Posts Tagged ‘Cherry Blossoms’

Profoto A1 High Speed Sync and Cherry Blossoms – Tech Tuesday

Woman portrait with cherry blossom background
Woman portrait with cherry blossom background
Falls Church cherry blossom tree in full bloom

Falls Church cherry blossom tree in full bloom

The cherry blossom have been in full bloom around the DC Area. This year, they have been particularly beautiful! They have the light puff ball look with very light colored blooms that really stands out against the bark of the surrounding trees.

Falls Church cherry blossom tree in full bloom

During this time of quarantine, I have been productive in my home studio. But keeping inside means I have not been going out of the house to make many photos. I know there are many projects that you can do while staying at home, but this was the first really purpose-driven photos I have done in a week. I was inspired do these first by the beautiful cherry tree of our neighbor that was in full bloom!

Camera Tech

Camera setup BTS for portrait shoot
Profoto A1, Nikon D850, blooming cherry tree

Next, I wanted to try the Hi Speed Sync options of the Profoto A1 flashes. This is a new piece of gear that I am still learning. I may be replacing all of my lighting gear to Profoto I the near future. If this does in fact come true, I will be sure to make a post about the reasons for it. But for this quick test shoot, I mounted one of the A1 flashes firing into a Westcott Rapid Box Octa with the outer diffusion panel installed. I did not use the deflector plate as the A1 does not completely fit the cut out for the speedlight on the back of the Octabox. The A1 has a circular face at its output and most speedlights are rectangular.

I used another Profoto A1 as a remote controller for the off-camera light, and it worked right away! The flash could keep up at 1/1000th to 1/8000th of a second, and it was still filling the entire frame with an even exposure. I am anxious to try this setup again as I really like the results. The resulting images were much more in balance with the background compared to an exposure without the flash. I was impressed with this first high speed sync experiment with this gear!

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2016 Cherry Blossoms

2016 Cherry Blossoms and the Washington Monument ©TimeLine Media
2016 Cherry Blossoms and the Washington Monument ©TimeLine Media

Washington, DC

Late March 2016 – the cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin were in full bloom. Since this is a regular occurrence, it is an annual event for me to arrange. As can be seen in the photos, I am not the only one with that idea!

2016 Cherry Blossoms and the Jefferson Memorial ©TimeLine Media
2016 Cherry Blossoms and the Jefferson Memorial ©TimeLine Media

I am a sucker for these beautiful blooms. For one thing, they are highly publicized when they are ready to flower, so everyone has plenty of time to plan. Although the crowds get larger every year, they are still worth going through the hardship to see.

Washington, DC Tidal Basin cherry blossoms full bloom ©TimeLine Media
Washington, DC Tidal Basin cherry blossoms full bloom ©TimeLine Media

They also signal the end of a long winter in the light of springtime popping up in the gardens around the blossoms. Undeniably, they add so much to the urban photo made of our nation’s capital. Moreover they signify a peace between the USA and Japan that is rekindled every Spring.

Washington, DC Tidal Basin cherry blossoms ©TimeLine Media

You can easily spend hours at the Tidal Basin in order to see the blossoms in different light. As the sun dips in the horizon, the colors will change for the most part. With the easy walk in the city, it is worth taking the time.

Washington, DC Tidal Basin cherry blossoms in the early evening ©TimeLine Media
Washington, DC Tidal Basin cherry blossoms in the early evening ©TimeLine Media
Washington, DC Tidal Basin cherry blossoms in the early evening ©TimeLine Media

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

Cherry Blossom Fashion Show – Tysons Corner Center

On the Concourse

Cherry Blossom Fashion Show at Tysons Corner Center ©TimeLine Media
Cherry Blossom Fashion Show at Tysons Corner Center ©TimeLine Media

It is Spring in the DC area, so there was a Cherry Blossom Fashion Show at Tysons Corner Center. Lord and Taylor put their seasonal fashions on display. Similar to their previous show of prom styles that I posted before, they had a long red carpet laid out.

Lord and Taylor Spring Fashions ©TimeLine Media
Lord and Taylor Spring Fashions ©TimeLine Media

Since this was similar to the holiday show setup, I had a flash ready near my position facing down towards the models. Besides the earlier start, the midday sun coming into the Concourse helped to give this an outdoor, Spring-like feel to the photos. The strong backlight really needed a high power on the flash to make the clothes and faces visible.

Lord and Taylor Spring Fashions ©TimeLine Media
Lord and Taylor Spring Fashions ©TimeLine Media
Cherry Blossom Fashion Show at Tysons Corner Center ©TimeLine Media
Cherry Blossom Fashion Show at Tysons Corner Center ©TimeLine Media

Around the show, the cherry blossoms were recreated in balloon form. Talented balloon artists had to prepare very early to have these sets built and put into place before the show started. While the show was going on, they made balloon creations for people visiting the area. What they can make out of this inflatable building block is amazing!

Cherry Blossom trees made from balloons ©TimeLine Media
Cherry Blossom trees made from balloons ©TimeLine Media
Balloon Artist with eye balloon ©TimeLine Media
Balloon Artist with eye balloon ©TimeLine Media
Crowd with balloon artist ©TimeLine Media
Crowd with balloon artist ©TimeLine Media

After the show was over, some of the models wanted to get some extra photos. Without the pressure of the show, they were much more relaxed. In addition, some asked to have their family members get a photo too!

Family photos after fashion show ©TimeLine Media Cherry Blossom Fashion
Family photos after fashion show ©TimeLine Media
Runway models photo after show ©TimeLine Media Cherry Blossom Fashion
Runway models photo after show ©TimeLine Media
Runway photo after show ©TimeLine Media Cherry Blossom Fashion
Runway photo after show ©TimeLine Media

TimeLine Mediawww.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

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