I made it up to the Winchester Mountain Lookout last week, I wanted to reconnoiter a bit for an upcoming Photo Tour that’s scheduled. When I arrived the lookout was already claimed by 2 people, and then 8 more recent high school grads showed up, so it was a busy night there for the sunset! I managed a few decent shots!
2016 marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. 
This is definite cause for celebration! National Parks are fantastic places, full of wonder and fun.
I am proud to be leading two classes in the North Cascades National Park this summer!
The first class is a Landscape Photography Workshop, scheduled for Monday, July 11th from 6 to 9pm. The class will be held at the North Cascades National Park Visitors Center, in Newhalem.
Be sure to bring your camera! We will start the class with a lecture and slide show covering the basic of Nature Photo Composition and then we will head out side to practice what our new-found knowledge!
The second class is a Night Sky Photography Class. This will be held on Monday, August 1st at the Diablo Lake Overlook, at Mile Marker 132, on the North Cascades Highway.
This class is for anyone interested in capturing images of the Milky Way. There will be no moon in the sky, and if we get clear skies we will be able to see and capture the arc of the Milky Way above Diablo Lake!
See the flyer here for a list of what you need to bring!
Both classes are free. Hope to see you there!
Email me of you have any questions: andyporterphotography@gmail.com
If you’ve taken a photograph at any point since 2004, chances are you have heard of Flickr. Whether shot by professional or amateur, advanced or novice, more than 6 billion photos have taken up residence on Flickr, the Web’s most popular image hosting community. Each day the best images are selected for Flickr Explore.
Explore is Flickr’s way of showcasing the most interesting photos within a given point in time — usually over a 24 hour period.
Here is a link to a description of Artist Point, Washington’s Best Drive.
Along the way you’ll pass Picture Lake and this smashing view of Mount Shuksan, the most photographed mountain in North America.
Mount Shuksan and Picture Lake
Mount Shuksan, North Cascades
North Cascades Photo Tours will take you to photograph these places! Here are the details.
Schools out for summer! This year the song has new meaning, and actually has more excitement for me as a teacher than it did as a student.
The plan for back country excursions and North Cascades Classes this year is:
Note: To see details for all my classes in the North Cascades National Park are here.
AND details of classes at the North Cascades Institute this summer/fall, follow this link.
IF YOU are interested in coming along on any of these longer backpacking excursions, contact me! andyporterphotography@gmail.com
July 11 – North Cascades National Park Landscape Photography Class (free) 7-9pm
Cathedral Peak trip – 6 days, Mid July 12-18. This is a 60-mile RT hike, through the Pasayten Wilderness. Starting at the Iron Gate Trail head the route follows the Boundary Trail to Cathedral Lake. Here in the basin you are sandwiched between Amphitheater Mountain and Cathedral Peak. One of the coolest spots ever! I great early summer trip.
Spider Gap – Upper Lyman Lake July 20-24. This is a short and relatively easy trip, with unparalleled views. I cannot wait to do this trip!
July 30 Winchester Lookout. I was there 2 x last year, a short hike and unbelievable views. Great for Night Sky imaging.
July 31 Artist Point North Cascades Institute Night Sky Class
Aug. 1 North Cascades National Park Night Sky Class (free)
Aug. 2 Hidden Peak Lookout. I have never stayed overnight at the Hidden Lake Lookout, but reckin it would be beyond compare for night sky pics.
Aug. 3 Park Butte Lookout
Park Creek Pass Loop – 6 days Early Aug. 5 -10. This is my most ambitious trip for the summer, 7 days and three steep passes, (Easy, Park Creek, Cascade) through the most remote parts of the North Cascades.
Aug. 21 – North Cascades National Park Slide Show at Colonial Creek (free)
All dates are estimates, based on weather and trail conditions!
The Cascade Loop Magazine is a tourist guide that comes out every spring. It covers all the cool things to do, places to see, great spots to eat and nice hotels to stay in along the Loop.
The 400 mile route crosses the North Cascades twice, along Highway 2 (between Everett and Wenatchee) and again along Highway 20 between Burlington and Winthrop. 
Here is the cover of this years publication, an image I captured last year along the Maple Pass Loop Trail.
The magazine is filled with stunning images of places along the way. Here are a few of my images that made it into this years issue.
If you are planning a trip along the Loop and would like to go on a North Cascades Photo Tour, here is the link with details.
And if you would like to own a beautiful, high quality Canvas Wrapped Print of the scenery along the way, here is a gallery where you can purchase them for yourself.
Capturing cool images of the Milky Way is a lot of fun. Adding stars, especially the strip of the Milky Way Galaxy to an image create such an awesome look and feel.
So I am always searching for new elements of coolness for foreground interest. The idea of old, abandoned buildings came to mind, and I began to search for a likely place.
I wanted a wooden structure, old and beaten. It needed to be off, away from any city or town, so that the sky would not be washed out by light pollution.
A google search landed me at the Govan Schoolhouse and I knew right away where the next New Moon would take me.
I called the local city hall, in Wilbur, to check and see if the building was still standing and made my way east along with several night sky photo friends.
The building is located well off the beaten path, though there two farms close by.
As the sky darkened and the Milky Way became visible I made my way inside with several lanterns and lights of various kinds, too illuminate the schoolhouse with a glow.
The next New Moon is July 4th! If you are interested in coming along on the next Night Sky Photo Adventure, here is a link with the details!
Happy Star Shooting!
Here are a few images from the Samish River from last week. The sky was abound with color. I love the green grass and the reflection of colors in the river.
This is from the little bridge that spans the Samish along the Bayview – Edison Road.
There is something about an old, weathered wooden barn that captures the imagination. I guess barns in general are cool, but to grab attention the barn needs to be made of wood AND look like its seem a bit too many winters.
That gives it a certain character, a personality. barns re great photo subjects anytime. Autumn is always a wonderful barn season, with the fall colors. But for me, spring is the time! Bright green meadows and fantastically colorful skies make a barn image complete!
There are many barns strewn through the Skagit Valley and I was lucky to catch one of my favorites on a night just right for picture taking!
BTW, if you have an interest in capturing Night Sky Images with old barns and buildings, this coming new moon, June 4th, I am leading a night sky class to Eastern Washington to capture Milky Way images and old abandoned buildings. Here is the link for more info!
A few recent splashes for one of my night sky images.
First Beach Olympic Coast, near La Push Washington
The image won third place in the annual Alaska Airlines Photo comp, winning me 2 free RT tickets! You can see the Alaska web page here.
Another use of the image is from the Sierra Club, on their Daily Ray of Hope page.
The next New Moon is June 4th, here is the link if you would like to come out for a Night Sky Photo Tour!
North Western Images - photos by Andy Porter 