Skagit Valley Irises (AAT2)
Each April, hundreds of thousands of visitors enjoy the scenic Skagit Valley of Washington State as over 200 types of tulip bulbs and 50 types of daffodils bloom in a rainbow of colors. Since 1984, the month-long Skagit Valley Tulip Festival has been a Pacific Northwest destination event not to be missed.
But in late-May, the festival crowds are gone as fields of purple iris come into bloom.
I have a special feeling for the Skagit Valley, as I was born in the Valley (Mount Vernon) and my family was part of a wave of Dutch settlers that immigrated into the Lynden, Skagit Valley and Whidbey Island areas, which include the Dutch farmers that now operate the Skagit Valley bulb farms.
To make this photograph, I first scouted all of the fields in April to determine which had rows best oriented to sunrise, and which had legal parking. Then I monitored the live Bloom Map to know when those fields were coming into peak bloom. When the weather forecast showed light clouds and near zero morning wind, I drove the 1 hour from my home to the Skagit Valley, arriving well before sunrise.
I made this image looking east, right down the rows, just as the sun peeked over the Cascade Mountains. The flowers were still graced with morning dew and the air was still calm enough for a 1/4 second exposure. An aperture of f/22 adds a starburst effect as just a sliver of the sun pokes over the Cascade Mountains.
Unfortunately, the Skagit Valley bulb farmers have now since stopped farming irises, making images like this impossible to re-create.
Shipping: Prints are typically produced and dropped to the shipper within 2 days. However, this can be delayed if I am away on a trip.
Each April, hundreds of thousands of visitors enjoy the scenic Skagit Valley of Washington State as over 200 types of tulip bulbs and 50 types of daffodils bloom in a rainbow of colors. Since 1984, the month-long Skagit Valley Tulip Festival has been a Pacific Northwest destination event not to be missed.
But in late-May, the festival crowds are gone as fields of purple iris come into bloom.
I have a special feeling for the Skagit Valley, as I was born in the Valley (Mount Vernon) and my family was part of a wave of Dutch settlers that immigrated into the Lynden, Skagit Valley and Whidbey Island areas, which include the Dutch farmers that now operate the Skagit Valley bulb farms.
To make this photograph, I first scouted all of the fields in April to determine which had rows best oriented to sunrise, and which had legal parking. Then I monitored the live Bloom Map to know when those fields were coming into peak bloom. When the weather forecast showed light clouds and near zero morning wind, I drove the 1 hour from my home to the Skagit Valley, arriving well before sunrise.
I made this image looking east, right down the rows, just as the sun peeked over the Cascade Mountains. The flowers were still graced with morning dew and the air was still calm enough for a 1/4 second exposure. An aperture of f/22 adds a starburst effect as just a sliver of the sun pokes over the Cascade Mountains.
Unfortunately, the Skagit Valley bulb farmers have now since stopped farming irises, making images like this impossible to re-create.
Shipping: Prints are typically produced and dropped to the shipper within 2 days. However, this can be delayed if I am away on a trip.
Each April, hundreds of thousands of visitors enjoy the scenic Skagit Valley of Washington State as over 200 types of tulip bulbs and 50 types of daffodils bloom in a rainbow of colors. Since 1984, the month-long Skagit Valley Tulip Festival has been a Pacific Northwest destination event not to be missed.
But in late-May, the festival crowds are gone as fields of purple iris come into bloom.
I have a special feeling for the Skagit Valley, as I was born in the Valley (Mount Vernon) and my family was part of a wave of Dutch settlers that immigrated into the Lynden, Skagit Valley and Whidbey Island areas, which include the Dutch farmers that now operate the Skagit Valley bulb farms.
To make this photograph, I first scouted all of the fields in April to determine which had rows best oriented to sunrise, and which had legal parking. Then I monitored the live Bloom Map to know when those fields were coming into peak bloom. When the weather forecast showed light clouds and near zero morning wind, I drove the 1 hour from my home to the Skagit Valley, arriving well before sunrise.
I made this image looking east, right down the rows, just as the sun peeked over the Cascade Mountains. The flowers were still graced with morning dew and the air was still calm enough for a 1/4 second exposure. An aperture of f/22 adds a starburst effect as just a sliver of the sun pokes over the Cascade Mountains.
Unfortunately, the Skagit Valley bulb farmers have now since stopped farming irises, making images like this impossible to re-create.
Shipping: Prints are typically produced and dropped to the shipper within 2 days. However, this can be delayed if I am away on a trip.
About the Prints
The print is made with archival Lucia Pro II pigment inks on Red River Palo Duro SoftGloss Rag paper. This paper is a museum-grade 100% cotton fiber rag with a lightly textured semi-gloss surface. This 315gsm heavy-weight conservation paper is acid-free, lignin-free and OBA-free (FOGRA Certified ISO 9706). The print will remain fade-free over a life-time when properly mounted behind UV-filtering glass and displayed out of direct sunlight.
Each print includes a white boarder. 12X18 inch prints are printed on 13X19 inch paper. 16X24 inch prints are printed on 17X25 inch paper. The image area is printed centered on the paper. I sign each print in the lower right boarder with archival pigment ink.
While the pigment inks I use include a crystalline wax element to improve scratch resistance, the surface of your print is delicate and should be handled with care. I pack each print in a clear protective sleeve and include a pair of cotton gloves with each print order. I suggest that you handle the print only by its edges. Better yet, I suggest leaving your print in its protective sleeve and taking it directly to a professional framer for mounting and framing to your liking.
Each print includes a Story Card, on which I share a bit of the story behind how I found and photographed the image, along with information about the physical print. You may consider keeping this Story Card with the print, or taping it to the back of your frame, for future reference.
I ship prints flat (not in a tube) so that you receive it without significant curl.
