Colourful Tulips
Bowral's annual Tulip Festival, at the famous Corbett Gardens, in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia....
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Bowral's annual Tulip Festival, at the famous Corbett Gardens, in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia.
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SONY DSC-W350
Aperture 57/10 ISO 100 Shutter 10/1250 Focal Length 1880/100 
New South Wales, AU
Apr, 2019Views
734
Likes
Awards
Top Shot Award 21
Spring 21 Award
Judge Favorite
9Teen Award
Contest Finalist in Colors Of The Rainbow Photo Contest
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
All Star
Genius
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Categories
geophotos
April 22, 2019
Thank you muchly - the colour variations are carefully planned by the gardeners every year. When the exhibit concludes, the bulbs are sold off. :))
Platinum
Platinum
ChrisBPhotography
June 21, 2019
Congrats on you finalist award! And thank you for the time and energy you put into organizing challenges!
Ultimate
charterswilliamosborne
June 21, 2019
Woo Hoo; congratulations on being selected Finalist. Persistence pays.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in Corbett Gardens, Bowral, in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia during the famous Tulip Time Festival. I was working in the area for many years as a taxi, limousine and tour bus driver. This gave me the opportunity to see many of the unique sights of the region. Not always being able to have my Nikon DSLR with me, I always carried a small Sony DSC W 350 in my top pocket - just in case I encountered a scene such as this!Time
Not always having control over what time I'd be in a particular location, I took my photo opportunities as they arose. This picture was taken at 11.02 am on 1 October, with the tulips in full bloom.Lighting
There was a light overcast, as I recall, giving an even, slightly subdued light. In theory, not ideal - but it was the opportunity I had to take.Equipment
My pocket Sony DSC W 350 was a very versatile little "Point & Shoot" camera. "ONLY 16 megapixels", yet with the Carl Zeiss lens, it produced some very clear, sharp images. Settings were on an "Auto Intelligent" program. Why not "full manual"? Because I didn't have time to make a variety of experimental adjustments I may have made with my DSLR. The photo opportunity was often of a very short duration, so I had to take it there and then. "Auto anything" is a concept dismissed by true professionals, with cameras and lenses costing many thousands of dollars, yet the algorithms in the little camera knew what they were doing! Far more intelligent than I am.Inspiration
Layouts of the Tulips in the gardens were carefully planned, with some beds of a single solid colour. This one may have been a bed where 'spare' bulbs were randomly planted. Yet,this gave a burst of varied rainbow colours, which is what caught my eye and inspired the shot.Editing
Post processing was done in Photoshop Elements 10. An old program, which still suits my needs. No secrets: colour saturation and contrast were slightly increased from the somewhat subdued originals. My aim was to produce a more 3 dimensional picture, (which is what I try to do with my photographs - create pictures from them) closer to what my eyes saw, rather than just show a photograph. "Plastic Wrap" was applied in moderation to try and achieve this 3D effect. It's a matter of personal taste - I am creating a picture which appeals to me, first and foremost. I am my own most severe critic!In my camera bag
Couldn't always carry a camera bag with me when driving a tour bus or taxi - hence reliance on my pocket Point & Shoot Sony. Back then, if I had the time, I'd take my Nikon D 80, (a mere 12 megapixels) or later a Nikon D 7000, usually with the Nikkor 18-200 mm f 3.5 VR lens, which I found very versatile. A Sigma f 2.8 17-70 mm was sometimes used to good effect. I carried a dedicated SB 60 flash, but very rarely found the need to use it. Most recently, I've gone berserk and rented a Sony RX 10 Mk 3 and am now exploring a whole new range of photographic possibilities. One camera in the bag - so, no need to play around with a variety of lenses, as 24 to 600 mm equivalent and 20 megapixels is more than enough for what I need!Feedback
There are times when I can plan a photographic outing to take advantage of the Golden Hour with its enhanced colours. There have been times when I've been up before the sparrows, waiting for an hour or more for the first light of dawn in a favourite location, such as on the Central Coast of New South Wales, with its extensive waterways. The sun gradually rises and you realise the Earth is slowly turning, granting you another day to enjoy. A lot of the time, however, my pictures are taken where and when I can, unplanned - but I still think about the subject and most importantly, the composition. After many years and many cameras, film and digital, this has become natural. My only advice is to always have a camera of some description with you, be it a "High End" one or a simple Point and Shoot - or even a phone ;) Keep looking around you, learn to see the unique and unusual and capture what magic moments you can.
