Skagit Valley Tulips and Daffodils- 2017

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Daffodils at sunrise 2Last weeks snow was short lived, the last few days temps have been inching up towards a balmy 50 degrees. Today I did a bit of reconnoitering in the tulip zone.

The daffodils fields have sprouted, the green little shoots about 2 to 3 inches high…

How long until we see flowers? My experience is that on sunny warm day (sunny and temps in the 50’s or 60’s) the flowers speed up by a factor of 5 over a regular day (temps in the 40’s and cloudy).

So, if we get a solid 4 or 5 days of warm, it wont be too long. If the cool temps hang around, maybe we’ll see Daffodils at the end of Feb. That’s what I am betting on.

The La Conner Daffodil Festival web site has a link to the current Bloom Map, and you can see where the various types of dazzling flowers will pop up amongst the tapestry of fields.

The last 4 years have seen the bloom dates get earlier. Last two years have seen the tulip fields getting topped before mid-April!

So, stay informed, as the blooming can change fast, but generally plan for the last week of March or first week of April, latest, to pay a visit!

The Official Site of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival holds the key to all you need for a fantastic visit for Tulip Festival.Skagit_Valley_Tulip_Festival 2015_1

 

If you don’t love lots of traffic, try to avoid Saturday and Sundays between 10am and 5pm. Pretty much any other time will find you a lot more space!

I tend to head over for sunrises, any day for sunrise is good. Even on the weekends there are very few people for sunrises. And the weekdays are wonderful for sunset shooting.

Tulip Festival Photo Tours

I provide Tulip Photo Tours for anyone interested. These half day Photo Tours are a blast, we’ll visit as many of the best fields as we can, and along the way I will offer any advice (if wanted!) about exposure and composition. Here is the link to find out more.

 

Skagit Valley Barn at Sunset

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Skagit Valley Barn at Sunset

There is something about an old, weathered wooden barn that captures the imagination. I guess barns in general are cool, but to grab attention the barn needs to be made of wood AND look like its seem a bit too many winters.

That gives it a certain character, a personality. barns re great photo subjects anytime. Autumn is always a wonderful barn season, with the fall colors. But for me, spring is the time! Bright green meadows and fantastically colorful skies  make a barn image complete!

There are many barns strewn through the Skagit Valley and I was lucky to catch one of my favorites on a night just right for picture taking!

BTW, if you have an interest in capturing Night Sky Images with old barns and buildings, this coming new moon, June 4th, I am leading a night sky class to Eastern Washington to capture Milky Way images and old abandoned buildings. Here is the link for more info!

Evening Photo Shoot at Skagit Tulip Fields

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This last Saturday the rains hit, a real deluge…windy and storms, a day to stay indoors!
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Late afternoon arrives and there was a hit of blue peaking out of the gray.
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It’s hard to predict if the dark skies will win the battle or if there will be a late-day clearing, but I decided to make the gamble and head out to the tulips field all abloom in La Conner.
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The mud was slick and deep, the sun and clouds perfectly in harmony and the colors! The colors were to die for.
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I spent a few hours here, until the sun set.
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Andy Porter Guided Tulip Festival Photography Tours

Skagit Valley is located in NW Washington State and is home of some of the most stunning scenery anywhere. Spring brings amazing colors to the low lands, giant fields of tulips and daffodils create a patchwork of heaven. The Tulips have just gotten started this year, if you’d like to come for a visit and have a Tulip Photo Tour, we still have openings for Sunrise and Sunset tours this spring, have a look here.
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