Wanted: Locations for Night Sky Photography

Capturing images of the arc of the Milky Way is fantastic fun. The images are quite stunning and not very hard to capture, if you can find the right place to photograph them!  

Getting a clear shot of the Milky Way requires that you get well away from the lights of any cities or towns. If you are near civilization the light pollution wipes out the lower half of your picture. You need a dark sky. Near my home the best place is up in the North Cascades. It’s a 2 hour drive from my place to Washington Pass. Eastern Washington has many places with wonderfully dark skies.  

Good night sky pics have an interesting foreground, in addition to the Milky Way. I’ve used mountains, highways, tents, a big stump and Fire Lookout towers!  

I am always looking for new locations and specifically, a barn, house, or any building really, located in a dark spot. For example this image is the Govan School House, located in Wilbur Washington. The building is abandoned. I climbed in there and set up a few lanterns to illuminate the place from the inside.

The building can be currently used or abandoned, we must be able to gain entry and set up lights. An old barn, out in eastern Washington or anywhere its dark, and out on the open would work wonderfully.

IF you know of any such buildings we can photograph, please let me know. Of course any place must be used with permission; trespassing on somebodies property at night with bright lights and cameras is just not smart!  

I am happy to exchange photo lessons or prints from the photo shoot with the land owner!  

Please email me any ideas or questions to: andyporterphotography@gmail.com

2020 Calendar – Night Sky Images of Washington State

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

You can order your copy here.

The Night Sky Images of Washington State – 2020 Calendar is for sale locally at:

North Cascades National Park / Forest Service Headquarters, Sedro-Woolley

Skagit Valley Food Co-op, Mt Vernon

Sedro-Woolley Chamber of Commerce, Sedro-Woolley

Bulk Orders and Orders for Resale are available! Contact me at Andyporterphotography@gmail.com

Here are the 14 images

Night Sky Images of Washington State

I have been capturing night sky images of Washington State for about 4 years now. These 14 images display my moments of good luck so far.

Capturing nice Milky Way shots is not difficult, technically. A decent camera, wide angle lens, tripod and remote are all that’s needed. The aperture, shutter speed, ISO and focus are all set. You can read more about the settings here.

The tricky part is getting yourself and camera to a spot far away from light pollution, on a night when there is
a.) No moon in the sky and
b.) No clouds covering up the stars!

Once you get that all figured out, then its a matter of practice, trail and error (lots of errors), and really just getting yourself out there.

The settings for these types of images were the same:

  • Milky Way shots: Aperture: f2/8 ; Shutter Speed: 30 seconds ; ISO 2,500 to 6,400
  • Star Trail Shots: Aperture: f2/8 ; Shutter Speed: 20 minutes ; ISO 100

Here are the details on each image.

First Beach, Olympic Coast This is First Beach, in La Push, down the road from Forks. I used this huge stump to block the light pollution from the small village. This was taken in January, and the Milky Way is faint.

Winchester Lookout at Dawn Late September, the Lookout had been battened down for the fall… Early sunrise created a split sky of colors, while my friends meditated with their I phone. They would have the phone “on” for just 2 or 3 seconds during my 30 exposure. The light in the lookout is from a very dim stand-up flashlight I put on the floor of the building

Crystal Mountain Ski Resort The plan was to wander off from the resort and camp and takes pics. This was shot at about 2am, in late July. There are several satellites in this image. When using a wide angle lens you have to be very close to any foreground objects, or they will be very tiny in your image.

Sahale Camp, North Cascades National Park This is the highest camp site in the North Cascades National Park, at more than 7,500 ft. The view is facing south. 30 second exposure, my friends in the tent had the light on for 1 -2 seconds. Any longer and the tent would be over exposed.

Night Sky Images of Washington State 2020 Calendar

This year I started the Calendar early! We printed on 8″ x 12″ sheets of 100lb bond, glossy paper.

They really look fabulous! Each individually wrapped.

The calendar is now back from the printer and ready to ship anywhere in the world!

Order Yours Here

Palouse Falls is a wonderful spot for Night Sky Imaging, its very remote and scenic. Someone started a campfire in the basin that night, and that’s where the wonderful illumination comes from in this shot.

Mount Larrabee, North Cascades This is a 20 minute exposure. The green glow along the horizon is the Aurora Borealis! This image was captured from atop Winchester Mountain.

Nighttime at Diablo Overlook Here is a south facing view of Colonial Peak, from Diablo Overlook. The star trails are streaks across the frame. If you shoot pointing north the star trails form a circle.

Milky Way over the North Cascades Highway at the Washington Pass Overlook. This image was taken on June 2nd, at about 1am. As the Earth rotates the Milky Way arcs across the sky. The tail lights from a car headed east, to Winthrop, provide the lighting for this pic.

Mount Shuksan and Picture Lake This famous view of Mt Shuksan affords some nice reflective opportunities! Its easy to get to, and from there you can head up to Artist Point for more images of Mts. Shuksan and Baker.

Buying Prints

Prints are available for all images. Traditional paper prints of all sizes are possible. These come ready for matting and framing. Canvas Wrapped Prints of any styles and sizes are also available directly from the web site. Here is the link to the Night Sky Gallery. Feel free to call me if you have any questions. 360-809-0661.

Also, if you use the code: NIGHTSKY50 you will receive 50% off your order!

Govan School House. Located near Wilbur on Hwy 2, this remote abandoned building was perfect for night sky. We illuminated the inside with a Coleman Lantern and a few other orange/yellow lights. I would love to find some more old building or barns to do this again!

Park Butte Lookout and Mt Baker. I brought a very dim flash light and hung it from the ceiling, I could barely see it from out side, and it provided plenty of light for me. It looks like the stars emanate from the crater on Mt Baker!

Liberty Bell, North Cascades Highway. The Washington Pass Overlook is one of the best spots there is to capture night sky pics. Its VERY dark, the foreground is outstanding (Liberty Bell and the hairpin turn in the North Cascades Hwy) and its easy to park and get there in the dark.

Camped along Baker River, North Cascades. I would start the 30 second exposure and yell to them: Turn it on! and then after 1 second, Turn it off! that was plenty of light on their faces and the tent. The gravel bars along Baker River are an easy distance and very dark spots for night sky.

Winchester Lookout and the Northern Lights. For long exposures, if you point towards the North Star, all of the other stars will make concentric circles. The green and reddish glow is the Aurora Borealis.

Night Sky Photo Classes and Photo Tours

Currently I am scheduled to teach one more Night Sky Photo Class this year, through the North Cascades Institute. It is scheduled for Wednesday night, July 31, and you can find out more here, and register.

Night Sky Photo Tours are also available each month at the New Moon. I take individuals and groups to Drive-in locations, like the Washington Pass Overlook, or Artist Point. For those adventurous photographers who can carry a 30 lb backpack up hill for a while, there are back country locations we can visit, like the Park Butte or Winchester Mountain Lookouts. You can find out more here, and feel free to email or call if you have any questions.

Capturing Images of the Milky Way

Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park

There is nothing more stunning than a clear image of the Milky Way Galaxy arcing overhead. The Majesty of the Galaxy is on display and you can feel yourself on the outer rim of the immense ring of stars…

By far, the most difficult part of capturing images of the milky way is simply getting there, at the right time!

When To Go

To get a good shot you need to go when there is NO moon in the sky. The moon reflects so much sun back, from the sun, that it washes out the Milky Way. Find a Lunar Calendar, the New Moon is when there is no moon in the sky, and you can get decent shots plus or minus 2 days from the New Moon. So, each month there is a 5 day window for Milky Way shots. The hard part of this, especially in Western Washington, is matching the New Moon with No Clouds!

govan school house hdr

Govan School House, Wilbur, Wa

Astrophotography with a DSLR

As far as capturing images like this goes, the equipment list is rather meager. You need a decent DSLR (a full frame body is best, but not mandatory) a wide angle lens ( 10 to 20mm is best, 24mm is fine) a tripod and a cable release (or electronic shutter release) and that’s really all you need, equipment wise.

Once you get out to your spot and get set up set the camera on manual exposure mode and open your aperture up all the way (use the lowest f/stop number) and then, using the chart here, set your shutter speed.

As for ISO, that is really the only variable. Depending upon your camera I would suggest starting at a relatively low ISO, say, 1,000 and then work your way up, checking the images as you go. Each camera will have its own ISO sweet spot, often its the mid point between the lowest and highest ISO setting on the camera.

One more important item is focus. You must set your lens on Manual Focus. Auto focus will not work at night and so, before you head out, take some time and figure out how to manually set the focus ring on your lens to infinity.

star trails at diablo overlook, north cascades highway

Diablo Overlook, North Cascades Highway

There are several way to do this, one is look up your lens on line, looking for the manual, or advice as to how to set that lens to infinity. Or another way is to sit with your camera (set the aperture open all the way when doing this) and take test shots of something at least 50 feet away and then review the image on your camera, using the zoom function and keep testing until you find that exact spot for your lens where its set for infinity, then make some mark or note or what ever so that when you’re out in the field at night you know where to set it.

That’s it! Then you can leisurely move about, composing shots and have fun (make sure to check your focus ring from time to time, moving your rig about can often change the focus setting!)

As you recompose try different ISO settings and Viola! Nice shots.

liberty bell and the milky from washington pass overlook on the north cascades highway

Washington Pass Overlook, North Cascades Highway

Locations

To get decent images you need to get away from the lights of civilization. If you shoot near a city the entire horizon is washed out, no stars, or very faint. Two of my favorite locations are on SR 20, the North Cascades Highway, (which is part of the Cascade Loop). The Diablo Lake Overlook, and the Washington Pass Overlook both have lots of good parking, rest rooms and are user friendly in the dark.

Photo Tours

You might want to come along on a Night Sky Photo Tours. We meet and drive out to some location away from the lights of civilization where we can set up and get clear images of the stars. Drive in Tours are available, as well as Hike in Photo Tours where we visit more remote spots such as Fire Lookouts for our Photo Shoot! You can find out more, and see details and dates here.

Winchester Lookout

Winchester Lookout, Star Trails and the Aurora Borealis

Washington Journey Magazine

Some months ago I was referred to a local travel author for tips on capturing awesome landscape images. I shared my ideas and sent it off with some images. I was a bit surprised to get a call later from a “fact checker” to verify what I had said!

Months past and I assumed the article was scrapped, but behold, here it is in the Fall issue of Washington Journey Magazine.

Departures  — Journeys Issue: September/October 2017

Scroll down a bit for the article “Picture Perfect”.

The next Night Sky Class at the North Cascades Institute is scheduled for Sat. Sept. 16th. This class is through NCI, I am the instructor. We will visit Artist Point.

I will also be doing Night Sky Tours on Friday, Sept. 15 and Saturday,Oct. 21 Here is the Link. 

Classes in Burlington and Marysville start again September.

 

Star Trails

Here are my first two efforts at star trails.

This image is from Friday night, at the Diablo Overlook, along Highway 20 in the North Cascades National Park

and this image was captured on Sunday night, along the Baker River in the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest.

The next new moon is June 23rd…I will be teaching a class on Night Sky Photography through the North Cascades Institute on Friday, June 23rd, details here.

OR if you’d like to go on a Night Sky Photo Tour, have a look here.

Diablo Overlook Winter Night Sky

On Monday, Jan. 2, 2017 I made my way to the Diablo Overlook on the North Cascades Highway.

The plan was to see about a few sunset pics and then wait for the stars.

Here are the results!

diablo-winter-panoranaThis is 4 images, photo merged into a panorama.

And a few more. The 2017 dates for the North Cascades Night Sky Photo Tours are set. Here is the link to find out more, and if you’re interested, register for this years tours.

Images of 2016

The year has come to an end.

2017 and the future beckon. Like it or not, here they come!

But today is a day for reflection. To look back and see what was accomplished, to revisit the beauty and wonder I commiserated with and to merrily contemplate new sights to see and places to go.

First Beach, Olympic Coast

First Beach 3  These two images were captured at the fishing village of La Push, on the Olympic Coast. The image on the right is backlit by lights at the marina.

The image on the right features Orion as well as Em and Amber!

2017 Calendars are still available here!

 

One evening on the spring I had a premonition of a fiery sky, I headed over to Bow and found these images.

The Tulip Festival started in February again…well, the daffodils did anyway… Trying to find that perfect match with the flowers and the sky…what a fun problem to have!

My first serious backpack for the year ended up getting rained and stormed out midway, but I did find a few flowers along the way, in the Pasayten Wilderness.

My night sky images for the year took me to Diablo Overlook, Washington Pass Overlook and Winchester Mountain Lookout several times each.

The opportunity opened to return to Spider Meadows, and climb up and over the pass at Spider Gap. What a fantastically exhilarating feeling to crest the top and look down to Lyman Basin below…

If you haven’t spent the night in a Fire Lookout, make sure to put it on your list…choose a evening when there are mostly clear, partly cloudy skies forecast and get ready for a color show! These images are from Winchester Lookout, above Twin Lakes.

Fall is a wonderful time for hiking, no bugs and great colors…these images are from Washington Pass and Blue Lake.

I led a Night Sky Photo Tour Eastern Washington to capture images of the old Govan School House… if you’re interested in learning Night Sky  Imaging, you may like to come out on a Night Sky Photo Tour

And lastly, visited my favorite camping spot in Washington, Sahale Glacier Camp! Here are some details if you’d like to go out on a North Cascades Photo Tour this coming summer!

I wish you excitement and adventure in 2017, anything but a boring life! I look forward to hearing of and seeing images of the places you go and the things you do! Have fun and hope to see you on the trail,

Andy

Night Sky Images 2016

Here, in no particular order, are the best night shots from this last year.

I am seriously looking forward to many new adventures in 2017.

For information about Night Sky Photo Tours, click here!

Night Sky at Washington Pass Overlook

Photographing the Night Sky at Washington Pass Overlook, along the North Cascades Highway is spectacular.

Far away from any ambient light the skies are dark.

The looming peak of Liberty Bell Mountain and the hairpin curve of the highway below add to the scene.

This is one of the top locations I use for the North Cascades Night Sky Tours.

Here are some images from my many visits.