This year I am offering three distinctly different Guided Washington State Photo Tours. They are:

•The Tulip and Daffodil Fields of Skagit Valley
• Night Sky Photography Tours
• Backcountry Tours to the Trails and Peaks of the North Cascades

Washington State Photo Tours: Tulip and Daffodil Photo Tours

Each spring the flats of Skagit Valley are alive with the vibrant, multi-colored tapestry of tulips and daffodils. There is really nothing to compare to the sight of (seemingly) endless fields of tulips under the wonderful skies of Skagit County during the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. If you would like to view stunning images of the Tulips and Daffodils which are for sale as prints and canvas wraps, check out the Tulip Festival Gallery. And join us for the Tulip Festival Photography Tours!

Living here in Skagit Valley not far from Tulip Heaven I am able to visit the tulip fields every day. As tulip season gets started I head out to scout the new year’s tulip and daffodil field locations and plan where are the best spots (and times, mornings or evenings) for capturing fabulous images.

The best time of day to visit the tulip fields is early morning or late afternoon. The low light and clouds offer some incredible back drops for the flowers.

Washington State Photo Tours: Night Sky Photo Tours

Capturing stunning images of the Milky Way is surprisingly easy. All you need is a decent DSLR, a wide angle lens and few more simple tools and you’re good to go. The only real difficulty is getting the convergence of a night with no moon AND no clouds!

A simple web search of moon cycle will bring up the years calendar of the moon and its phases. Of course a ‘full moon’ we all know. A ‘new moon’ is when there is no moon at all in the night sky. To capture good Milky Way shots you need to wait for a night plus or minus two days from the new moon date.

Then you pray for clear skies!

Next is location: the further away you are from the light of cities, towns and roads the better. Higher elevations also tend to make for less atmospheric barriers. Here in the North Cascades there are several locales where you just park, amble a short distance and get some great shots. The main ones I use are:

• Diablo Overlook located near Colonial Creek Campground on Highway 20
• Washington Pass Overlook, located on Highway 20 (aka the North Cascades Highway) a little east of the Diablo Overlook
• The Artist Point area, at the end of the Mount Baker Highway.

If you would like to see a gallery of Andy’s fantastic Night Sky Images for sale as prints and also stunningly awesome Canvas Wrapped Prints, here is the place to see them!

Washington State Photo Tours: North Cascades and Skagit Valley Photo Tours

The North Cascades range in the northwestern corner of Washington State contain some of the most rugged and inaccessible mountains in the lower 48. Mount Terror, Eldorado, Forbidden Peak, Mount Despair and Mt. Fury are some of the foreboding names of the peaks lurking in this steep, practically inaccessible corner of wilderness.

Also known as the American Alps, the range boasts deep valleys, old growth forests, soaring pinnacles, uncounted waterfalls and the highest concentration of glaciers in the US (outside of Alaska). The Skagit River drains the western slopes, powering 3 huge dams as its glacial-fed waters plunge down from the high peaks soon slowing and meandering through the lush farm lands of Skagit Valley.

Here in April tulips are a bloom at the annual Skagit Valley Tulip festival. Come prepared for a riot of bright colors…and lots of mud!

Nearby, the Skagit River Delta is home to snow geese, trumpeter swans, bald eagles and many more species of birds. The Padilla Bay Estuary has wonderful trails for walking and enjoying the salt air and views.

A little further west is Deception Pass State Park. Here the channel between the mainland and Whidbey Island is spanned by the Deception Pass Bridge and affords breathtaking views of the forest, cliffs and ocean.

Photographic attractions are everywhere. Old barns, verdant farmlands, creeks filled with salmon, migrating birds, bald eagles, bays, estuaries, lakes and rivers: all of these and more await you in the Skagit Valley.

Andy has extensive collections of the incredible Skagit Valley, from the North Cascades to the sea. You can see his images of the Mountains and scroll through his imagery of Skagit Valley. These images are or sale as prints and also as Canvas Wraps.