SarahArquittPhotography

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

As the sun rises in Skagit Valley, you can just see the sunbeams coming down to light up the fields in a brilliance of colors....
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As the sun rises in Skagit Valley, you can just see the sunbeams coming down to light up the fields in a brilliance of colors.
Read less

Canon EOS 7D

settings

Aperture f/14.0 ISO 200 Shutter 1/200

upload_date

May, 2014

Views

617

Likes

+109

Awards

Featured

Staff Favorite

Peer Award

+32

Superb Composition

+22

Absolute Masterpiece

+13

Outstanding Creativity

+11

Top Choice

Exceptional Contrast

Superior Skill

Magnificent Capture

All Star

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Behind The Lens

Location

This was taken out in the fields of Skagit Valley, Washington.

Time

On this particular day, I had headed out to the fields a little earlier to out there before the larger crowds came in for the day. I was close the wrapping up the day when I looked to see the sun rays coming down in the distance. My camera was still set up to bracket images for possible HDR, so I quickly snapped off some photos.

Lighting

The Sun was the only light source I needed for this photo. With the light cloud coverage of the day, it provided a great shadow effect on the back end of the field while allowing the front part of the field to be lit up brilliantly.

Equipment

I was just using a basic Canon Rebel when I shot this photo on a basic tripod.

Inspiration

I was pretty new to photography at the time of this photo and was still learning a lot. I had recently learned about bracketing photos to create an HDR image and wanted to be testing it out. With it being Tulip season, I decided to head for the fields to try out the technique.

Editing

I took 3 raw photos and merged them to bring out the high and lows further and create an HDR effect which allowed the color in the tulips to really "pop" out. I had to filter the sky some to get the blue that you see in the photo.

In my camera bag

My go-to lens has become my Tamron 28-75 mm 2.8. It fits great with my Canon 7D or Markii body, giving me some great flexibility. I normally also will have Tokina 11-16 mm 2.8 and Tamron 70-300 mm 4-5.6. Between all of them, I can capture a wide variety of images. And while Canon lens are great, I found being on a limited budget the "off-brand" lens work great to meet my needs.

Feedback

You don't need to be in Skagit Valley to capture beautiful tulip fields (though it does hurt). You can find fields throughout the world. I would suggest knowing what the weather outlook is for the day. You want to be able to have some sun, but also have some cloud coverage. Morning is great before the sun is too high in the sky and also to keep from having a bunch of people in your frame. Overall, be patient. Capture a moment where the sun and clouds align for the right light and the backdrop doesn't always happen right away. But when it does, it can be magical. And if it doesn't, that single day, don't give up. I've shot tulip fields plenty of times and only of those photos turn out to be special.

See more amazing photos, follow SarahArquittPhotography

SarahArquittPhotography

SarahArquittPhotography

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

As the sun rises in Skagit Valley, you can just see the sunbeams coming down to light up the fields in a brilliance of colors.... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow SarahArquittPhotography

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As the sun rises in Skagit Valley, you can just see the sunbeams coming down to light up the fields in a brilliance of colors....
Read more

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.