Himba village, Nambia, October 2021
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
When I arrived in Iceland and saw all the blooming lupine, I was hoping I'd get a chance to photograph the beautiful horses in the purple flowers. That opportunity finally came yesterday when we took the scenic route around the Troll Peninsula from Akureyri back to Reykjavik. I've visited Hofsós several times and knew exactly where to take the group to find horses along the coast.
We just wrapped up our fourth Iceland tour with Nat Expo Tours. We are planning to return next June and have added new excursions to the itinerary, including a glacial ice cave tour, fly fishing, and horseback riding. Please message me if you are interested in joining us.
Cheers!
Colin
The lupine was blooming all over Iceland. What I love about these images from the Westman Islands is the juxtaposition with the volcanic rock. We were standing on a lava flow from an eruption in the early 1970's. The town was mostly spared, no lives were lost (everyone was evacuated to the mainland), and someone came up with the brilliant idea of spraying cold seawater on the lava to stop the flow, thus saving their harbor from being closed off...
We will be leading another Iceland tour next June. Please message me if you are interested or visit our site: www.natexpotours.com
Colin
Redwing near Skogafoss, Iceland.
The blooming lupine is abundant in Iceland in early summer. When I saw a redwing land on this fencepost, I decided to go back later to try capture the image I had visualized. I was zoomed out to 400 mm and stopped down to f/16 to get ample detail in the lupine.
We will be back in Iceland next June to lead a tour with Nat Expo Tours. In addition to the wildflowers, the birdlife is prolific this time of year...
Happy Independence Day!
Colin
The Westman Islands in southern Iceland are home to the world's largest Atlantic puffin colony. We always ferry out to Vestmannæyjar for a night and visit the cliffs where they burrow and raise their young. This year we moved the tour to June - a great time for wildflowers, which add a splash of color to the landscape...
I just got back from Iceland last week and am finally getting around to posting some images to my news page. I have a lot more to share in the coming days/weeks. We'll be leading another Iceland tour next June, please message me if you are interested.
Cheers!
Colin
Well, this is pretty exciting - after all the time & effort, creativity, and financial investment, I finally got to see my "Seasons of the Nature Center" book and calendar in print, and soon you will too! I received two advance copies of the book and six calendars last week and have to say I am very happy with the finished products. This is such a great feeling of accomplishment, as well as relief and anticipation. The rest are en route and due to arrive in Alaska in June!
Also, Sunday was my last day as Assistant Manager at the Eagle River Nature Center. After more than eight years it is bittersweet, but I will be living very close by and still serve as a volunteer for the center, so I will remain part of the ERNC community and this book will be a lasting tribute to my time here.
I look forward to signing the books and calendars and sending them out this summer! I am still taking preorders on my site. Books are $30 and calendars are $18 or $15 with the purchase of a book (local pickup and international shipping options available): https://www.colintyler.com/online-store
Thank you for following along and supporting my endeavors. I've sold well over 200 books, which helped fund these projects that were years in the making.
Cheers!
Colin
PS - thanks for the photos, Timothy Kane!
Another photo from Sunday's epic aurora display!
I've had this image in mind for quite a while, I just needed everything to come together for a late season geomagnetic storm that brought lights far enough across the eastern sky to line up with the river and Polar Bear Peak, with the river ice opening up to expose the flowing water below. I used a Lume Cube to briefly illuminate the ice shelf during the exposure.
This image probably would have ended up in my book "Seasons of the Nature Center" if I'd captured it before press time. Speaking of my book - I am picking up two advance copies today! The rest are en route and should arrive in about 6 weeks. I am still taking preorders for books and 2024 calendars on my website and will be offering a discount on metal & canvas prints to everyone who has ordered a copy: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store
As always, thank you for following!
Colin
It's getting to be that time of year again! Baby animals, including bear cubs, will soon be emerging and attracting photographers and onlookers alike.
I shot this series over the summer last year and waited to post it for a couple of reasons. First, it took a while to edit the clips and create the entire video. Second, and more importantly, I didn't want to draw any more attention to the bears. As a photographer who is continually building an online audience, I understand the desire for likes, comments, and overall traffic on my page. However, I have learned how this can draw crowds and ultimately, create a bad situation for the wildlife. I now wait to post content of unique and sensitive subjects until they have moved on, and unless there's a defining feature in the image, I don't give a location - if asked, I'll usually say it was "In the woods".
So remember, it's OK to be selfish and keep unique opportunities to yourself and still get the 'likes' when you post after the fact, and it might help prevent a dangerous and potentially tragic situation for both the animals and the observers.
Thank you for following, and please enjoy the bear cubs play fighting...
Colin
After briefly subsiding around midnight on Sunday, the geomagnetic activity picked up again and produced one of the most intense displays I've seen in quite a while.
I'm still editing through images and will have more to share in the coming days...
Cheers!
Colin
Aurora Borealis over the Chugach Mountains. Eagle River Nature Center, Alaska
Happy Monday out there, everyone! You know it's going to be a good night when the sky starts to dance before nautical twilight has arrived.
In the ephemeral darkness of springtime in Alaska, Mother Nature put on a brilliant display for us last night. More to come...
Cheers!
Colin
Aurora Borealis at the Eagle River Nature Center, Alaska
Scenes from our first Arctic Norway Adventure with Nat Expo Tours. Words don't aptly describe the topography, the culture expressed in the quaint Nordic architecture, and the scenery of Tromsø and the Lofoten Islands. It truly is one of the most beautiful places I've visited and I look forward to returning next year!
We've scheduled next year's Arctic Norway Adventure 🇳🇴 - dates are March 11-21, 2024. If you are interested in spending summer solstice in Iceland 🇮🇸 this year, we have a few spots open on that venture (June 19-28, 2023). We do have spaces in the October 2023 Namibia Tour 🇳🇦 as well (Oct 16-27. 2023). More details and itineraries on our website: www.natexpotours.com
It looks like the February 2024 Cuba Tour is full...🇨🇺
Thank you for following and feel free to share!
Colin
Vestpollen
Aurora borealis near Tromsø
Reine
I could not imagine a more idyllic Nordic town. We just spent 6 nights above the arctic circle in Norway - 3 nights in Tromsø and 3 nights on the Lofoten Islands, on our first trip to Norway with Nat Expo Tours. The landscape is unlike anything I have ever experienced. We will definitely be back next year!
In the meantime, we do have a few spots open on our June 2023 Iceland tour: https://naturalexposurestours.com/2021-iceland-tour/ Please message me if you are interested...
Cheers!
Colin
Hello everyone,
Hope you've been catching some of the recent aurora activity! If you or anyone you know is interested, I am teaching a photography class next Saturday night, April 1, at the Friends of Eagle River Nature Center (Alaska) starting at 8 pm. There will be an indoor portion followed by a short walk to the viewing decks to photograph the night sky. As of now, both the aurora and weather forecast look very favorable!
Cost is $75 for members and $85 for non-members, limited to 8 participants. You can register here: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTQzNzQ1
Thank you and feel free to share!
Colin
Photo taken on February 26, 2023...
I love finding new locations to shoot auroras in my backyard..
Taken Sunday evening around 9:30 pm. My books and calendars "Seasons of the Nature Center" are going to press right now and should arrive in May. If it weren't too late, I may have added this image to the book.
I'm still taking preorders on my website - books are $30 and calendars are $18 or $15 (including multiples) with the purchase of a book: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store
As always, thank you for following along!
Colin
Aurora selfie from Sunday night, using my headlamp and a Lume Cube Panel Pro for illumination. I have a couple more images to share from that evening's display in the coming days.
I am scheduled to lead an aurora tour this evening for Alaska Photo Treks, however the weather does not look conducive...
Cheers,
Colin
Mother Nature sure put on a brilliant display last night, and tonight could be very active as well!
We are going into what is typically the most active time of year for aurora borealis - late winter/early spring. I look forward to taking a group to arctic Norway 🇳🇴 in just two weeks with Nat Expo Tours, where we will be spending 6 nights above the Arctic Circle in Tromsø and the Lofoten Islands, home to some of the world's most renowned aurora viewing!
Fingers crossed for more clear skies ahead...🤞
Colin
Christmas Moose.
Hope everyone had a nice holiday! I was able to get outside to capture some moose photos in the deep snow (we still have close to 30" on the ground). This was one of three bulls that were feeding together and as you can see, he had a branch stuck in his headgear that wouldn't fall off. Two bulls still had their antlers and one had already shed his for the season.
Thank you to everyone who has pre-ordered copies of my upcoming limited edition book, "Seasons of the Nature Center" (cover photo in first comment). The orders keep coming in and my end-of-year goal is now 200 books! Cost is $30 + $10 shipping: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store/seasons-of-the-nature-center-book
I created a separate link for those in Southcentral Alaska who would like to arrange to get their books in person and skip the shipping fee: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store/seasons-of-the-nature-center
For those in the area who have already ordered and paid for shipping, I will gladly deliver your books to you in person.
Thank you,
Colin
Fire and ice at 10˚ below zero.
The annual Winter Solstice Ice Lantern Walk has always been one of my favorite events to photograph here at the Nature Center, and I'm glad I was able to get a few more images this year, my last as a resident staff member. With 3 feet of snow on the ground and subzero temps, conditions were perfect for this celebration of light.
I believe one of these new images is going to make it into my upcoming book, "Seasons of the Nature Center." This will be a limited edition, 9x12" coffee table book with more than 100 pages of my favorite photos from nearly a decade of residence at the Eagle River Nature Center. I am now taking pre-orders for signed copies, $30 + $10 shipping: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store/seasons-of-the-nature-center-book
Thank you for following,
Colin
Lioness, Etosha National Park, Namibia.
What you can't see here is that she is wearing a radio collar, which is cleverly camouflaged by the tall grass. It almost seemed as though she was intentionally hiding it...
Cheers,
Colin
This is my favorite time of year for sunrises, when valley is frozen, the sun is hidden behind the mountains, and the morning sky is painted in pastel colors. Taken yesterday at the Eagle River Nature Center.
Have a great day out there and thank you for following along!
Colin
PS - I have now pre-sold 120 copies of my upcoming limited edition book, "Seasons of the Nature Center." Thank you to everyone who has ordered a copy! I look forward to sending them out in the spring. They are available for prepurchasing here: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store/seasons-of-the-nature-center-book
