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!
This 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.
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.
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
Last week I had an opportunity to drive over the mountains on the Cascade Loop Highway, to Eastern Washington for a 3 day winter photo safari. The plan was to escape and explore on the east side of the mountains where they have a REAL winter with snow and that sort of thing.
I had intended to do some hiking and out door adventures but my plans were derailed by the two wonderfully sumptuous resorts I stayed in along the way.
My trip took me over Stevens Pass to Leavenworth, where I stayed at the Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort. Leavenworth is a heaven for all winter activities, and the weather was perfect: It snowed the night before I arrived, was clear during the day and snowed again late at night, making for perfect conditions.
The drive over Stevens Pass was uneventful, at a bit over 4,000 feet the top of the pass was crusted with snow, but traction was good and all went perfectly.
The Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort was such a treat. Everything about the place is wonderful, the rooms, food, hospitality and location, in fact it was too nice! I found myself so pampered that I didn’t make it very far afield out side, but rather luxuriated in the spa, hot tub and wonderfully warm room…
Here are a few images from my stay.
The next day took me further east along the Cascade Loop Highway to Twisp and another way too incredible lodging opportunity at the Twisp River Suites.
I rarely stay in resorts, or even hotels for that matter, I am happy with my Thermarest and sleeping bag. I am slightly embarrassed to report that I made little effort to brave the elements outdoors, but rather opted for the living the life of luxury at the Twisp River Suites. The room was amazing, everything perfect, even the couch was captivating, it enveloped me completely!
But, I did manage to get a few pics and here they are!
Merry Christmas, everyone!
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
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.
NIGHT SKY
NORTH CASCADES
SKAGIT VALLEY TULIPS
SKAGIT VALLEY
On Wednesday night I made my way up to the Park Butte Lookout for the 5th time this year.
Each trip is different, unique. Skies and clouds, temperature and wind, sun or rain it is always a fantastical place to spend the night.
This trip was no exception, I went with my friend, Sam and her dog River.
The cool October air is comfortable for climbing up with a big back.
Leaving late we arrived at the lookout as the sun set, had dinner and almost immediately after were out capturing images of the Milky Way, blazing above.
I clambered down below the lookout for a new perspective of the lookout and Milky Way.
The yellow lamp I brought created a perfect yellow-golden light inside.
Finally the excitement ended and we hit the sleeping pads, out on the lookout balcony.
The early morning light was wonderful. I popped up quickly and started my circumnavigations of the lookout, searching for the perfect light.
Here is the link to buy prints
and here is the link for Photo Tour details.
Every August the Perseid Meteor Shower streaks above Earth creating a fantastic light show. Visibility of the meteors depends upon the moon cycle. If the full moon coincides with the meteor shower it tends to wash out the show. But this year’ s Perseid showers falls upon the New Moon and so we could have quite a show.
Milky Way and Shooting Star
Here is a quote from the article linked above: “Every year, from around July 17 to August 24, our planet Earth crosses the orbital path of Comet Swift-Tuttle, the parent of the Perseid meteor shower. Debris from this comet litters the comet’s orbit, but we don’t really get into the thick of the comet rubble until after the first week of August. The bits and pieces from Comet Swift-Tuttle slam into the Earth’s upper atmosphere at some 210,000 kilometers (130,000 miles) per hour, lighting up the nighttime with fast-moving Perseid meteors. If our planet happens to pass through an unusually dense clump of meteoroids – comet rubble – we’ll see an elevated number of meteors. We can always hope!”
Stars along the Baker River
Capturing images of meteors takes some planning, a little luck and dash of persistence. Basically what’s needed is to get out away from city lights and set up your DSLR (use a wide angle lens) on a tripod. use the widest aperture and a 20 to 30 second shutter speed. make sure your focus is on manual and set to infinity. Then you can point towards the Milky Way and start shooting!
Camped under the Milky Way 3
Of course you can never know when a huge meteor will streak across your screen, so you just keep shooting, over and over and you will for sure get some sweet shots.
If you live in Washington State and would like some instruction on How to capture the Night Sky images, I am offering Night Sky Photo Tours on August 12th and 15th. We will be heading up into the North Cascades for an (almost) all night Meteor Photo Shoot. Here are all the details.
Looking at the stars
Happy Star Trails to you!
Here is another shot from the other night along the Baker River.
Camped under the Milky Way 3
I had in my mind several images, planning and scheming as we hiked in, having the kids in the tent illuminated with the I-Pad, having them look out of the tent, in awe at the stars.
Here is the i-pad shot. Not too bad! A little overexposed on the face of the kid (Dawson) holding the device.
Then I tried an image with them looking out of the tent. I used the red light function on my head lamp to illuminate their faces and this is what I got:
At first I didn’t even try to edit it, it looked so red.
But later I decided to give it a try. I edited (in photoshop, as a raw file) the foreground, then went back and edited the raw a second time, but edited just the sky.
Then I merged the two and did final editing.
That’s Joe on the left, wrapped in the sleeping bag. And my son, Max is the incredulous one on the right!
Not too bad!
I guess I’ll have to take the kids camping more often!
Looking at the stars
North Western Images - photos by Andy Porter 