My Favorite Cherry Blossom Photo This Year
Cherry Blossoms or “sakura” are a major part of Japanese culture. I’d say there are at least 200 cherry trees within a mile of my house, and this is not at all unusual. It’s a perfect opportunity to try for the ultimate cherry blossom photo.
Every school yard, public park and playground, has a row of cherry trees. Temples usually have at least one, and many highways are lined with them as well. Starting in early March, the weather report will show the “cherry blossom front” as the trees burst into bloom in succession from south to north along with the warmer spring weather.
Photographers do their utmost to capture the great sea of pink and white that casts a happy sakura glow over the country, and most calendars have the quintessential cherry blossom photo. This year I focused on close-ups of the individual blossoms, and this one is my favorite.
It’s taken standing close to the trunk and pointing up toward the sky. It was the first clear day we’d had in forever, and the bright sun shows the shadows of the stamens for each sakura flower. The blue sky makes a great background, and the blurred cherries stretching away into the background show a little of the volume of flowers in the area. I especially like the little half open buds that look like little pink buttercups.
If you’re planning a trip to Japan, I’d recommend early April, when the sakura are blooming over most of the country. It’s a phenomenon you don’t want to miss!
Tags: cherry blossom, cherry blossom photo, cherry blossoms, sakura
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