Skagit Valley, WA Tulip
Spring 2013 tulips in Skagit Valley, WA. Tulips are leaning as a result of the cool, brisk breeze in the later afternoon sun....
Read more
Spring 2013 tulips in Skagit Valley, WA. Tulips are leaning as a result of the cool, brisk breeze in the later afternoon sun.
Read less
Read less
Dec, 2013Views
272
Likes
Awards
Zenith Award
Staff Winter Selection 2015
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Exceptional Contrast
Jaw Dropping
Superior Skill
Peer Award
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Frank1390
December 28, 2013
Great capture, subject, etc. Thanks for sharing. Have a safe and happy New Year. :-)
KrakenWaker
December 30, 2013
Lovely shot, the perspective here is great and the colours are amazing.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
These fields of tulips appear every April in Skagit Valley, Washington, about 90 miles north of Seattle. This photo was actually taken during a business trip. Happened to be in the area during tulip season and the locals took us out to see the sites one day after work.Time
We only had about an hour and a half to make our visit before the sun went down. It was about 50 degrees with a brisk wind. No big deal for the locals, but for a Houstonian like me, it was freezing!Lighting
The trick here was to find the field of tulips with the rows going in the right direction so I could pick of the late day sunlight coming across and highlighting the bold blooms. Not as easy to do as it seems as there are limited places where you can pull over and access these farmer's crops.Equipment
I have to admit that this is an iPhone 4S shot. Didn't have my camera equipment with me on the business trip. So I used what I had. Like they say - the best camera is the one you have with you!Inspiration
The beauty of these massive fields of tulips is a photo opportunity too good to pass up. I'd like to say I have an eye for good photos, but this is one of those places where everyone feels compelled to snap a few shots. I was drawn to the red tulips because of the strong color contrast with the green plants and blue skies. I definitely plan to go back some day with all my gear. This shot has inspired to get out and get some sunrise and sunset pictures as well.Editing
The iPhone photo couldn't handle the dynamic range of the scene, so some post processing to weaken the highlights and expose the shadows was used to bring out the fuller dynamic range of the shot. Also bumped up the saturation just a tad so the photo matched my memory of the vibrant colors.In my camera bag
I use my Nikon D800 for my landscape photography due to the large pixel count. I prefer the 16-35mm f4 for wide landscapes like this, but have also got great results with the 24-70mm f2.8. And I have trouble going anywhere without my 70-200mm f2.8 in the bag. Of course, got to have the tripod, assortment of filters, remote release, etc in the bag to get those memorable shots when the come along.Feedback
I'm tall (6'-6") and have a bad habit of just placing the camera to my eye and framing the shot. I have found that some of my best landscape shots are when I am not so lazy and either get down closer to the ground of find something to step up onto to change the perspective. Moving the camera up or down just 3 or 4 feet often surprises me how much better the overall shot becomes. And take lots of shots from different angles and perspectives. It's digital after all - you can delete them later if they turn out to not be keepers. Some of my best shots have turned out to be one of the those last few shots I snapped before I left. A little post processing and voila - a masterpiece waiting to be discovered.
