Shot of the Month – July 2023

This month a fun blast of color from the tulip fields of Skagit County in Washington State.  In this image I found a Savannah Sparrow guarding this fuchsia-colored field of tulips.

I shot this photo in portrait orientation as those long tulip stems were best highlighted and celebrated with a vertical composition.  I also really enjoyed the different “zones” of this shot:

Zone 1:  While the stems are in sharp focus (you can see the t-i-n-y hairs on the stems!) the background fades away into a pleasing out-of- focus green and your gaze can go on forever…

Zone 2:  In this zone we have a dramatic shift in color and at this distance all of the flowers are in sharp focus.  Likewise, our lovely Savannah Sparrow is nicely crisp as he poses for his portrait.

Zone 3:  In zone 3 another dramatic shift in focus as the tulips vanish into a deep blur but the bold fuchsia hue still demands attention.  The Savanah Sparrow really pops against that blurry background.

Another view from the Fuchsia Field:

Check out this post for more on my adventures photographing Savannah Sparrows among the tulip fields.

Until next month….m

Nikon D500, Nikon 600mm w/ 1.4x TC (1275mm effective), f/5.6, 1/640 sec, ISO 2500, +1.0 EV