Syler grew up in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and has lived there for over 25 years, only briefly leaving Wyoming to complete his B.S. in Environmental Science and an M.A. in Multimedia Environmental Communication at Stanford University. In the classroom, he developed an in-depth understanding of wildlife, the natural world and the threats they face – always aiming to share that understanding with others through his photography and teaching. His interests have brought him to all corners of the globe, from Svalbard in the high arctic to the savannas of South Africa. But the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and Alaska remain his two favorite places on Earth. 

On the technical side of photography, Syler was mentored by wildlife legend Thomas D. Mangelsen among countless others while growing up in Jackson Hole, a photography hotspot. There, he refined his personal photographic style which is focused squarely on truthful yet artfully creative depictions of the natural world. Like Mangelsen, Syler’s style focuses on getting the image right in camera, using post-processing sparingly to retain a natural yet artistic look and feel.