Posts Tagged ‘Cherry Blossoms’

Mother’s Day Weekend

Photographer at DC Cherry Blossoms - ©TimeLine Media

For the next week, the TimeLine Media proofing website is having a sale on canvas prints! Unfortunately, the lab timing on the sale means that any purchased now would not make it in time for mothers being presented with gifts this weekend, but it can be delivered soon after. The sale price is already reflected on the website, so no coupon code or password is needed to get the discount on the order. Overall, these canvas prints make hanging your personal art very easy. Your photos are printed directly onto canvas, stretched onto a wooden frame, and arrive ready to hang out of the box. Of course, I have some of these hanging in my home, and will be making more with this sale myself! The link to the proofing website where you can see photos from recent events, and order canvas prints is:

http://proofs.timelinedc.com

Washington, DC

Photographer at DC Cherry Blossoms - ©TimeLine Media
Photographer at DC Cherry Blossoms – ©TimeLine Media

This weekend will be the annual celebration of mother’s everywhere. Undoubtedly there will be packed restaurants, and full, colorful bouquets of flowers, and lots of stories being retold. Of course, I hope there will be some time to make a photo or two. I am so lucky to have my mom in my life on a regular basis. She has enjoyed learning to take better photos along with me, and she is really taking advantage of these new cameras. She is quickly becoming a fan of taking selfies!

Under peak Cherry Blossoms - ©TimeLine Media
Under peak Cherry Blossoms – ©TimeLine Media

Happy Mother’s Day to all moms out there! Whether you are running after a little toddler, or shuttling a teenager from sports to music lessons, thank you for all of your hard work. My mother has always pushed me to work, to study, to keep working towards whatever goals I have for myself. I keep trying as it continues to make me better! Best wishes to all the mothers out there!

Nanay and GGB at the Cherry blossoms - ©TimeLine Media
Nanay and GGB at the Cherry blossoms – ©TimeLine Media

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

Cherry Blossoms Part 2

Washington, DC Sunrise Cherry Blossoms - ©TimeLine Media

Tidal Basin

The time for the cherry blossoms decorating our streets has now passed. I had a note to go back and post more from this time since I made a lot of images by the Tidal Basin in downtown DC. It was the latest that the blossoms reached their peak with the extended winter that we had in this area. Luckily, we were treated to a great display that was perfect for photographers from sunrise to sunset.

Peak Cherry Blossoms - ©TimeLine Media
Peak Cherry Blossoms – ©TimeLine Media

These images were from sunrise by the Jefferson Memorial. There were many other photographers right around me, but everyone was very careful to stay out of everyone’s shots. I staked out a place high on the hill in between some cherry trees to attempt the often-done Memorials through blossoms. This is the first time I had attempted it so early in the morning. I will be making an effort to do this every year from now on!

Washington, DC Cherry Blossoms - ©TimeLine Media
Washington, DC Cherry Blossoms – ©TimeLine Media

Washington, DC

The golden light just before sunrise was especially strong in this area. With the height restrictions on buildings in Washington, DC, it allows for sunlight to reach the monuments and memorials without being obstructed. This particular morning, the clouds were kind to stay away for a little while after the sun broke through the horizon so everyone that was there this morning had perfect light. The strong orange sky was complimentary to the pink blooms making for a different color combination.

Washington, DC Sunrise Cherry Blossoms - ©TimeLine Media
Washington, DC Sunrise Cherry Blossoms – ©TimeLine Media

Later in the day, the blooms are against a bright blue sky background. Most cherry blossoms images have this combination – classic and very good on film!

Fisheye Cherry Blossoms - ©TimeLine Media
Fisheye Cherry Blossoms – ©TimeLine Media

Now different flowers are starting to bloom in the area. Azaleas, dogwoods, and soon the roses will start to bud. I’ll be sure to have my camera lenses cleaned and ready for them!

Macro Cherry Blossoms - ©TimeLine Media
Macro Cherry Blossoms – ©TimeLine Media

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

Missing Cherry Blossoms

Cherry Blossoms and the Capitol Building in Washington, DC - ©TimeLine Media

Washington, DC

It just happened, but I am already missing the cherry blossoms this year. The photos from this year’s blooms were really satisfying. The weather, and the amount of time that I had to take advantage of their peak really came together nicely. Morning, afternoon, and evening, were all available to me this time. Moreover, I did not have to rush around as in other years. There were so many photographers around the Tidal Basin this year, with all kinds of gear! There were so many that were trying different angles, and strategies to get the perfect photo. I joined them with my own attempts. Of course, not everything will work when you first try, and this was probably my biggest disappointment.

Cherry Blossoms and the Capitol Building in Washington, DC - ©TimeLine Media
Cherry Blossoms and the Capitol Building in Washington, DC – ©TimeLine Media

From this spot, most images are of the blossoms in the foreground with either the Washington Monument in the background towards the left, or the Jefferson Memorial towards the right. In between these two familiar sites is a clear view of the Capitol Building that is much further away. Because of the distance, it is much smaller than the other two memorials in the frame. Consequently it is not as popular a subject from here.

But I wanted to try going for it since it seemed really easy to see this morning. I used the longest lens I had in the bag, a 105mm focal length. This was giving me what I wanted as anything much longer would have made the building larger, but the blossoms would have been harder to distinguish. In the first frame above without any added light, the blossoms were really in shadow, and look like really ugly clouds or debris in front of the lens.

Sunrise Blossoms

Cherry Blossoms and the Capitol Building in Washington, DC - ©TimeLine Media
Cherry Blossoms and the Capitol Building in Washington, DC – ©TimeLine Media

My next thought was that I should add some light from a speedlight to illuminate the blossoms, and show off more of their color. I held the flash off of the camera with a sync cord so that the light would not be positioned directly in front of the blooms. Here is the result:

Cherry Blossoms and the Capitol Building in Washington, DC - ©TimeLine Media
Cherry Blossoms and the Capitol Building in Washington, DC – ©TimeLine Media

It was as expected, but not that great to my eye. I tried a few more frames changing the flash power, the angle of the flash, but it did not change much. Perhaps I could have tried “painting” on the light with a small flashlight or had a softer modifier for the speedlights, but I did not have any more time as the sun started to rise quickly out of the horizon really changing the look of the overall scene. Turns out – THAT was what I needed to make a better frame.

Cherry Blossoms and the Capitol Building in Washington, DC - ©TimeLine Media
Cherry Blossoms and the Capitol Building in Washington, DC – ©TimeLine Media

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

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