Spring in the Skagit Valley

Just before five am, I dropped some friends off at the airport. Caffeinated, I drove north on the nearly empty interstate, waiting for the sun to come up.

The Skagit Valley lies about an hour and half out of Seattle, a broad flood plain, and the closest big chunk of agricultural land in the area. It’s where you head for corn mazes in the fall, strawberries in the summer and tulips in the spring. On par with Holland for cool and damp, it’s perfect for growing bulbs and is our country’s largest bulb growing area. This means every spring it’s a riot of color as the fields bloom. It’s tulip festival time!

A couple weeks ago, I received a .4 wide angle/macro adapter for my lensbaby to play around with, but haven’t been out shooting much, working instead in my garden. So, today, that’s all I shot with: lensbaby, plastic lens, .4 wide angle. While most of the shots went right into the trash when I got home, I like how the combination of the lensbaby’s focus and the plastic lens highlight the color, but blur the distinction of the thousands of blooms.