Two from early spring . . .

A wander through Washington's Skagit Valley in March with no real destination in mind. My favorite kind of day.

This barn was just the best! I've since returned and have taken more photos so that I can do a series.

And then a pretty tree, beyond which some daffodil fields were in full bloom. The original version was rather boring, so I turned it into something akin to a Polaroid image.

A good day. A couple good photos. And the company was good as well.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your understanding and kindness.

Exploring the Skagit Valley

Chris and I went prowling around the Skagit Valley the other day and stopped at a big feed/mill operation.

I was behind all the buildings, trying to be innocuous, staying out of the way, when a guy asked if I wanted to see what it looked like inside.

No-brainer. I scrambled up four rickety wooden steps and entered a world of sound, dust, cobwebs, and heavy equipment. "Feel free to shoot whatever you want."

Major adrenaline rush. But it was dark, dark, dark in there.

I did what I could (bumping the ISO up to 3200) but my exposures were mostly way too slow and I was shooting hand-held, so sharpness and depth of field didn't hold up the way I would want.

But here you see the back wall of one of the rooms, shovels propped against a wall, a closeup of "cow cornflakes," a warning sign, and then a shot of the man who was so kind and generous to have invited me in.

In addition to working in the mill, he's also a farmer, a writer, and a (black and white, Mamiya RB67) photographer.

I e-mailed him the portrait and then saw it come up on his Facebook page that evening. It was a hit! Lots of comments, lots of joking, lots of feedback. Made me feel good.

I will never forget his hospitality and this glimpse into his life.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Flowering trees in the Skagit Valley

Tuesday we all went over to the Skagit Valley to check out the tulips. Well, they're running a few weeks late this year, but there were lots of flowering trees as well as fields of brilliant yellow daffodils.

I concentrated on the trees, looking for lovely flowers and soft backgrounds. Shallow depth of field softened the backgrounds even more, and a bit of post-processing in Photoshop gave me the look I was hoping for.

A lot of times I take photographs with no preconceptions in mind. Not this time! I knew exactly how I wanted these flowers to look when I was done. Ta da!

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Daffodils in the Skagit Valley

We drove over to the Skagit Valley yesterday to check on the daffodil/tulip blooms. It was extreeeeeemly cold and extreeeeeemly windy. But fun! The daffodils are in full flower, big fields gleaming bright yellow. Lovely to see. Huge challenge to photograph. Not even using a barn to break the wind worked well. Impossible to keep the camera steady, and the daffodils were whipping back and forth faster than I used to whip my hair back in the ‘80s . . . but I digress . . .

So, what about the tulips? Not one to be seen. We stopped at Roozengarde and asked. They expect great blooms around the end of March. We shall be back.

A number of years ago I led a photo workshop in this area and won’t forget talking to some gentlemen from Scotland, cycling through, having a wonderful time looking at the “daffodoolies.” And since that time they’ve always been daffodoolies to me. Thank you, Scotland.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!