Tulips in Skagit Washington

Yes, it’s that time of year again. It is time for tulips in Skagit Valley, Washington. The tulips in Washington are beautiful even when it’s raining. The season is short. Therefore, see get out and see them as soon as you can or you will miss them. One other point to note, there are fewer tulip fields that are open to the public this year so see them while you can.

Only two farms opened their fields this year so remember to respect the growers’ fields. I saw a good reason not to open a farm to visitors. Unfortunately, the tourists were not reading the signs and walking in the tulip rows. It’s so bad that the growers even have security. What has the world come to that we need security in tulip fields?  When you walk in the fields you potentially hurt the tulips so be kind. Please resepct the signs.

Skagit Washington

A little background on tulips, Skagit Washington, is one of the three largest tulip producers. Here is a list of the blooms and growers. Bloom Map

Turkey, the Netherlands and Skagit Washingon are the world’s biggest tulip producers. Here are some tulip scenes from Turkey.

Tulips grow in the street meridians in Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Turkey.

Take a Tulip Photography Tour

I decided to take a bus tour to Skagit, Washington because I didn’t want to drive and stand in line for tickets in the rain. The 12 people on the bus were from all over the world. I sat next to a lovely lady from Maryland, who is originally from Peru. Her name is Rosa, a translator at a major hospital. She was in Seattle with her husband at a coffee convention. In Seattle, we are known for drinking coffee. Therefore, it makes sense that the coffee conference was here.

I also met Ran, a Ph.D. a student from Sri Lanka via Austrailia studying machine learning on the bus. Ran and I had a fun time taking photos. I photographed him so he could send them back to his wife, who is also a Ph.D., a student studying molecular biology. Rosa, Ran and I went to lunch together, and they made the trip a lot of fun.

Shutter Tours

Shutter Tour was an excellent find. The provided some photography suggestions for beginner photographers. Unfortunately, they didn’t stop at the most iconic location that photographers love to shoot which is a photo of the mountains with a farm at the base and tulips in the foreground. Maybe next year they will include it.

Camera Gear

Now let’s talk about travel camera gear. Shutter Tours has a photography equipment page that I like a lot. I use the Nikon D300 and the photos on their website were taken with the same camera.

I’m not going to upgrade to the Nikon D750. Even though the images are incredible, they are too big for my blog. But that makes the Nikon D300 the workhorse camera and now because the new model is out, an even better value you if you want to buy it. They are a little heavy compared to new cameras, but I am not kind to my camera, and it has faithfully delivered in some hostile environments.

Tulips in Skagit Washington

Now let’s see if the photos capture the moodiness of the day, the rain, and the gorgeous flowers.

We went to Rosen Garden, Tulip Town, and La Conner. The sleepy town of La Conner and photographing tulips certainly isn’t ‘living on the edge,’ so, I thought the tee-shirt given the location was an interesting oxymoron.

La Conner has interesting gift shops and an inlet with a marina and lots of boats moored in the summer time. I found the town is very laid back with the tourists.

Rosen Garden

Rosen Garden is large and has a wide variety of flowering bulbs.

Showing Respect

Unfortunately, one aspect of the experience was disappointing. As a travel photographer, I think it’s important to respect the rules of the grounds. We saw a lot of people disregarding the signs that request people to stay out of the rows. We learned why guests are asked to stay out of the rows. The tulips are sensitive and walking among them tramples the flowers and contaminates the soil and the plants. Therefore, I think it is important to follow the farmer’s rules.

Right Way to Photograph Tulip Fields

The right way to take a photo at the tulip fields.

Wrong Way

Rosen Gardens Flowers

Tulip Town

Travel tip: be a good traveler, tourist, and guest, read the signs and respect the sites that you see.

I hope to see you in the tulip fields next year!

Best Advice for Taking Photos in Istanbul