The tulip season of 2023 is slowly ending so here’s a little roundup of the pictures I took this yr. The season began comparatively late this yr due to an uncommon chilly begin of spring. I usually inform folks to return half April to The Netherlands, however this yr throughout solely a handful of fields had been blossoming throughout that point. This yr, the season peaked on the finish of April when temperatures lastly went near 20c levels. An attention-grabbing truth is that although it was a chilly starting of the season, final yr there was even 1 day of snow on the finish of March. At the moment, there have been already tulips out due to the new weeks earlier than and it allowed me to {photograph} tulips within the snow. However let’s now speak a bit about this yr.
All of the tulip photographs you see on this article have been shot with out strolling into the tulips and standing on the facet of the sphere. In most pictures, I even know the growers of the sphere. Yearly, they’re fortunately exhibiting me their fields. In return, I present them my photographs and infrequently give them a print.
Storms
I took my first tulip photograph this yr on the twentieth of April throughout a storm. And that was form of the theme to start with of the season: Storms. I at all times like to seize storm clouds together with the colourful colours of the tulip. They make for such a robust distinction. Particularly the popping pink with the darkish clouds works very nicely. My first stormy tulip pictures of the season had been simply an intro for what was coming shortly after.
The best composition when photographing tulips: The strains! However on this case, very efficient. I really like the pink-red break up with the dramatic mild of the sky.
My signature fashion: low angle with focus stacking!
Proper earlier than the solar went down, I photographed this tulip that stood up from the remaining with the setting solar behind.
On the following night on April twenty first, Thunderstorms had been predicted. I’m at all times on excessive alert when that occurs throughout tulip season. The one time I captured a pleasant picture of a thunderstorm above a tulip subject was 2 years in the past after I captured a spectacular cloud formation above slightly farm with a tulip subject.
This yr I went to the Flevoland Provence, as I already knew the sphere there and the instructions I might be dealing with. In accordance with climate apps, the thunderstorms would cross me and if the predictions had been right, I might form of be in the best place. I say ‘form of’ as a result of I’m not an skilled. I depend on easy climate fashions and I’m typically barely fallacious. Near sundown I noticed the darkish clouds approaching. A spectacular shelf cloud slowly got here nearer and I heard the rumbling. As a photographer, that is after I get most excited. I positioned myself low and near the tulips, with an ideal view over the incoming cloud.
A shelf cloud formation was swallowing the panorama and coming proper at me.
One in every of my favourite pictures from that day: The cloud was getting very shut and I managed to shoot this low angle shot. Its a panorama of two photos, with the underside half focus stacked. I had to do that rapidly as a result of the clouds had been shifting in quick. And sure, there was no wind! (but)
I used to be glad with the pictures I obtained, however I did not get any lightning. The lightning often hit, however not in the best place for my pictures, and the cloud slowly drifted away.
I checked the climate fashions and radar. The thunderstorms weren’t performed but. There was one other small one coming in a barely completely different place, so I repositioned myself to have view over this one. I needed to improvise right here, and rapidly discover a pink tulip subject to line up with this small array of thunderstorms. It was already getting darkish so it wasn’t the simplest activity. However I managed to discover a good subject with an ideal view of the storms, slowly shifting from the best to the left of my framing. Presently it was getting darkish quick. Nevertheless, there was nearly no wind. So even when capturing lengthy exposures the tulips had been completely sharp.
Strike! An ideal lightning crawler proper in the midst of my body.
The loopy factor was: The primary lengthy publicity I took I instantly hit the jackpot! An ideal crawler crammed my body within the distance. It is exhausting to explain the sensation after I see a shot like that pop up on the again of my digicam. The sensation of pleasure mixed with an adrenaline rush. I stored capturing and captured a couple of extra strikes. My place was good: The storms stored shifting from proper to left, and I used to be far sufficient to not have to fret about any hazard. When the storms had been performed, it was the top of a particularly productive night of photographing tulips.
One other lightning strike hitting nearly in the midst of the strains of tulips.
To start with of this years’ tulip season I heard a lot of folks complaining that this season was ‘one of many worst’ due to the chilly climate and no lovely misty mornings. However I liked all of the storms to start with! It is one thing completely different and I went out nearly daily to try to seize some new photos that I did not have in my portfolio but.
Tulip Cities and Droning
One other theme I wished to discover this yr had been the scenes I name ‘tulip cities’: small villages with tulips subsequent to it. The mixture of the small outdated villages with tulip fields round it simply provides me that fairytale feeling that I like to point out a lot in my images. So I made a decision to try to seize these scenes primarily with drone photographs.
Early within the season I got here throughout a tulip subject subsequent to slightly city known as Aartswoud, located within the North Holland Provence. Because of fellow Dutch photographer Guido Graas who notified me of this subject early on. Throughout my first session of this city the sunshine was simply lovely, with some darkish clouds and low daylight hitting the fields and the city. It regarded like a Dutch portray
Aartswoud with a colourful tulip subject proper subsequent to it.
I additionally explored another cities within the space with tulip fields round them like De Weere and Twisk:
Sundown at De Weere with the Sint Lambertus church within the center, surrounded by tulip fields.
A high down view of homes close to Twisk. Think about having a couple of like this out of your backyard!
The cities within the North Holland Provence have that fairytale feeling with the tulip fields mixed. However there are additionally a lot of fields within the Flevoland Provence, which seems to be fully completely different. There’s something about how straight and sq. the whole lot seems to be there, so this yr I additionally wished to seize some extra pictures of this space by drone:
Countless views of completely sq. strains with tulip fields in between.
Particularly the highest down views are a murals.
The Flevoland Provence has essentially the most wind generators within the nation, and so they’re nonetheless constructing new ones on a regular basis!
Examine the pictures from Flevoland and North Holland and you will notice a giant distinction when it comes to landscapes. I actually fly the drone in a lot of completely different locations this yr. Oh, and these pictures are all taken with the Mavic Mini 3 Professional! Largely with the 48 Megapixels mode. It takes a while to get used to it and learn to correctly work with the information. Extra on that in one other article sooner or later.
These foggy mornings
After which on the thirtieth of April it lastly occurred: An attractive foggy morning. Excessive humidity and dew drops on the tulip with a skinny layer of fog on the bottom: That is what each panorama photographer within the Netherlands wakes up for, particularly in the course of the tulip season! For this morning I made a decision to go again to Aartswoud. This yr I did not seize that many tulips with windmills, just because I have already got loads of these pictures. And I actually appreciated the city of Aartswoud with the church, so I made a decision to go for that.
And I used to be not dissatisfied! An attractive skinny layer of fog, a pleasant dawn and even slightly bit of colourful clouds. Probably the greatest mornings of the season!
Aerial shot of Aartswoud with skinny layers of fog protecting the panorama.
The view from the bottom, with lovely dew drops on the tulips!
The solar rose completely in between the strains. That is proper earlier than sundown.
Totally different angle of the city by drone.
Additionally had the macro lens in my bag to seize some particulars of the little dew drops on the flowers.
An important season
Though this season we did not get as a lot of these lovely misty mornings, It was nonetheless an awesome season for me. I spent the entire season within the Netherlands which is sort of uncommon. I additionally determined to not do any workshops as a result of I wished to deal with photographing myself this yr. I used to be pleased to improve my portfolio with new drone pictures, a lot of stormy tulip pictures and a lovely misty morning. Positively a wide selection this season!
And with this text, I’m closing the season. A lot capturing, however already wanting ahead to what the following yr will carry! 🙂
Thanks a lot for studying,
Albert
If you wish to understand how I edit my photographs, be happy to take a look at my Full Modifying Course on Panorama pictures.
And naturally, take a look at my new YouTube video the place I edit some tulip photographs with completely different strategies!
Gear used for these pictures:
Sony A7RV
Sony 12-24 GM for broad angle pictures
Sony 100-400 GM for shut ups
Sony 90mm Macro for macro pictures (dew drops)
Mavic Mini 3 for the drone pictures
And at last, to shut: listed here are a few extra pictures that did not fairly make it into the article, however I nonetheless wish to present them to you!
Farmer strolling by way of his subject, deciding on and eradicating the ‘sick’ tulips.
Attention-grabbing mixture of pink and yellow tulips in entrance of a windmill. Sure, I did {photograph} some windmills this yr.
Aartswoud with pink tulips within the foreground.
Tulip Villa: Think about residing there!
I went super-wide with this shot at 12mm, as I wished to border the ‘tulip household’ within the foreground, with the little child tulip!
