Skagit Valley Barn at Sunset

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Skagit Valley Barn at Sunset

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!

Andy Porter Images Media and Awards

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A few recent splashes for one of my night sky images.

NIGHT SKY

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!

Samish Overlook

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The Samish Overlook is a wonderful location for capturing images of the Skagit Valley. From the drive-to viewpoint you look out over Chuckanut Drive, Bow, and Samish Island to the south and a myriad of islands and water to the west.

Getting there is easy, take the Alger Exit off of I-5, head west at the end of the ramp and turn onto Barrell Spring Road. In about a quarter mile hang a right and head up hill on a dirt road (there is a sign for the Blanchard Mountain Trail system, and follow all the way to the Lookout. There you will find a paved parking area, rest rooms, benches and a great view.

You will need a Discover Washington Pass to park!

Spring is my favorite time, when the flowers start blooming, but any sunrise or sunset is spectacular.

This is one of my favorite places to take people for the North Cascades Photo Tour, find out more here!   

And if you’d like to purchase prints of any of these images, here is the link!

Milky Way Over Washington’s Peaks

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Getting out at night to capture images of the Milky Way is fantastic fun. The journey is definitely a big part of the excitement. But so is the destination!

The summer is almost here, and I am making plans for hikes and trips to Washington’s Mountains for Night Sky Imaging.

Here are a few images of the Milky Way over the highest peaks of Washington State.

Are you interested in learning how to capture images of the Milky Way? Com out on a Night Sky Photo Tour!

Mother’s Day Sale: 50% OFF all prints

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NIGHT SKY

NIGHT SKY

AndyPorterImages Mother’s Day Sale: 50% OFF all prints

IF YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THE RIGHT TIME TO BUY A CANVAS PRINT, TODAY IS THAT DAY!

ORDER YOUR PRINT TODAY AND YOU’LL HAVE IT BY MOTHER’S DAY!

50% OFF ALL SIZES AND FRAMES     

SALE ENDS AT MIDNIGHT April 24th

NORTH CASCADES

NORTH CASCADES

SKAGIT VALLEY TULIPS

SKAGIT VALLEY TULIPS

VISIT THE GALLERY PAGE, FIND YOUR FAVORITE(S), CHOOSE THE RIGHT SIZE AND WHEN YOU CHECK OUT ENTER THE CODE: MOTHERS DAY TO RECEIVE YOUR DISCOUNT

 

Padilla Bay

SKAGIT VALLEY

Night Sky Photo Tours for 2016 are filling up fast!

Click here for dates and info for registration.

Skagit Valley Tulips Sunrise and Sunset

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I have to admit that I have a cool job: taking people out for Photo Tours at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival…

So far this year I have visited the tulip fields 14 times. Each visit is different, the light, sky and clouds change very rapidly.

This first set of images is from a sunrise photo shoot. After finding the one lone red tulip and capturing it with a nice sky background, I was pulled towards the field workers and their truck nearby…

Interested in a Tulip Photo Tour? Here are the details and registration page!

I was mystified about what they were doing, collecting huge bundles of tulips and unceremoniously tossing them in the back of a big truck!

Then, the next evening I was out on a rather gray day, very dull…until just before sunset when the clouds thinned a bit and the most magnificent colors popped out for a short while. The tractor was, of course a magnet.

Interested in buying a print? Here is the link to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Gallery, where I offer canvas wraps and fine art prints!

Imaging Tulips

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Once you’ve been out to take pictures of the tulips as many times as I have you start to get a bit bored with the standard images of rows of flowers and the usual shots. Skagit Valley Tulips

I have tried to find some different elements to add to the image, something in the foreground maybe to create a bit of the different look and feel.

Water and reflections do the trick nicely, accenting the colors and maybe the sky.

Are you interested in a Tulip Photo Tour? Here is the link for the details!

Living so close by affords more opportunity to visit often, and so I can make it there for sunrises and sunsets easily. Nothing adds more to a tulip shot than an dramatic sky!

Finding interesting foreground elements is based on where the tulips are each year. Every new year the crops are rotated. Some years they are near a barn, others a grove of trees…

This year (2016) is more difficult, the only interesting foreground element was a school bus. These are from sunrise on March 30.

Including people in the images is also an option, one I tend to avoid, but often with good results.

The two (so far) elusive shots I dream of are: a huge, gob-smacking rainbow over the tulips, and as unlikely as it may be, lightning firing above the fields. One can always hope!

Skagit Valley Tulips, Sky and Barn

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I visit the tulip fields in Skagit Valley many times each year. I try to go when the skies will be colorful. Its not easy to guess when that will be! These images are all from 2015. It was a rainy,wet day. Not the sort of day you’d think to go tulip hunting. But just as the sun started to set the skies cleared. here are a few image! More information on Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Photo Tours here!

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival 2016

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The Spring Equinox marks the change of seasons, beginning a time of renewal and birth and hope and beginnings.

Here is Skagit Valley it also marks the start of Tulip Season!

I have lived here 11 years now and the tulips seem to start blooming earlier every year…

Yesterday and today I spent time in the tulip fields, leading clients on Tulip Photo Tours.

The tulips in Tulip Town are abloom. This year they have one small field of tulips, maybe 100 rows, 5 rows or so for each color or variety. tulips 1

The larger fields, spread through the valley are just starting to bloom now.

Given some more sun, they will all be popping open in the next week or so. Here are two images from this morning at one of the tulip fields first to bloom.

If you would like to find out more about Skagit Valley Tulip Tours, call or email me.

Here is the link with details and registration.

These images are from Saturday morning at sunrise, at the Daffodil Fields.

 

If you would rather go on a Night Sky Photo Tour here is the link to find out more.

First Beach

 

Mount Rainier National Park

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Mount Rainier National Park is the crown jewel of Washington State.

“Ascending to 14,410 feet above sea level, Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape. An active volcano, Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S.A., spawning six major rivers. Subalpine wildflower meadows ring the icy volcano while ancient forest cloaks Mount Rainier’s lower slopes. Wildlife abounds in the park’s ecosystems. A lifetime of discovery awaits.”

Mount Rainier is a 3+ hour drive from my home. I live on the North Cascades Highway, right down the road from North Cascades National Park, and so I don’t make the drive down there too often, not often enough!

But I have ventured a few times south and here are some pictures of this magnificent park!

Here is a link for more information about Washington State Photo Tours.

And here is the link to purchase Canvas Prints of this magnificent jewel.