spring blooms

Ephemeral Beauty

A dusk shot of the Jefferson Memorial framed by cherry blossoms.

A dusk shot of the Jefferson Memorial framed by cherry blossoms.

And just like that, they’re gone.

The few glorious days when the tidal basin in Washington DC is swathed in a low-lying pink cloud has passed this year. Like thousands of other people, I couldn’t help myself from wandering in awe and snapping shot after shot of blossoms framing monuments. Navigating the crowds, I was trying to follow the advice I had given in a blog post I wrote a few years ago for the Intelligent Travel blog on photographing the cherry blossoms….patience.

If you ever have the opportunity to see the cherry blossoms in DC, I say do it. Despite the hype and the hoards, it is magical and oh so fleeting!

A magical walkway of light pink blossoms in Washington DC.
The Washington Monument framed through cherry blossoms at sunset.
A couple enjoys sunset on the Tidal Basin with the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial in the background.
My cherry blossom blog post was featured on the National Geographic home page last weekend.

From the Archives: Spring Dreams

A photograph taken before the Washington National Cathedral was damaged by an earthquake show spring blooms framing a fog-enshrouded tower.

A photograph taken in 2009 (before the Washington National Cathedral was damaged by an earthquake) shows spring blooms framing a fog-enshrouded tower.

I’m busy backing up my photo archives and I came across this shot of the Washington National Cathedral from 2009. Unfortunately the tower is currently covered in scaffolding while repairs are underway to fix damage from the 2011 earthquake, but I love the way the fog made the cathedral look early that spring morning. Although the cherry blossoms get so much attention in Washington DC, there are blooming bushes and trees all over the city that make for lovely springtime photographs. I don’t know if these particular trees are in bloom yet this year, but here is to hoping the city will be bursting with color soon!