Neither my wife nor I are morning people. When it comes to weekends, even more. This time was different and we really wanted to see for ourselves all the great photos we’ve seen of the cherry blossoms amongst the landmarks at dawn. As a photographer in the DC-area, this was a must-do.
To get the best and most iconic photos of the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C. you have to do three things:
- Arrive well before — at least an hour — sunrise during the peak bloom and stake out your spot.
- Bring a tripod.
- Get your best shots before the tourists swarm the area.
I’ll admit that I went a little overboard with that first tip. My alarm went off at 3:00am.
Leaning against the wall I had to convince myself, out loud, “I want to do this. I. Want. To do. This.” We hadn’t slept too much or too before my unholy alarm ruined whatever dreams I might have had. I was getting pretty excited about going out there and capturing the beauty of the cherry blossoms.
My wife, Jeannette, and I shlepped to the car and headed toward the Tidal Basin across from the Jefferson Memorial in the black morning. It was going to be a clear sunrise without dramatic clouds. Oh well, I’m still going to get some really nice photos and enjoy this experience with my wife. She had brought along a little breakfast picnic for us to enjoy once I got what I needed in photos. Her presence as I set up and her help to keep oblivious tourists out of my shot made this way better than doing this alone.
Not bad for my first time. I have a whole year to work on getting even better images for next time!