Postcard from Chicago–Tulips

 

I had only just landed in Chicago the previous evening…it was April and the beginning of Spring. And it was my very first trip ever to the Windy City. I didn’t know what to expect, but was really excited to explore the city, especially the downtown area. The next morning, the first thing I noticed when I got off the bus downtown was the abundance of tulips. They were everywhere, thousands and thousands of them! And they were just beautiful.

Three special friends took me out to lunch on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building so I could see the city from up on high. What a view! By then, I think I was falling in love with the city. After lunch, we walked the aptly named Magnificent Mile along Michigan Ave. Again, the tulips were everywhere. I got the immediate impression that the City of Chicago knows how to celebrate Spring.

Finally , we turned in to Millennium Park, that magnificent, amazing park I’ve written about here previously. I saw The Bean and other architectural wonders that dazzle the eyes and imagination of the first-time visitor. It was here, near the entrance of the park that I came across this large bed of tulips.

I should explain that all the tulip beds I saw were all color coordinated. They were not just haphazardly planted…oh no…a great deal of thought and planting went into each and every bed. And that held true for this planting. For some reason, it was my favorite in the city and fortunately, I was able to capture it in it’s full glory.

Flowers are best photographed in diffused light rather than harsh sunlight. On this day, the skies above Chicago were overcast, providing me with the absolute best light to photograph these flowers. Sometimes, if I am photographing flowers in direct sunlight, I will use a special white reflector umbrella over the flowers to diffuse the harsh sunlight. Shooting flowers in shade can also work, but be careful as shade will give digital images a blue hue.

For more information on photographing flowers, check out the interesting article on the Digital Photography School Web site. This article is written for cameras of all types.

And…somehow, someway, find your way to Chicago in April to see (and maybe photograph) the tulips around this great city.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.