Fields of Flowers

There is a Tulip Festival ("Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival") not too far away from where I live, and I've made it out there a few times this season.  I try to time my visits so that I am there around sunrise or sunset, for the dramatic lighting and the potential for some nice cloud colors (which have proven more difficult with the non-stop rain this winter and spring!).  It's a popular spot for photographers, and can get pretty crowded on days with nice weather or on the weekends. If you want to see all of my images from the event, or want any nice pictures for your desktop, photo frames, wall, etc. you can view all the images on my SmugMug site.  Keep reading down below the slideshow to see some of the entertaining and silly stories and photos I experienced while photographing in the fields.

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Besides trying to get images showing the beauty of the tulip fields, there were also quiet a few times where I found some humor.  I enjoy people watching, and there were plenty of chances to do so out in the fields.

Photographers in the Mist. There was well over $1 Million in camera equipment at 6:00am standing in this muddy tulip field.

I found my spot and had my tripod set up and my composition, Aperture, shutter, filter, and focus all set. Other people had the same idea...

When Cars Fly. These ultralights flew over the fields, sometimes getting as low as 10 feet off the ground. It was the perfect still morning for them to fly.

Where did the balloon go? It took 15 minutes until I finally got this image without people standing by the tractor.

This tulip festival draws people from all over the world. Either that or people just put pins everywhere.

This was my first time going to this event, which is hard to believe since I have lived near it for most of my life!  I definitely plan to go back next year again.  The festival planners rotate which fields they plant and the patterns of flowers they use, so next year should allow for some new angles and images.  I also just got some new professional grade lenses (more on that later) which should give me some better results with optical quality and bokeh (more on that later as well).