Nathan Starzynski Media

09/08/2018

Last spring, I traveled to Northern BC and the Yukon to help film a segment of Rafael Pease's 3 year documentary project, 'Yūgen.' The film intertwines splitboard mountaineering, environmentalism, and first nations histories and cultures. It is starting its tour and release cycle later in September, and I'm super stoked to see the final product. Check out the trailer!

08/03/2018

Mount Seymour still remains one of my favourite camping destinations around Vancouver, mainly due to its ease of access, wilderness camping allowance, and stunning views.

In the springtime, usually between late April and early June, enough snow remains at the summit of Pump Peak to be able to camp practically at the top. Pitching a tent here allows incredible 360° views over the Lower Mainland as well as the coast mountains.

Dawn has always been my favourite time up here. Colours start to saturate the sky, the city glistens below, and the brightest stars and planets remain twinkling. For this photo, I woke up well before sunrise, and was able to capture the contrast between the encroaching Dawn and the lights of the city below.

07/13/2018

Oh hey there! I'm back on this page, and going to try and share more often. Got a few of these 360 panos saved up, so without further ado, heres one shot a few weeks ago at Wedgemount Lake in Garibaldi Park.

At the peak of this sunset, the mountain in the distance glowed bright orange, while a waxing moon rose brightly above Wedge Mountain.

Looking away from the lake, the sun set in a brilliant display of vivid colours, reflecting off the metal cladding on the sides of the Wedgemount hut.

Clouds above were lined in pink and purple, and we sat and watched the entire spectacle unfold in awe.

Go Whistler, BC Parks, Destination British Columbia

12/09/2017

Last night's amazing campsite under the winter Milky Way, with phenomenal views of Mt. Baker, Shuksan, the Canadian border peaks, and down into the Skagit Valley.

One of the best aspects of the US National Forest system is the allowance of dispersed (wilderness) camping. As long as you follow proper backcountry etiquette, and aren't too close to a developed recreation site, camping is generally permitted. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/fishlake/recreation/?cid=stelprdb5121831

Here on Huntoon Point/Artist Ridge, winter camping is very popular. Even on a Thursday December night, myself and another photographer shared the peak. In the summer, a road leads up to within a few hundred metres of this location, which makes it extremely busy and limits camping opportunities.

While the road is snow covered, a short tour up from Mt. Baker ski resort leads to this incredible summit. Fit parties can do the trek on touring skis or snowshoes in an hour or so, but always have to keep in mind avalanche danger and make conservative terrain choices.

Oh and also the sunset and sunrise were some of the most phenomenal I've ever seen (although I say that about everything.) Definitely making a return trip here soon to capture more.

Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest - US Forest Service

08/25/2017

Still can't get over how spectacular, beautiful, and emotional watching the total solar eclipse was. I've since seen videos from across the US of people's reactions, and it's more or less bringing me right back and making me cry just thinking about those wonderful two minutes.

This shot was taken just at the end of totality, and I was lucky enough to capture the magnificent solar corona, several prominences in the chromosphere, and the Baily's Beads effect, where the sun is just starting to appear from behind the moon, but only shines through lower topography such as lunar craters and valleys.

Click through to the original instagram post for an emotional description I wrote soon after the experience.

Shot on a Canon 7D mark II mounted to a cheap Tasco refractor telescope, somewhat stabilized flimsily by a tripod mount ring around a duck taped section of the telescope barrel. ISO 3200, 1/1000", ~900mm equivalent.

12 Likes, 1 Comments - Nathan Starzynski () on Instagram: “Total solar eclipse 2017! Painted Hills, Oregon. Definitely one of the most spectacular scenes I've…”

08/11/2017

Celebration of Light this year was epic! I managed to get out and see all three shows, and made a little film. Check it out.

The Honda Celebration of Light is an annual fireworks festival held over 3 separate days at the end of July/early August in Vancouver, British Columbia. For 2017,…

07/21/2017

All night I watched the northern lights dance, pulsing through the moonrise. Billions of stars shone in the sky, with the milky way lying resplendent across the heavens.

As the sun began to rise, I noticed a haze beginning to cover the mountains to the North. And it was a haze that had the dark tinge of wildfire smoke. At first I could see mountains over 100km away, then the Garibaldi ranges began to disappear. Mount Currie vanished, then Weart and Wedge. Around this time the smoke began to drift over the Castle Towers, and I could distinctly smell the scent of wildfire.

I continued watching, entranced and somewhat in shock at the speed with which the smoke moved in. As it got thicker, I knew it was time to pack up and get out of there. Two years ago when Vancouver was exposed to wildfire smoke, serious breathing problems plagued me for a month or so afterwards. By the time I left Panorama Ridge on Monday morning, I could barely see Mount Garibaldi across the lake.

In the trees, the air felt a little cleaner, so I decided to make my way back via Garibaldi Lake for a quick swim. The sight was eerie, with the smoke drifting above the lake, and a distinct line barely 10 metres above water level could be seen around the lakeshore indicating the smoke bottom.

We're lucky here on the coast that we rarely have severe wildfires that burn out of control, and the prevailing winds generally send smoke from the interior further East. The smoke that drifted in on Monday came from serious fires that have been burning for weeks across much of interior and Eastern British Columbia. Tens of thousands of people have had to evacuate, and many of those have lost their homes.

This is dedicated to all those who have been affected by the BC wildfires, and especially to my friends and all other firefighters who are working crazy hard at battling blazes across the province. It's important to respect the fire ban, and be very careful when using any ignition sources in dry areas. If you have the ability to donate, the government of BC has a helpful webpage here with information on how to do so. https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2017TRAN0200-001311

Music: 'Between the Rings' by Stellardrone, the namesake song from his brand new album. Used under creative commons. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Cameras: Sony a7s, Sony a6500, Canon 7DmII, GoPro Hero 5 Black.
Lenses: Rokinon 14mm f/2.8, Sony 16-50 f/3.5-5.6, Canon 24-70 f/4, Canon 70-200f/4

Also, be safe and smart outdoors. https://www.adventuresmart.ca/

Destination British Columbia, Go Whistler, Canada Keep Exploring, Tourism Squamish, Squamish Adventure, Daily Hive Vancouver

07/18/2017

Look around. A purely magical experience last night, watching the northern lights dance above the Black Tusk, while the milky way shone brightly above Mt. Garibaldi.

I left my house in North Van at 5, drove to the trailhead, and powered up endless switchbacks into the alpine to arrive at the top just after 10PM. While making my way onto the final trail split up to Panorama Ridge, one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen lit up the sky. Oranges, Pinks, and Reds could be seen igniting clouds, and flaring off snow covered peaks in all directions. Although I was disappointed to not be timelapsing it, I took it as an omen of more good views to come that night.

As darkness fell, the familiar faint glowing band could be seen on the Northern Horizon. The sky was awash with billions of stars, and our own galaxy arced its milky path from North to South.

I sat amongst the rocks and waited. After midnight, a few faint flickers of dancing light could be seen within the glowing band. As the lights began to sway and grow, I cheered them on quite audibly. Soon, beams were shooting skywards, and ripples of light swayed in a celestial tango with the stars.

Running, I immediately cut one of my timelapse cameras that had already been shooting, and brought it to the very summit of Panorama Peak to capture this 360º view.

*Although there was a highly captivating sight while shooting this, I was primarily concerned with beating the moonrise, achieving optimal overlapping exposures, and trying not to land too forcefully on a sharp rock and risk getting impaled through the thin soles of my hut booties.

The first kick of geomagnetic activity lasted about half an hour, before the lights settled back into their faint 'resting' band. But the aurora is fickle. It kicked up again this time fighting to stay visible against the moonlight and the encroaching dawn.

Slowly, the distant glow of the sun on the horizon grew and brightened, until it swallowed the last of the lights. Sleepless and exhausted, yet utterly exhilarated, I stayed patiently up top for the sun to rise. The first rays brought with them an unexpected guest: smoke from the many BC wildfires burning to the East. Visibility became lower and lower until I couldn't see the mountains across the lake, and I was quickly packing up to escape down to cleaner air... but that whole story is for another day :).

***Note that the hike up to Panorama Ridge is very challenging, with over 1500m of vertical in 15km one way. Camping is not allowed, so instead choose to camp at Garibaldi Lake, Taylor Meadows, or Helm Creek and summit from there. Be adventure smart, carry the ten essentials, leave a trip plan, and know your fitness capabilities. Then get out there safely, and enjoy the wonderful wilderness of the world!***

Destination British Columbia, Canada Keep Exploring, Go Whistler. Tourism Squamish, Squamish Adventure

07/15/2017

I originally shared this one year ago today, so its time for it to make its way onto facebook! It can also be watched in 4k on vimeo at https://vimeo.com/174696924.

The day I first set foot on Mount Seymour, I knew it would have a lasting profound impact on me. Located on Vancouver's North Shore, the mountain looks down over the vibrant and pulsing city to the South, while the Coast Mountains stretch endlessly to the North. For 3 years, I returned on and off to seek inspiration, and to shoot as much timelapse as possible. Every time, I found a new and unique display of magic. I never tire of seeing the lights, the colours, the sunrise, the sunset, and just sitting back at peace above the world. This is the culmination of years of practice, countless pounds of equipment carried, many sleepless nights, and 100s of hours of editing

Music: Makes the Wind (feat. REMMI & Yung Youth) by Super Duper - licensed via The Music Bed (musicbed.com)
facebook.com/superdupermusic/
soundcloud.com/super-duper-music

Equipment used:
Nikon D7000, Nikon 18-55 VR, Nikon 55-200 VR
Canon 7Dm2, Canon 24-70 f/4 L IS, Canon 70-200 f/4 L IS, Tokina 11-16 2.8 DX, Canon 24 1.4 L
Sony a7s, Sigma 20 1.4

06/24/2017

The best campspots always require a fair bit of effort and adventure. Yesterday I made the long trek up to Unnecessary Mountain on the Howe Sound Crest Trail to spend the night and capture a few specific shots.

Due to the immense snowfall that the North Shore experienced this past winter, the deep snowpack lingers on into the true start of summer. After St. Marks, winter travel is in full effect. I used very careful routefinding, as I postholed my way up the steep snow covered trail in microspikes, over snow ridges and around the few remaining cornices.

Finally, after 10km and 1000m of cumulative elevation gain, I arrived at the North Summit. The views were incredible, and I was able to get a view of Howe Sound, the North Shore Mountains, The Lions, and part of the City of Vancouver visible straight from my tent windows.

As I fell asleep for my first few hour nap of the night, I gazed up through the mesh canopy. A brilliant shooting star streaked across half the sky and I gasped in awe. I knew that my alarm would bring with it more stars, and one absolutely stupendous experience, depicted here.

Fun fact: Unnecessary Mountain was named because climbing over it used to be required to ascend from Lions Bay to the West Lion. Now, the name still rings true as anybody completing the Howe Sound Crest Trail will be exasperated by the need to drop down after St. Marks, and make several more steep ascents and descents over the summits of Unnecessary before gaining the ridge leading to the Lions.

06/21/2017

Went for a quick ski tour and camp up Seymour a few weeks ago. The next night I ended up getting distracted by the northern lights, so just posting this now.

It was pretty wonderful to be able to ski straight from the parking lot in late May, camp right at the summit of first peak, and then have pleasant warm weather and some nice rock to lounge on while staring at the mountains, stars, and expansive city of Vancouver.

In addition to all this, one of the best perks of living on the North Shore is that I can leave my house at 6PM, ski up in summer weather for sunset, spend the night, and then ski back down the next morning and drive home for breakfast.

06/05/2017

At some point the classification for this sport changes from highlining, and becomes a bit more like skylining. This might be that point.

Spencer Seabrooke last night on the insane new 680 METRE line "Rubber Raumzeit" at Mount Seymour. The SlacklifeBC crew is still up there for the next couple days if you want to check this out in person. Just be aware that the entire trail remains snow covered.