Cherry Blossoms at the Tidal Basin

Like so many people living in the Washington DC metropolitan area, I've seen the monuments and museums and other sites. A lot. I visited when I was a kid living in Louisiana. I visited again when I was in the National Guard and had duty in Virginia. When we moved here, we consciously went to the museums, monuments, and more-obscure places that the locals know about but that tourists rarely go to. Then we had relatives visit, so we went to the same places again. And again when other relatives came. You get the idea.

The Cherry Blossom Festival is a big deal. The cherry trees bloom as the weather gets nice and people go out in droves to see the trees and take part in the festival. It's easiest for me to visit weekends, but it's really crowded. Weekdays the crowds are smaller, but then I have to work.

This year I have use-or-lose vacation and I needed a day off from work anyway, so I decided to go to the Tidal Basin yesterday. I got up really early and got on the Metro with all the commuters. I got to the Tidal Basin just as morning twilight was starting and was immediately surrounded by crowds of people who were there to see the trees. People in suits were there on their way to work. Joggers and bikers were there. Photographers were everywhere, shooting the trees, the blossoms on the trees, and people with the trees in the background. Tripods were set up. Smartphones were out in force. Some people were holding their iPads up to shoot.

I brought three lenses, but quickly settled on my 85mm f1.8. It was overcast, with the sun weakly shining through the thin clouds. Not great light for the look I was going for.



Cherry Blossoms at the Tidal Basin

Most of the blossoms were lily-white, but some were decidedly pink.



Blossoms

Even though I was there before 7AM, there were lots of people already there.



The Tidal Basin is Popular During the Festival

I circled the basin, stopping for photos, and occasionally moving away from the water to walk under a canopy of flowers.

Under a Canopy

The blossoms were overwhelmingly this shade of white.

Blossom Close-up

I worked my way around past the Jefferson Memorial, shooting as I went. Eventually I got back to my starting point, having spent a couple of hours there.

Jefferson Memorial and Cherry Tree Crowd

I went home with photos and the realization that this was a lot more fun than a day at work.

And so ends my rendition of the cherry blossoms this year.