Tulips of Skagit Valley

March has arrived and it’s not too long now (hopefully!) until it gets a little warmer and the flowers start to arrive.
Row of Red Tulips em Rows of Reds, Reflected

NW Travel Magazine March-April 2014 This months issue of NW Travel Mag with one of my images on the cover!

I live in Skagit County, named after the Skagit Indians and Skagit River) in the NW corner of Washington State. And among its other striking features such as the North Cascades and Puget Sound we have the Tulip Festival every April. Yellow tulips Yellows at sunset

I understand that outside of Holland there are more tulips grown here than anywhere. The valley floor has a wide expanse of fertile, flat farmland and near the towns of Mount Vernon and La Conner there are fields and fields of bright tulips. infinite pink tulips Infinite Pinks

Each year the bloom times change, but generally its mid April when they are at their height of color.
This is a web site that has a link for a map showing exactly where the fields are and when they are abloom.
rows and people Rows and people
Every Saturday and Sunday the roads are crammed with cars forming long lines. This is not a good time to come! If you do come on the weekend make sure to arrive for either sunrise or sunset. I am often out for the sunrise and the fields are bright a crisp, a few workers and photographers are there, and that’s about it.

Weekdays are the best, plan to arrive about 5 or 6. The tulipy stores are closed and the manicured gardens. But the huge expansive fields are alive with the hue of low light and alive with vibrance!
tulips 2014 6em Yellowy mud!
Make sure to dress for mud, and bring your tripod and polarizer!
red tulips blue and orange sky Reds and a dramatic sky
If you decide to make the trip for a sunrise or sunset and want a tour guide, make sure to let me know! I am always happy to have company!

Best of Tulip Images – 2013

I am blessed, being so close to the Skagit Valley tulip fields (not to mention the North Cascades and a whole host of other marvelous places…)
I am reviewing more than 40 photo shoots from this year, eight of which were visits to the flower fields. Here is a sampling of this years best images. infinite pinks em

infinite rows em

pink close-up em

pink infinity em

Pink sunset 2em

Pink sunset 3em

Pink sunset 4em

pink tulips 1em

pink tulips em

pinkish em

pinks standing em

reds reflected em

Row of Red Tulips em

Skagit Valley Daffodils em

Skagit Valley Daffodils2em

Skagit Valley Daffodils3em

Skagit Valley Daffodils5em

Skagit Valley Daffodils6em

sunrise 6 raw 1-1em

Tulips 1em

Tulips 3em

Tulips 4em

Tulips 7em

tulips and bus em

Skagit County Sunsets

Skagit County is in the northwest corner of Washington State. Sunsets in the valley are magnificent, full of hue and texture. Expanses of sky, fields of flowers (and/or mud!), barns and tulips, its a great place to capture colors. sunset 1

Yellow tulips em

barn 2 em

Barn Sunset Nov 3 2011 em

porter_image_tulips

clouds1em

Early Morning, Skagit Valley Tulip Fields1em

lines into the sunset

Pink sunset 4em

river sunset em

Row of Red Tulips em

barn 1em

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival 17 rev.

sky2em

sky

Sunset 1hdrem

sunset 2

Sunset 4

sunset em

Sunset Jan 5 2012 3

Sunset Oct. 16th rev2

sunset through an open window

sunset water

Orange sky, pink tulips

trees 2em

Untitled_Panorama1em1

wash park2

Skagit Valley Daffodil Festival!

Skagit Valley Daffodils
Here in Skagit Valley spring brings daffodils and tulips. Lots of them! Winters tend to become dreary (!) and the bright colors are a very welcome relief from the monotony of dark and gray.
Skagit Valley Daffodils
Spring also brings dramatic skies which change very rapidly. Sunbreaks provide not only a feeling of hope but fantastic illumination on the fields.
Skagit Valley Daffodils
Daffodils arrive first, their yellow smiling faces greeting you…feeding my greedy addiction for bright colors I cannot stay away, drawn to the greens, browns and blues…
Skagit Valley Daffodils
These images were captured Friday March 22nd. The daffodil fields will be in bloom for another week or so. Hopefully by that time the tulips will be starting and so sate my desire for intense color immersion a while longer…

Pink Tulips

Skagit Valley Tulip festival is almost here.
Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Pink Tulips and a Sumptuous Sky

Tulips and Tractor, Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

Tulips and Tractor, Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
Tulips and Tractor, Skagit Valley Tulip Festival