Cherry Blossoms

This past week, I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Washington DC to see the cherry blossoms at the tidal basin--twice!  I have lived in Southern Maryland my whole life, but this was my first time going to see the cherry blossoms in bloom.  My camera was a necessary accessory ;)

Between the two visits, I took nearly a thousand photos.  After a long time sifting through the photos, I managed to narrow it down to these photos below.

During my first visit to the tidal basin, the blossoms were not quite out.  Some blossoms had bloomed here and there, but most were still buds.  Still I had some good shots.

I loved the framing of this shot.  The couple is Alexander and Jojo.  They were very nice when I asked if they would please sit on this bench so I could get this shot.  They could easily have blown me off as some random stranger, but they were game for working with me.  Thank you Alexander and Jojo!

I love this picture for two reasons. 1: I love how the branches frame the monument.  2: I love the parallel lines created by the handrails in the foreground.

I love the framing of this picture, too!  I guess this experience shows how much I love natural frames in photos!  All the branches provide you with millions of different compositions, frames, and lines to work with.  Having the monuments in the distance make for great subjects to be framed by all these beautiful branches :)

Here starts the pictures I was able to capture on my second visit a few days later.  The flowers were still not in their peak, but I had many, many more blossoms to photograph!

My friend, Katie, came with me the second time as well.  The danger of hanging around with me and my camera is that you end up being my model for some photos.  Katie modeled for me with such beauty and grace.  Thank you Katie!

You can see here that some of the blossoms still have not come out, but they still have that characteristic pink color in the buds.

Okay, I'm pretty sure this shot has been captured by hundreds (maybe thousands) of photographers.  Still, seeing all those trees in bloom, leading up to the Jefferson Memorial is a beautiful shot that you can't get anywhere else.

Believe it or not, all of my close-up shots of the blossoms were taken with my zoom lens, fully extended to 300mm.  Since I don't have a macro lens, I can only get so (physically) close to flowers with my 50mm before I am unable to keep them in focus.

Using my zoom lens and photographing flowers that were further away (anywhere from 10-12 feet away) from me allowed me to get these "close-up" shots.

This shot and the next are the same composition, but the lighting is drastically different.  This was taken early in the sunset, right after the lights in the dome turned on. 

This was taken very late in the sunset, when there was almost no light.  I was staked out on a small hill next to the sidewalk, along with a couple of other photographers.  They had their tripods, and all other kinds of gadgets (yeah, I was a little envious).  As we were waiting for the moon to rise, they were trying this technique called light painting.  While doing a long exposure, they would shine a light onto the underside of the blossoms so the blossoms could be seen in the photo as well as the memorial.  I couldn't do a long exposure since I did not have my tripod with me, but I had to take advantage of their light painting.  I think I made it work :)

Speaking of the moonrise.....

I know this photo does not feature cherry blossoms, but I thought it was still worth including one shot of the moonrise over the Jefferson Memorial.

All in all--I had thoroughly enjoyed my first cherry blossom visit!  Can't wait until next year--maybe I will make it for the full peak.

Cheers :)

Eat, Drink, and Be Married!

This set of photos I have my brother to thank for.  That's right--my brother :)

This past summer, I was coming from doing my first job (remember the ones on the beach?), and was really starting to dream about taking my photography further.  Adam tagged me in a comment to his friend's post on Facebook who was looking for someone to be a second photographer at a wedding.  One thing led to another, and the next thing I knew, I was hired to be the second photographer for Dana Renee Photography (www.photographydanarenee.blogspot.com). 

What?!?!?

My mind was reeling.  Weddings are a high-stress job for a photographer--all of those must-have shots throughout the entire day!  I was definitely feeling the pressure.

But then I met Dana--she was friendly and willing to coach/help me through the day.  Phew!  Then I met the bride--Ming.  She was also so friendly and very relaxed for a bride (at least I thought so!).  I immediately felt calmer and was able to focus on getting my job done.

There are so many things to photograph at a wedding--bride, groom, food, cake, parents, siblings, groomsmen, bridesmaids, flower girls, guests, venue....oh so many.  In this post, I only included photos with the bride, since she is the center of most of the attention at a wedding :)

This was just outside the room where the ceremony was to take place.  It was just me, Ming and her father (Dana was already inside, ready to capture everyone as they walked down the aisle).  A very sweet moment :)

These were taken after the ceremony (which was 5 minutes or less--I think the shortest ceremony I have ever been to!).  Ming was so beautiful in her gown.

The happy couple--Chris and Ming!

And again :)  The bridesmaids were having a great time behind the camera--I caught a photo of Jody putting rabbit ears on Dana as she photographer Chris and Ming--so much laughter!

Bunny ears are always a classic :)

First dance--both as a married couple and of many to follow that evening!  What a great day!

So, thank you Adam for tagging me in that post oh-so-many months ago.  Thank you for having faith in me and my work in photography!  I can't wait to see where I go from here :)

Cheers :)