I’ve been compiling a list of place/things to photograph around WA state. This is my list for the Olympic Peninsula area. Links go to Google Maps where you can get directions.

• North Olympic Peninsula

• If you like to photograph old architecture, there are a low of Victorian Homes in the Uptown are of Port Townsend. Many are local businesses or serving as hotels or B&Bs. A good starting point is the Ann Starrett Mansion on the corner of Clay and Adams.
• If you’re into wooden boats, head to Port Townsend on the second weekend in September for the Wooden Boat Festival.
• Kai Tai Lagoon is located in the middle of Port Townsend and has acres of natural areas, open water and wetlands. There, you will find a variety of birds, including green-winged teal, Cooper’s hawk, great blue heron, flickers, waxwings, and blackbirds.
• The Port Townsend Shipyard has a variety of fishing boats in dry dock. Photograph details and people working on the boats. Sunny mornings are good for reflections and foggy mornings are good for mood shots.
• Photograph interesting shapes, colors and textures of the old batteries at Fort Worden State Park.  Take a flashlight with lots of candle power and experiment photographing light writing inside the dark batteries.
• The Point Wilson Lighthouse is situated on a small peninsula and has several ways to approach a shot. Walk down to either beach to see the possibilities. If you’re there at sunrise, try including the sun reflecting in one of the windows.
• Fort Flagler offers great views of the regions two major mountains. The best places to photograph wildlife are Marrowstone Point and a sand spit on the northwestern corner.
• The isthmus where Indian Island and Marrowstone Island meet is a good place to photograph bird habitat.

• The Sequim Lavender Festival is typically the second weekend in July, but to avoid the crowds and get better photos, visit the farms before or after the festival. Two favorites are Jardin Du Soleil and Purple Haze.
• Ediz Hook in Port Angeles offers extremes in photographic subject matter. Each of the large tanks there has a staircase spiraling up its side. This is a great noontime, sunny-day location.
• The Port Angeles City Pier offers flower displays and sculptures to photograph. There is also a viewing tower at the end of the pier that gives you a good view of the city and harbor.
• Tongue Point is located in the Salt Creek Recreation Area. It’s considered the premier location for tide pool photography on the peninsula. Use caution – the seashore is typically slippery and the rocks are sharp, making footing precarious. Consult a tide table for best times, typically in May-July. Start making your way to the tide pools an hour before the predicted low tide. Salt Creek is also a good location for sunrise and sunset photos.
• Cape Flattery is the most northwestern point in the continental United States. There are some interesting shaped trees along the trail to the point. When the forest is shrouded in mist, it makes for a magical scene photo. From the point, you have views of cliffs and Tatoosh Island. There are lots of birds and you have a good chance of seeing tufted puffins, auklets, bald eagles and oystercatchers. The Cape Flattery Lighthouse is just offshore on Tatoosh Island. It’s usually windy, so be aware of the vibrations when shooting your picture. In the Neah Bay area, it’s very possible to see and photograph bald eagles. Also, harbor seals are frequent at the marina.

• When you get to the top of Mount Walker, you have a choice of north or south viewpoints. You can see Mount Rainier as well as Tacoma and Seattle from here and on a clear day you might even see the Space Needle. Sunrise is a great time to shoot since the Hood Canal is often shrouded in mist or fog this time of morning.
• At milepost 3 on the Dosewallips Road, there’s a small bridge with a pull-out. Take the trail on the north side past a small power-generating building to view the 100-foot Rocky Brook Falls.
• The Whitney Gardens and Nursery in late April through May is a great place to photograph various species of rhododendrons in bloom.

• At the Heart O’ the Hills campground, drive to the large parking lot near the amphitheater. At the far end of the parking lot, opposite from where you park, and across from a picnic table, is an old stump partially covered with bunchberry. In late May and early June, these will be in full bloom and make a stunning setting to photograph.
• Along the 17-mile Hurricane Ridge Road, you’ll find several viewpoints looking both east and north. Mount Baker is visible in some spots along the road. From late spring through summer you’ll find lots of flowers along the side of the road. At the top, but sunrise and sunset shots are possible here. There is lots of mountain lupine in the meadows, as well as roaming deer, to photograph. Flowers are usually at their peak in mid-July.
• Deer Park has views of Port Angeles, Sequim, the Dungeness Spit, Port Townsend, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the San Juan Islands, Vancouver Island, Anacortes, Mount Baker and the North Cascades, with the best being right from the parking lot. This is a great place to set up for a sunrise or sunset photo. Also nice burned out trees and sub-alpine wildflowers at campground; deer, marmots, high alpine phlox on Blue Mountain
• Madison Falls is on the way to Lake Crescent and isn’t as well known and is a lot easier to get downstream to the base of the waterfall.
• At Lake Crescent, stop at Barnes Point, park at the Ranger Station, and take the short hike to Marymere Falls. The falls are tall, so you can get close to it. There are two viewpoints from the trail: one below the falls and one from near the top. Also investigate the trail along the shore from the Lake Crescent Lodge. In the summer, this can be a great for early-morning photography since the lake is often shrouded in fog with streams of light outlining the trees. Lake Crescent has lots of potential for moody, early-morning shots as well as good sunset photos. Use the pullouts along the highway.
• From the west end of Lake Crescent, take the Sol Duc Hot Springs Road to the Sol Duc Valley to the Salmon Cascades where the Sol Duc tumbles through boulders for flowing water shots. There’s a viewing platform on a short trail from the parking area where you can photograph leaping salmon. Spawning season is in the fall, so you can also get some fall color. For forest photograph, look for fingers of light along the Ancient Groves Nature Trail.  At the end of Sol Duc Road, take the Sol Duc Trail to Sol Duc Falls. Between early May and into June, there will be lots of flowers along the trail. As you cross the footbridge, stop and turn around. The backlit leaves  of a maple branch overhanging the end of the bridge makes a fine photo. You’ll find the Sol Duc Falls packed int he summertime, so you best bet is to visit mid-week and early in the morning. A rainy or cloudy day has an advantage because the light is great and there are no tourists. A good spot to photograph the falls is just as you walk onto the bridge.
• Another good place for tide-pool photography is at Rialto Beach. It’s also a good place for sunsets and moody, foggy landscapes. From the beach, cross the stream where it enters the ocean (you may need to use a log bridge). Beyond this area is the rock formations and Hole in the Wall, a large sea stack witha  big hole in it.
• The Hoh Rainforest offers many hotspots if you like forest photography, especially along the Hall of Mosses. Besides moss and trees, look for ferns, mushrooms, nurse logs, and undergrowth plants.
• Ruby Beach is one of the most photogenic beaches on the coast. You can photograph sea stacks, tide pools and nice sunsets (bring a flashlight to find your way back in the dark).
• On the east side of the Olympic National Park, take the Staircase Rapids Trail to photograph the Staircase Rapids. Also look for trillium, bunchberry and calypso orchids. About a mile up the trail, there is a small campground where you might find some harlequin ducks to photograph.