Private & Public Gardens of Puget Sound 2025

Imagine rainbows of vibrant color all erupting into spectacular and inspiring garden displays at the peak of summer growing season in the Pacific Northwest. Because of its unique climate, the maritime Northwest offers the broadest palette of plants available in the Northern Hemisphere and is home to thousands of varieties of flowering plants, shrubs and trees from across the globe — truly a photographer’s paradise.

Join Charles and Melissa for an unforgettable week photographing in five private and three public breathtakingly beautiful gardens in and around the Seattle area. Gardens we’ll visit include:

• a private garden that’s the home of a nationally recognized landscape designer and educator, and has been featured on the cover of Fine Gardening magazine five times
• two private gardens also featured in Fine Gardening magazine, one of which boasts a 26-page plant list with classic Italian architectural accents and other distinctive features throughout
• a 30-year-old private garden with a jaw-dropping view of Puget Sound, wide variety of colorful flowers, plants and trees and masterful stone masonry work
• an acclaimed private garden that’s the home of an author, speaker and landscape designer who is a leading authority on combining plantings in borders and containers to get that picture-perfect look
• Heronswood Garden, the first indigenous plant garden in the United States, showcasing rare and exotic plant species that thrive in the Pacific Northwest
• The Dunn Gardens, a graceful estate garden landscaped by Olmsted Brothers on a bluff overlooking Puget Sound
• The Bellevue Botanical Garden featuring 53 acres of cultivated gardens, restored woodlands and natural wetlands

Throughout the week, Charles and Missy will offer lots of personalized 1-on-1 instruction both in the field and classroom, sharing tips and techniques for capturing artistic close-ups and intimate garden landscapes.  Topics covered will include: impressionistic flower and garden photography, multiple-exposures, intentional camera movement, general post-processing workflow tips and shooting from the heart.  Assignments, lectures and supportive group image evaluations will also be an integral part of this bespoke workshop experience.

INCLUDES

• all garden entrance fees
• 3 gourmet-style box lunches
• ground transportation during the workshop (in a luxury 14-passenger van)
• 1 roundtrip ferry crossing
• instruction in the classroom and field (group and 1-on-1)
• supportive image evaluations

DOES NOT INCLUDE

Airfare, airport transfers, lodging, some meals/snacks and optional trip insurance.

LODGING

 A block of rooms has been reserved at a 4-star hotel in Edmonds, WA at discounted rates between $200 and $240 per night + tax, depending on room type.  Upon registration, you’ll receive a special link to reserve your room at this hotel.  All classroom sessions will be held at the hotel.

GETTING THERE

Airfare is not included in the workshop cost.  You’ll want to fly into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).  No need to rent a car, because we will be traveling together in a 14-passenger luxury van during the entire week.  Airport transfers are not covered.

Our home base for the week will be at a hotel in Edmonds, WA, which is a suburb located about 30 miles north of the airport.  You could take Uber or Lyft to the hotel, which averages about $99 each way; however, the price can vary depending on time of day, traffic and number of riders.

You could also pre-book airport transfers with Seattle Airport Taxi for between $100 and $200 each way.

Alternatively, you could take Link light rail “1 Line” from the airport to Lynnwood City Center Station ($3 one-way, about an hour’s journey), then take Uber or Lyft to the hotel for around $25.  (Price may vary depending on time of day, of course.)  More information about Seattle’s light rail system can be found here.

When booking your airfare and airport transfers, please keep in mind the workshop begins at 7 pm on Sunday, August 3 at the hotel in Edmonds and ends at 12 noon on Saturday, August 9 at the hotel in Edmonds.  Summertime is peak tourism season in Seattle, so you’ll need to allow plenty of travel time to get between the airport and Edmonds, especially on weekends.

ITINERARY

• Sunday, August 3

Meet & Greet at 7 pm at the hotel.  Lecture and inspirational slide show.  Camera equipment overview.  Review workshop itinerary.

• Monday, August 4

Breakfast at the hotel.  Visit a nearby private garden and photograph there all morning, followed by a gourmet box lunch in the garden (included).  Return to hotel for afternoon lectures.  Dinner on your own in downtown Edmonds or along the waterfront.  (A short walk from the hotel to either one.)

• Tuesday, August 5

After breakfast at the hotel, visit one private garden in the morning and photograph there, followed a visit to the Dunn Gardens in the late morning/early afternoon.  Lunch (not included).  Visit a second nearby garden in the afternoon.  Dinner on your own in downtown Edmonds or along the waterfront.  (A short walk from the hotel to either one.)

• Wednesday, August 6

Breakfast at the hotel.  Board a Washington State Ferry for a 30-minute ride to Kingston to visit Heronswood Garden.  Spend all morning photographing at Heronswood, followed by a gourmet box lunch in the garden (included).  Return to hotel.  Supervised group “lab time” in the hotel classroom.  Post-processing tips.  Prepare for tomorrow’s image sharing.

• Thursday, August 7

Morning image sharing in the classroom.  Lunch (not included).  Visit Bellevue Botanical Garden in the afternoon/early evening.  Group dinner in Bellevue (not included).

• Friday, August 8

After breakfast at the hotel, visit one private garden in Bellevue and photograph there all morning, followed by a gourmet box lunch in the garden (included).  Visit another nearby private garden in Bellevue and photograph there in the afternoon.  Return to the hotel.  Dinner on your own in downtown Edmonds or along the waterfront.  (A short walk from the hotel to either one.)  Free time to prepare images for tomorrow’s image evaluation session.  Pack.

• Saturday, August 9

Breakfast at the hotel.  Supportive image evaluation session in hotel classroom.  Workshop ends at 12 noon.

PROFICIENCY LEVEL

All skill levels and camera formats welcome, including smartphone cameras.  Participants should also have a basic understanding of exposure, camera operation in modes other than “Auto” or “Program,” and basic proficiency in post-capture image editing software such as Lightroom, Photoshop or Snapseed.

PHYSICAL DIFFICULTY

The majority of the week, you’ll be photographing in gardens on fairly even terrain, but you’ll be walking on uneven ground at other times, but nothing too strenuous.  One garden does involve walking up and down some steep steps, but there is plenty to photograph without having to climb steps, if you’re challenged when doing so.

CANCELLATION POLICY

All workshop withdrawal requests must be in writing and received either by US mail or e-mail and acknowledged by Charles Needle Photography. There are NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS POLICY, even for medical or family emergencies. Unless otherwise noted, based on cancellation date, the following apply:

• Greater than 121 days before the workshop start date: refund, minus a $500 administrative fee.
• Within 120 days of the start of the program: no refund.

We encourage you to purchase refundable airline tickets and “Cancel for any Reason” trip cancellation insurance. This will protect you in the event of an unexpected situation that prevents you from attending the workshop. We recommend Travel Guard or Travelex Insurance Services.

We reserve the right to cancel any workshop if the minimum student enrollment is not met, or due to any COVID-19 or other health concerns. In the event we cancel a workshop, you’ll be notified as soon as possible and be given the option to receive a full refund or apply your payment toward any future workshop within one calendar year from the date of cancellation.

We are not, however, liable for expenses incurred such as airfare or accommodations, and for this reason we also recommend the purchase of trip insurance. The financial liability of Charles Needle Photography shall be limited to the amount paid to Charles Needle Photography for the tour/workshop only and shall not be extended to cover any other associated travel costs incurred (e.g. non-refundable air tickets, visa fees if applicable, clothing, equipment, miscellaneous transportation costs, lodging costs, medical expenses, travel insurance premiums, etc.).  For this reason, we highly recommend “Cancel for any Reason” trip cancellation insurance.