Spring Flowers Assignment Winner Christopher Fridley

Congratulations to Christopher Fridley for winning the Spring Flowers Assignment!

“During early spring of this year, the temperatures were much higher than usual around Skagit County, Washington, home of the popular Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, and as a result, the flowers were maturing and being harvested weeks ahead of their usual schedule. Most of the local photography of the tulip fields I’ve seen are the daylight “snapshot” images that often lack the full essence of the area. I previsioned this image, but problems existed. Where I thought the tulips would be, they weren’t; they had been harvested the afternoon before. While searching for another field, with sunrise quickly approaching, I drove along the narrow, bumpy farm roads, when I came across this field I didn’t know existed. There was a thick band of low clouds over the foothills that gave me a little time to find an interesting perspective. After a quick setup in the muddy fields, I had seconds to capture the sunrise flickering over the dew-covered tulips. What I captured is what I feel is the realistic view of what the farmer witnesses every morning while out working the fields.”

Equipment: Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix G Vario 14-42mm, Hoya polarizer, Hoya ND4 filter, Benro tripod