Every spring, usually in late March or the very start of April, tourists and residents by the thousands descend onto the National Mall to walk around and gaze at the beauty of white and pink cherry blossom blooms and buds.
These images were taken at “peak bloom,” which occurs when more than 70% of the cherry blossoms at Tidal Basin have entered the final of six stages for the blooms, according to the National Park Service.
Although the Tidal Basin is one of the most well-known and visited areas to see these trees, plenty are also scattered throughout local neighborhoods around the DMV, including this tree not too far from Tidal Basin at the Salamander Hotel.
Park Projects and Seawall Repairs
Although a construction crane is visible in the background of this first photo, the second photo shows a more complete picture of the extensive work that has gone into the seawall repairs in an effort to deal with rising water levels around the Tidal Basin, which led to flooding and the removal of old cherry trees including the much beloved Stumpy. While Stumpy’s clippings are still years away from being planted in this area, beautification efforts are already well underway.
Image Composition
There is something kind of “tricky” when trying to capture the perfect photo of cherry blossoms. Aperture as wide open as your lens will allow. Outdoor daytime lighting should allow for low ISO and faster shutter. However, when you select the focus point for the center of the blossom good luck getting it to stay there. It only takes minimal wind to move these branches and the slightest deviations will lead to the center not being tack sharp.
Advice and Tips
Personally, I prefer going to see the cherry blossoms right before peak bloom. Either the weekend before (when they’re at stage four or even stage five out of the six phases) or even perhaps visiting after work. Once you reach peak bloom, the crowds will stay pretty thick unless you visit very early morning or around golden hour in the evening as people begin migrating to dinner.
But peak bloom is a better time to see them vs. not seeing them at all. The arrival of April also usually signals increased rain chances and opportunities for storms and gusty winds. The cherry blossoms once they’ve peaked will not last too many windy days in a row.
It’s not just because of the crowds though that I prefer right before peak bloom. I also really like the color of pink buds as they near those final two stages of development. Find the right buds and/or the right trees and you won’t have to touch the vibrance or saturation sliders when you edit the image.
If the crowds are outside around Tidal Basin, you might find slightly more space or additional opportunities for inspiration inside the memorials. Like this image I took at the Jefferson Memorial where you can see the White House directly across the Tidal Basin at lower right.
