[/caption] One day it’s snowing in the Willamette Valley of Oregon and the next day its sunny and warm. It’s hard to believe that it’s already Spring but even harder to believe that we just received over 3 feet of snow in the Cascades the last few days. I guess this is why I love the Pacific Northwest so much. I just returned from a long walk with my dog, basking in the glorious sun and smelling the flowers in the air and now I’m getting my gear ready to go on a snow-shoe adventure. If the weather holds, I may even make a trip to the coast and try to get some sunset shots. The Pacific Northwest is known for its wildflowers and known even more for the many flower festivals and public gardens that sprawl all over the Northwest. This photo was taken at the Portland International Rose test garden last June and there are literally thousands of roses to photograph. I always take my Sigma 50mm prime/macro lens with me when I’m photographing flowers. Since I don’t use a tripod while taking macro shots I make sure to always remove the CIR-PL so the photos won’t turn out blurry or have any camera shake. However, I do make sure and attach my warming filter and UV filter. I can usually set the ISO at 100 and then just adjust the white balance to get the right amount of exposure. I rely on the histogram and always try to position myself in order to take advantage of the sun light.