Noah Tyler Excelsior

Most weeks put Noah Tyler outdoors twice over. He works in environmental consulting and natural resource management from a base in Excelsior, Minnesota, on projects covering land stewardship, conservation, and environmental planning, and he spends his own hours photographing the same country the job takes him through.

The two threads started separately. A family member handed him a used 35mm film camera when he was a teenager, and weekends went to lakes, wildlife, and the small towns of western Minnesota. The University of Minnesota came after, where he completed a bachelor's degree in Environmental Science in the early 1990s. Coursework in wildlife and conservation, plus field research trips into forests, wetlands, and prairies, gave him a professional reason to be in the places he already liked being.

Both threads still run. He shoots sunrises over Lake Minnetonka, sailboats in Excelsior Bay, autumn color, historic buildings, and town events, using a mirrorless body with a wide-angle lens for open scenes and a telephoto for wildlife. He kept the old film cameras. He hikes the state parks, kayaks, and edits at coffee shops around town after a morning out. He shares work at local meetups and in online groups, and has never asked it to be more than that.