Cherry Blossoms of Washington, DC

This morning it was a very chilly time along the tidal basin.  Since I had not been down to photograph the sunrise cherry blossoms in five years (this seems to be my usual pattern) I tried to take pictures from different angles than I usually do.  Behind one of the parking lots there is a Floral Library where a few beds of tulips were blooming. Despite all of my weather apps promising clear skies today the cloud cover made for a pretty gloomy (though at times dramatic) scene.  Usually people rush down to the basin at sunrise and bask in the gorgeous pink hues for a while.  The basin lit up for a couple of glorious minutes and then thick clouds made everything cold and extra dark.  Most visitors immediately dispersed!  I could not believe how quickly the pathways emptied.  If you were willing to hang around in the cold for another hour you were rewarded with a few grand sunbeams later.  As I circled the park I ran into the same photographers over and over.  We were all clearly hoping for better conditions.  The Park Service says that the cooler temps will preserve the flowers for a while and I genuinely hope that's true so that on a sunnier day folks can enjoy the view.

(High Res Image Above)

(High Res Image Above)

Behind the Swan Boats parking lot there is a NPS Floral Library

Why, yes, I had to roll around on the ground right next to busy traffic for this photo!

Look at those clouds, trying to copy the cherry trees!

 

I played around with some very early morning long exposure work in the hope that I could capture a little bit of the Milky Way but in post-processing I've determined that I needed to frame my shot a little better for blending purposes.  Live and learn.

Parking tip:  If you are going to try for street parking, all of the nearby areas are metered with a three hour maximum.  And some areas are No Parking zones until 5 am.  This is probably not a problem for most visitors but if you're going down there at a crazy hour like me and plan to spend a considerable amount of time in the area, the Ronald Reagan 24-hour parking garage at Federal Triangle is your best bet.  It's in a secure federal building so expect your vehicle to be inspected prior to entry.  But you're one block from the National Mall so it's not too sketchy at 4:30 am...

The downside is that it's pretty expensive.  I think a full day is $36 but that is wayyyy cheaper than a DC parking ticket!

I did not upload all of these as large-size photos so if anyone wants a bigger copy of something let me know.