Using photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) we present a comparative analysis of the wavelength dependence of propagating fields in a simple optical slab waveguide and a thin film photonic crystal W1-type waveguide. We utilize an interferometric imaging approach for light in the near-ultraviolet regime where a 2-photon process is required to produce photoelectron emission. The typical spatial resolution in these experiments is < 30 nm. Electromagnetic theory and finite element simulations are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental observations. Our results indicate that multiphoton PEEM is a useful sub-wavelength characterization technique in thin film optics.