...but this year, in the Pacific Northwest, one could add "just barely" to that observation. Thanks to the extended winter, most of April has been cold with torrential downpours and flooding, as opposed to the gentler rains more common to this time of year. Tulips were late coming up all over the region...but, since the tulip festivals are a major tourist attraction planned years in advance, there was no way to adjust for the curve nature was throwing at us. Therefore, while the tulips were just coming into their own on the last day of April, the festival would be ending and the harvesting of the fields beginning the next day. Since it was one of the two somewhat-sunny days of the month, it was clear that it was going to be "now or never"...the same thought which occurred to half the population of Washington state as well, resulting in the heaviest traffic backups I've seen up here during the tulip season.
















Of course, you know what they say about the best-laid plans...although bright sunlight and mostly-clear skies are best for shooting tulip fields, and overcast conditions for shooting individual blooms, you can guess what happened: after a steady diet of mostly-cloudy skies while touring the fields, by the time we got to the display garden, the clouds were starting to clear, and I was looking at the worst-possible shooting conditions for close-ups. Therefore, I had to rush to get as many shots as possible while we still had cloud-cover.













Finally, though, my luck ran out, and the clouds dissipated, leaving us with bright, contrasty sunshine. But, when given lemons, make lemonade -- and, while you can't get the soft, diffuse light needed for detailed "floral portraits," what sort of images can you get in a garden lit by direct sunlight? Boys and girls, can you say BACKLIT? Sure, you can! See any potential entries here?