasions and today certainly won’t be my last. Often it’s a matter of coincidentally being in the right place at the right time while in other instances, it is far greater than simple fortune. It is a matter of connecting with an energy that resides in every one of us - call it divine, if you will. By calming the ego and believing in one’s purpose,magic can and will reveal itself. 

After an especially powerful yoga session this morning, I set out to create something beautiful to share. The sun was shining bright and the air was still. As I passed a friend on the trail we stopped to chat and I remarked that the pair of trumpeter swans that returns to the valley each spring should be arriving soon. I’d barely finished my sentence when we heard the telltale call of the swans and looked up to see them directly above us on their approach to the creek. They circled a few times, giving me a brief opportunity to get my camera & lens out of the pack, adjust my settings (I shoot strictly in manual mode), and capture a few frames before they landed. 

I always cherish my time with the swans on their migrational journey northward and this year, for the first time, I was able to greet them as they arrived. Once again, I look forward to the moments we will share. 

Colin

PS - If you have not already done so, please view my galleries of swans photos from the previous three years:
2015
2016
2017

Ethereality is my Reality

"Ethereality is my reality."

Here are two more photos from Monday's ski trek in Portage Valley. I'd wanted to hike up to Byron Glacier to explore the ice caves but with the recent snow slides on either side of the valley and all the wind-packed snow, avalanche danger was too high to risk going up there. Better to be safe than sorry, as they say, and live to create another day!

Colin

Happy Vernal Equinox, 2018!

Happy Vernal Equinox! Today marks the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and we just passed 12 hours of daylight here in South Central Alaska. I decided to leave my home turf yesterday and explore Portage Valley, south of Girdwood. A friend and I skied up toward Byron Glacier. The skies were clear and the wind was ripping, which made for some interesting scenic images with my telephoto lens. At 400mm, I could isolate the top of Bard Peak and focus on the lines & textures. Black & white always brings an ethereal mood to a wind-blown landscape.

Cuba Photo Gallery

I have just finished posting my photos (and two videos) from my recent trip to Cuba. Please check them out here: Cuba 2018.

Bay of Pigs and Trinidad, Cuba

Bay of Pigs and Trinidad, Cuba.

These are from days 2 & 3 of my recent adventure to Cuba. I'd packed an underwater housing in anticipation of taking some shots while snorkeling near the Bay of Pigs. Additionally, we all brought soccer balls to give out to children in the countryside. We frequently encountered groups of kids playing soccer with a tattered ball, so we would stop with a new ball and kick it around with them for a bit before leaving on our way.

Trinidad is Cuba's third oldest city and steeped in cultural history. We spent two nights there before driving back to Havana. The rooftop photo is from the casa where I stayed. If all goes well, I will be leading a photo tour to Cuba next winter. Again, I will post the details as they develop. Thank you for following along.

Colin

Browsing Around Anchorage

“Can I help you?”

“No thanks, I’m just browsing.”

Taken during a heavy snowfall in Anchorage yesterday. Moose are common in residential and urban areas throughout Alaska, where they are often observed feeding, resting, sometimes even birthing calves. They are also famous for consistently ignoring traffic signs, so “Give them a brake” as the saying goes and if you don’t like the way they roam, then stay off the sidewalks.

Colin

March Snow!

No matter where I roam, it's always good to come home to Alaska. I was reminded of this today when I woke early to fresh snow. After a quick breakfast and yoga session, I grabbed my camera pack, stepped into my skis and hit the trails, laying down the first tracks of the day. This is Darren's Bridge on the Albert Loop Trail, Eagle River Nature Center. Have a great weekend out there and, if possible, get out & play in the snow!

Colin