It’s been unseasonably warm here (the meteorologists are saying that spring is arriving four-to-six weeks earlier than expected), and the national cherry-blossom festival in Washington, DC has already come and gone, but now is when it usually takes place. I’ve seen some recent posts from folks who attended this year’s festival (weeks ago), and I’d like to present a few photos that I made while I was living there in 2008 and 2009. The Potomac River Tidal Basin is the center of the event, and I had a few favorite areas that drew me back again and again. I entered my photo entitled “Old and New” (the third one, below) in the 2008 Cherry Blossom Festival photo contest; it was accepted and judged one of the twelve best submitted and was published in the official calendar for that year.
Old and New
krikitarts 
Ich kann mich gar nicht satt sehen daran! Wunderschön! Hoffentlich kann ich die nächsten Tage ein paar schöne Fotos vom blühenden Flieder machen :)
Herzlichen Dank für das hohe Lob! Ich hatte ideale Bedingungen—leichte Űberwölkung und ganz wenig Wind; das macht es wesentlich einfacher.
Da war der Fotografie-Engel wohl wieder an Deiner Seite :D Der Frühling ist doch einfach wunderschön, gell? Alles blüht und riecht so gut :)
All I can say is WOW!! Those photos are gorgeous! The composition of the first one is so unique with the man sitting on the bench framed by the curve of the branches, and I absolutely love the contrast in textures in the third photo.
Thousands of photographers descend on this scene each spring like a plague of locusts, and it’s truly a challenge to get beyond the obvious “postcard” compositions and into something unique and personal. I’m very happy that I was able to do so, and that you are among the few who really appreciate my effort. Thanks yet again, Cindy!
You are very welcome! :)
Awesome to have your photo published! Love those cherry blossoms, and your photos are lovely.
Many thanks! One of the very few things I miss about DC is this event. I’m so happy to be back in the Midwest, where my heart belongs! Thank you so much for your support!
Beautiful, beautiful photographs, Gary! Thank you so much for posting these. They are breathtaking!
Thanks so much, Melanie, It was great to be there–but it’s so much greater to be here!
Hello Gary, these are lovely pictures The tunnel of blossom in the first one is gorgeous. And ‘Old and New’ richly deserved a prize.
I really like your tunnel allusion–that’s just how I felt at the time. There were so many other people, though, that it took a while to get a clear shot of the seated man. Still, quite worth the wait.
How pretty. I love the way you have composed the first image. Very well done on having your photograph ‘Old and New’ published!
There are so many other people around with cameras, it’s actually kind of a zoo. One of the things I enjoyed most about taking part in the festival was the challenge of trying to find a new angle or two that others hadn’t yet considered. Thanks for letting me know!
Years ago I was there near the end of the cherry blossom season. The blossoms were falling like snow and the ground was covered. The trees were not optimal anymore. Wish I had been able to be there even two or three days earlier!
These images are very compelling. I can’t say which is my favorite. I love the tunnel effect of the first one but I am intrigued by the juxtaposition of the smooth blossoms against the gnarled bark of the two other images.
Yes, it is special to be there when the blossoms are at their juiciest and most radiant, but the after-peak transition is also very well worth experiencing. I, for one, love it when the petals are falling rapidly. Your snow reference is spot on–they can actually collect in drifts, and the mood swings toward melancholy.
Great Shots!
Thanks a lot!
Good shots, Gary, but >>>especially so the top one – wonderful framing of the man, and with the path leading to him! Adrian