Posted by Austin Booth on July 14, 2009 at 4:01 PM
I will be staying on Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands from the 23rd to the 26th and I was looking for some advice on some good photography spots there. Is anyone familiar with the area? I may take the ferry to some of the other Islands while I'm there but will mostly be on Lopez Island because that is where we are staying. I plan on getting up for sunrise every morning and trying to capture every sunset as well, can anyone offer some good suggestions for sunrise/sunset shots? Any good places to escape the harsh midday light during the day for some photos. Any advice is very much appreciated. Thank you.
I live in Friday Harbor and do a lot of photography on San Juan Island. Unfortunately, I'm not all that familiar with Lopez Island, so I won't be much help there, but if you are able to make it over to San Juan Island I can definitely give you some tips.
As far as sunrise/sunset, I imagine there's somewhere on Lopez where you can see the sunrise in the vicinity Mt. Baker, which is truly spectacular.
The best place for sunsets in the Islands in the westside of San Juan Island, which is a scenic coastline in itself, but has views to the Olympic Mountains and Vancouver Island. At Lime Kiln State Park you have the lighthouse to work with, too. Another top sunset spot is Mt. Young (Young Hill), a hike up above British Camp, where you can get a more panoramic view of the islands.
The rest of British Camp would also be good for escaping the harsh midday light, as there are a lot of woodlands there. Moran State Park on Orcas Island has a lot of waterfalls that are great in midday, too.
The other place not to miss on San Juan Island is the American Camp area at the south end of the island.
Feel free to e-mail me at monika dot wieland at gmail dot com if you have any specific questions.
Good luck!
Monika
Posted by James Walley on July 15, 2009 at 4:58 AM
If nothing else, you should consider picking up a copy of Rod Barbee's The Photographer's Guide to Puget Sound & Northwest Washington, which has a sizable section on locations in the San Juans. The book can often be found at Barnes & Noble stores around western Washington.
Orcas Island also has some sweet spots such as the summit of Mount Constitution (fear not you can drive to the summit). From here one can get either sunrise or sunset and come home with some excellent keepers. The West side of Orcas is great for sunsets. Hike up to the top of Turtle Back Mountain for some excellent views.
I too am not familiar with Lopez Island. Which is kinda ironic since as a kid I spent my summers on an island next to Lopez - Center Island. I'm much more a fan of San Juan and Orcas islands. I would think that the south west corner of Lopez Island would present some nice shots of the Olympic Mountains.
Discussion
4 repliesAustin Booth
I live in Friday Harbor and do a lot of photography on San Juan Island. Unfortunately, I'm not all that familiar with Lopez Island, so I won't be much help there, but if you are able to make it over to San Juan Island I can definitely give you some tips.
As far as sunrise/sunset, I imagine there's somewhere on Lopez where you can see the sunrise in the vicinity Mt. Baker, which is truly spectacular.
The best place for sunsets in the Islands in the westside of San Juan Island, which is a scenic coastline in itself, but has views to the Olympic Mountains and Vancouver Island. At Lime Kiln State Park you have the lighthouse to work with, too. Another top sunset spot is Mt. Young (Young Hill), a hike up above British Camp, where you can get a more panoramic view of the islands.
The rest of British Camp would also be good for escaping the harsh midday light, as there are a lot of woodlands there. Moran State Park on Orcas Island has a lot of waterfalls that are great in midday, too.
The other place not to miss on San Juan Island is the American Camp area at the south end of the island.
Feel free to e-mail me at monika dot wieland at gmail dot com if you have any specific questions.
Good luck!
Monika
One possible sunset view is looking across the harbor with boats from the road just south of Lopez Village.
Lopez Island Vineyards has nice gardens around their tasting room, and a view out over the vineyards.
I too am not familiar with Lopez Island. Which is kinda ironic since as a kid I spent my summers on an island next to Lopez - Center Island. I'm much more a fan of San Juan and Orcas islands. I would think that the south west corner of Lopez Island would present some nice shots of the Olympic Mountains.