Sometimes it's really fun being a tourist in your own city...especially when it's cherry blossom season in DC! I biked down to check them out last week while they were in their peak bloom and just like they do every year, they took my breath away. Those baby pink and white flowering puff balls get me every time. Since I know not everyone gets to see these in person (although it seemed like the whole world was down there looking at them that day!), I thought I'd share a few - ok a bunch of - photos I snapped last week just like I did last year. There'll be minimal commentary from me - today I'll let the photos do the talking!
Last year the Washington Monument was covered in scaffolding (they were doing repair work), so it was nice to be able to catch a full view of it with the trees in bloom.
The Jefferson Memorial sits right on the Tidal Basin, and I loved playing with different points of view and focal points to capture it surrounded by blossoms. Which one of these three is your favorite?
I think this photograph might be my new all-time favorite. When I was first going through my photos after uploading them, this one stopped me in my tracks. The flowers look so delicate (especially the partially open ones) and I love the blurry green and blue background.
They kinda look like they have freckles, don't they?
If you ever have a chance to come up here to see these, do it. Just get over the fact that it will be crowded and the traffic will be horrendous - there's a reason! They really are stunningly beautiful in person.
Curious about how I captured these photos? Here's the equipment I use. For these shots, I only used my 50mm fixed lens mainly set on a wide (low number) aperture of 3.5 or less to get the super blurry background you see. The late afternoon sun (around 5pm) was perfect for capturing these bright images without being too harsh!
Here are a few more photography posts:
- 9 Outdoor Photography Tips
- Tips for Portrait Photography
- 10 Handy Photography Tips from Around the Blogosphere
Do you love being a tourist in your own city? What event do you make sure not to miss every year?
I am heading to DC on Saturday hopefully:-)Nice photos!
ReplyDeleteLOVE these! So glad to have you on the linkup party. I grew up in the other Washington and miss the cherry blossoms there.
ReplyDeleteOh my those are gorgeous! I'd love to see them in person sometime.
ReplyDeleteFantastic! Found you through Bower Power and these are just my style (meaning I adore adore adore flowers)!
ReplyDeleteSo pretty!
ReplyDeleteThat is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThese are beautiful Wow!
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