I had the good fortune to visit Bora Bora over the last few weeks and was able to capture a few images.
Here they are.
Now I’m back home fidgeting about what it all means!
More adventures soon.
Author Archives: Andy Porter
2023 Washington State Scenic Calendar
The images for the 2023 Calendar have been chosen and printing is happening. Calendars will ship soon!
A limited number of calendars printed this year, so orders your today!
Printed on a 100lb bond glossy sheet, each sheet is 8″ x 12″. No cropping and no borders! Calendars are ring bound and shrink wrapped!
Order your copy today!
$25 each, plus $8 shipping anywhere in the US.
Here is the link to buy your own copy!
These are the 12 images for the 2023 Washington State Scenic Calendar
Grand Canyon, North Rim
I had an opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon for the first time recently, I stayed in a cabin near the Lodge, at the North Rim. I didn’t hike anywhere, really. Just drove about to the various viewpoints.
Wow. The vast space, the light, the colors all left me speechless.
Photography Classes in Burlington
Photography Classes with Andy Porter are back!
Starting on September 15th I will be teaching two different Photography Classes through Burlington Parks and Recreation, they will be held at Maiben House, at 219 S. Skagit Street, in Burlington.
Basic DSLR Class
Taking pictures with your new DSLR is easy, just set it on auto and shoot away. Capturing GOOD pictures with your new DSLR…that’s harder. Quality photography starts with understanding how to set your exposure manually. This is NOT difficult to do. In this 2 hour workshop we’ll cover aperture, shutter speed and ISO and show you how to change them on your camera. Next we’ll discuss how to use these manual settings to create the images you want. We’ll practice the use bracketing your exposure to ensure you get the right shot, and more! We will also cover the use of polarizers and capturing images in the RAW format.
This class will be held on:
Thursday, September 15th, 6pm to 8pm
Tuesday, October 4th, 6 to 8pm
Thursday, November 10th, 6pm to 8pm
Tuesday, December 6th, 6pm to 8pm
How to Capture Awesome Images with your DSLR – Intermediate Level
In this class we will discuss different lenses, focal lengths and what they do; we’ll delve deeper into depth of field and how to master control over how much of what’s in front of you is in focus. Then we’ll cover the use of different shutter speeds to create stunning, unique images.
Next will be 2 advanced techniques to obtain a sharp focus throughout your entire image: Focus & Recompose and Hyperfocal Distance Focusing.
We will cover in detail how to capture Night Sky images of the stars and Milky Way. We will go over all the equipment needed, exact camera settings, locations for night sky imaging and more!
Finally I will cover my tips and tricks for capturing landscape images. We will spend time discussing (with LOTS of examples) Layering; Leading lines; the Rule of Thirds; Framing and more.
Prerequisites: You must have taken the How to Capture Awesome Images with your DSLR – Beginners Level 1 (aka Nature Photography – Beginners class) OR be VERY comfortable shooting in the Manual Mode with your current camera.
This class will be held on:
Tuesday, October 18th, 6pm to 8pm
Saturday, December 3rd, 10am to 12pm
Each class is $45. The classes are 2 to 2.5 hours long.
To register for class, contact Burlington Parks and rec, through their website here.
or by phone: 360-755-9649
Best wishes and hope to see you soon!
Andy Porter
NATIONAL LIGHTHOUSE DAY
Lighthouses are wonderful photographic subjects. Beacons of light, friends to all at sea, symbols of hope lighthouses are grand for many reasons. Here are a few images I’ve captured of lighthouses.
Artist Point and Picture Lake
Artist Point and Picture Lake are located along the Mount Baker Highway.
Picture Lake and Mount Shuksan is one of the most photographed scenes in Washington.
Artist Point is at the upper end of the highway, snowbound most of the year.
a new trip to paradise
Point of the Arches and Shi Shi Beach in Olympic National Park is one of my favorite places on earth.
Murals of Toppenish, Washington
I drove through Toppenish last week, and saw the murals, took a few pics.
Pacific Crest Trail, Goat Rocks Wilderness and the Knife’s Edge
In the Goat Rocks Wilderness you can get great views of Mount Adams.
The Pacific Crest Trail ascends to 7,000 feet in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, to the base of Old Snowy.
From there the PCT heads due north, along the Knife’s Edge.
Enchantments
The Enchantments are a small enclave of serrated peaks and jade colored lakes located in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, not far from Leavenworth.
Every year there is a lottery for camping permits, I’ve entered the lottery each year since 2006 and got lucky in 2014 and won a 5 day permit, to the Enchantments Core for early October.
The experience was a bit of a sensory overload. Every time I opened my eyes, I wanted to take a picture.
Every tree, every lake, every scene everywhere I looked was luscious with colors, shapes and textures, OMMFG, I couldn’t stop!!!
Here are just a few images from Prusik Peak and Gnome Tarn.
When I came home and loaded the images into the computer I couldn’t even look at them for a while, the overload was still there! I managed to post a few pics, and then left them.
Normally I go through the files from a photo shoot and choose which images to post online and which to edit for printing.
IF I’m lucky, I might have an interest in maybe, 1 in 10 or 20 or even 1 in 50 is the norm. With the Enchantments, it seemed that every image was perfect.
These images are all from one day! We visited Perfection Lake, Prusik Peak and had an encounter with goats.
These images are from Perfection Lake and nearby…
After the day hike to Prusik Peak I returned to camp and met several goats. They were rooting around looking for food. I managed to get a few images of them as well.
Many more pics to come soon!
North Western Images - photos by Andy Porter 