Point of the Arches and Shi Shi Beach, Olympic National Park

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Andy Porter

Olympic National Park includes long stretches of coastline. Its wonderfully refreshing to backpack and camp along the forests edge, on the beach.

Depending upon how far you hike from the car you can find some real solitude out there.

The spot I’ve visited most often is Point of the Arches. It lies along the northern-most section of ONP, just south of Neah Bay. Its now a very popular spot and sees many visitors. These images are from a trip 2 years ago, in January. A window of warm sunny weather was forecast, and I spent two glorious days there with sumptuous light. On this particular sunset the colors were so bright and vivid and the orange glow from the rocks and sand so intense, it was more tricky than one would think to edit these and do the place justice.

North End of Shi Shi Beach, Olympic National Park

Its almost a 2-mile hike through the forest and mud until you get to the stairs and descend to the beach. Point of the Arches is another 2 miles walk, along the ocean.

Once the sun started to set the shadows and lines were amazing.

Sunset at Point of the Arches, Olympic National Park 8

Sunset at Point of the Arches, Olympic National Park 7

Sunset at Point of the Arches, Olympic National Park 16

Sunset at Point of the Arches, Olympic National Park 9

Sunset at Point of the Arches, Olympic National Park 17

As the colors got richer it was impossible to capture enough images.

Every shot looked magnificent, better then the last, and the landscape is so utterly magical…

Sunset at Point of the Arches, Olympic National Park 11

Sunset-at-Point-of-the-Arches,-Olympic-National-Park-19

Point-of-the-Arches-at-Sunset,-Olympic-National-Park

Sunset at Point of the Arches, Olympic National Park 14

Sunset at Point of the Arches, Olympic National Park 12

Sunset at Point of the Arches, Olympic National Park 20

There you have it! Prints are available here. Info on Photography Tours here!

Skagit Valley Tulips and Daffodils

Posted on January 21, 2020 by Andy Porter

Skagit Valley Tulips and Daffodils

Spring, thankfully, brings the colors back.

The winter creates a grayish monochrome of everything that is interesting for about a week.

When the colors come back, things are better. The snow just melted yesterday and we’ll probably see more before the end of the winter.

So I shouldn’t get myself all excited just yet, but I can sense the subtle stirrings of green.

In February the hints of green will become more pronounced and then, finally, the yellows will arrive with Skagit Valley Daffodils.

Rows of Daffodils

Daffodils under the Full Moon, just before sunrise, along the La Conner-Whitney Road

Daffodil Sunset

Depending upon the year the daffodils start coming up in late February or early March. Skagit Valley has a rather mild climate, rarely getting snow. Early spring brings almost daily rain. The daffodils emerge slowly, reluctantly.

Once the temp starts rising a bit, tulips start to pop up. The anticipation of the coming color explosion is tantalizing!

Every year the tulips and daffodils are planted in different fields.

You can see their location and bloom status with the Bloom Map.

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival 2015 Barn and Tulips 3

I usually visit the tulip fields 10 times each season, sunrise is my favorite, because of the light and lack of people. Workers are in the fields then, harvesting and at the end, topping the tulips. I offer guided Photo Tours of Tulip Festival each year, at sunrise and sunset, details and prices can be found here.

One VERY Rare Tulip, like NO other meets it end

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival 2015 Barn and Tulips 1

Because the fields rotate every year, so do the backdrops, and foregrounds!

Barns, school busses, tractors, irrigation ditches, and puddles all serve well for offsetting the beauty of the flowers.

I teach basic Photography Classes through Parks and Rec in Burlington. Here is the link for more info.
Starting in Jan 2020 I will also be teaching basic Photography Classes through Parks and Rec in Bellingham.

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival 2015 Barn and Tulips 2

Sometimes a visit can bring good luck in the form of rainbows, long shadows, dirty kids and much more.

Need a 2020 Calendar? There are still copies available of the Night Sky Images of Washington State Calendar! Click here to order your copy.

2019 in Review: Andy Porter Images

Posted on December 19, 2019 by Andy Porter

2019 in Review: Andy Porter Images

Through the course of an entire year I take a lot of pictures. Its fun to look back at the images you captured earlier, to reconnect with the places you’ve been.

I choose these because there is some element about each one of these images that captivates me.

Happy Holidays and may 2020 be your best year to date!

Debay’s Swan Reserve, Clear Lake

Hals Drive-In, Sedro-Woolley

Fir Island at Sunrise

Daffodils under the Moonlight

Skagit Valley at sunset

Sun Mountain, Winthrop

Samish River, Skagit Valley

Cap Sante Marina, Anacortes

Rainbow, Sedro-Woolley

Liberty Bell, North Cascades

Night sky over the North Cascades Highway

Mount St. Helens

Artist Point, Mt Baker Highway

Point of the Arches, Olympic National Park

Mount Baker and Skagit River

Washington Pass, North Cascades

Fir Island, Skagit Valley

Ruby Beach, Olympic National Park

Skagit Valley, near Clear Lake

Point Wilson Light House, Port Townsend

2020 Night Sky Calendar is available. Click here to see the images and order your copy before they’re all gone!

Photography Classes in Burlington at Parks and Rec start in Jan, 2020. Here is the link to sign up.

Fir Island Sunrise

Posted on November 29, 2019 by Andy Porter

Its always good to start any day with a colorful sunrise. Some nice clouds, water for reflections, a wide panoramic view…maybe some mountains off in the distance all make the scene perfect.

These images are from two very recent visits to Fir Island sunrise.

Sunday, November 24

Thursday, November 28

The broad expanse of sky, over the ocean and mouth of the Skagit River. There are several vista spots alone Fir Island Road, most require a Discover Pass.

2020 Night Sky Calendars are available here.

Interested in a Photo Tour? Tulip Photo Tours in April are now filling up fast.

Night Sky Photo Tours are my favorite! More info here.

Skagit River and Mount Baker

Posted on October 19, 2019 by Andy Porter

Not long ago I saw an image of Skagit River with Mt Baker looming above. It was a gorgeous image and started me on a hunt.

I have been here in Skagit Valley for 15 years now and have never encountered a vista that encompassed both the Mountain and the River. Skagit River runs east to west through the valley and Baker sits about 10 miles to the north.

A short study of the map revealed that there are several spots where the Skagit turns back on itself so that you can look “down the river” and right at Mt Baker. I started my search along the Concrete Sauk Valley Road, looking to visit the confluence of the Sauk and Skagit Rivers. It was a lot of fun tooling about, on both sides of the river, scouting for views, vistas, and access trails down to the gravel bars along the river.

Here are a few pics from my endeavors:

After a bit of search I finally found a spot along the Concrete-Sauk Valley Road where you can scramble down to the gravel bar and out to this view: Looking north to Mt Baker, from the Skagit River

Skagit River and Mount Baker

Autumn in Skagit Valley and North Cascades

Posted on September 15, 2019 by Andy Porter

One doesn’t normally associate the northwestern corner of the US with fall colors. New England the Mid-Atlantic states in the northeast are usually the focus of any autumn photo spread.

But autumn in Skagit Valley and North Cascades is not too shabby.

The valley and the rivers make wonderful spots for fall.

Double Rainbow, Fir Island

Gordon Skagit Farm

Sedro Woolley

Grandy Lake Sunset, Skagit County

Gordon Skagit Farm

Sedro Woolley Panorama

Fir Island

Berries

Skagit Valley Sunset

Sedro Woolley

Skagit Valley Barn

Mt Baker and Mt Shuksan

Up the valley a bit along the Baker and Skagit Rivers fall colors abound. Salmon spawn in the fall. The entire valley is lit up and on display!

The 2020 Washington State Night Sky Calendar is now on sale! Get your copy here.

Mt Baker from Baker Lake Road

North Fork, Skykomish River

Baker River

Mt Baker from Baker Lake Road

Baker River

Baker River Trail footbridge

Mt Baker from Baker Lake Road

Baker River Trail

Baker Lake

Mt Baker from Baker Lake Road

Baker River

Baker River Salmon

Baker River Bridge

Baker River

Baker River Trail

The main contributors to Fall here in the North Cascades are the blueberry/huckleberry bushes, which carpet the mountains in bright reds and the larch, who’s green needles turn bright orange in the first week or October. . .

North Cascades Photo Tours are also available!

Above Cascade Pass, North Cascades National Park

Mt Shuksan and Picture Lake

Doubtful Lake, North Cascades National Park

Artist Point

Lake Ann and Maple Pass

Lake Ann

Heather Pass

Washington Pass

Mt Baker from Artist Point

Twin Lakes

Heather Pass

Lake Ann and Maple Pass

Cutthroat Pass

Cutthroat Peak

Larch grow new green needles each spring, and in early October they turn orange and fall off! The elevation of the larch varies in Western Washington, usually you can find the larch between 5,000 and 7,000 ft elevation.

Fine Art Prints as well as Canvas Wraps are also available in a wide range of sizes and frames. Here is the Gallery Page.

Colchuck Lake, Enchantments

Prussik Peak, Enchantments

Amphitheater Mountain, Pasayten Wilderness

Blue Lake

Goats in the Enchantments

Early Winter Spires

Amphitheater Mountain, Pasayten Wilderness

North Cascades Pond

Perfection Lake, Enchantments

Prussik Peak, Enchantments

Windy Peak, Pasayten Wilderness

Cathedral Peak

Cathedral Peak, Upper Cathedral Lake

Sunset at Artist Point

Posted on September 5, 2019 by Andy Porter

The Mt Baker Highway (WA Rte 542) runs from Bellingham Bay east, through the town of Glacier, past the two ski lodges and finally, to the roads end, at Artist Point.

The road to the ski areas is open year round, but the last few miles of road up to Artist Point is only open in the summer.

The view is quite dramatic, with Mt Shuksan looming above on one side, while the huge snow cone of Mt Baker sits by at arms reach.

Here are a few pics from a recent visit at sunset, and beyond.

Vistas of Skagit Valley

Posted on September 1, 2019 by Andy Porter

Always in the hunt for new vistas of Skagit Valley, here are some of the vistas I’ve visited in the last few years.

Sauk Mountain

North Cascades and Skagit River

Mt Erie

Cap Sante

Samish Overlook

Mt Erie

Sauk Mtn and Skagit River

Ross Lake

Big Rock

Samish Overlook

Double Rainbows over Fir Island

Diablo Lake

Samish Overlook

Cap Sante

Samish Overlook

Mt Erie

Washington Park

Padilla Bay

Sauk Mountain

Big Rock

La Conner

Ross Lake

Samish River

Valley Sunset

Samish Overlook

Skagit River

Mt Erie

Night Sky Class at Artist Point

Posted on August 17, 2019 by Andy Porter

I teach Night Sky Photography through the North Cascades Institute, 2 or 3 classes a year.

The most recent class was July 31. We all met at the Glacier Public Information Center. The people from NCI came with a bus.

There were 15 students, we all met there and prepped our camera settings in the parking lot, jumped in the bus, and made our way up the hill to Artist Point.

We were there a bit early, so we practiced a bit, and when it was dark, we spread out and captured images.

I was busy, visiting the students to help with the details.

The sky was partly cloudy, we weren’t sure what we’d get, but as real darkness fell the vista was amazing.

Here are a few pics I managed while enjoying the dark spaces.

: Artist Point

I teach photography for adults in Burlington, at Parks and Rec. Classes start in September.

I also do Night Sky Photo Tours, here is the link.

2020 Calendar – Night Sky Images of Washington State

Posted on August 11, 2019 by Andy Porter

2020 Calendar – Night Sky Images of Washington State

The 2020 Calendar is here a bit early this year!

There are several reasons for this, first, people who visit Washington in the summer want calendars! And normally none are available. Also I wanted to do a Night Sky Calendar for some time, which means no need to worry about getting seasonal images, etc etc.

So, here it is, the 2020 Calendar – Night Sky Images of Washington State

The calendar is printed on 100lb bond, gloss stock, really nice paper. The size is 8′ x 12′ (a bit bigger than normal) which means that I didn’t have to either crop the image, OR add a border to the print.

Ring bound and shrink wrapped, they are ready to ship anywhere your heart desires!

$20 each, shipping $6