If you’ve spent any amount of time in or around Washington, DC in the Spring, then you’ve heard talk of Cherry Blossom Season! It’s inevitable and highly anticipated every year.  The DC Cherry Blossom Festival draws crowds in the hundreds of thousands annually!  It’s become a popular time of year for couples to take engagement photos, moms to take maternity photos, and professional and hobbyist photographers to get all creative with how they capture them!  Last year, Washingtonian Bride and Groom featured Jon and Emily’s Cherry Blossom Engagement Session, and each year couples are adding this to their engagement photo wish list.  So, I’ve found a few things help to make these sessions successful and I’m sharing them with you today!!

1- Arrive Early

You’d be surprised how many people arrive early for Cherry Blossoms during peak bloom.  Peak bloom is so tricky because it’s hard to predict until about 1 week to just a few days before it happens.  For that reason, I am unable to schedule more than 2 of these sessions because peak bloom last only a few days and the weather this time of year can be unpredictable.  So, if you are taking your engagement photos during peak bloom- arrive early!  While there will be crowds there before the sun rises, it’s manageable when trying to shoot around so many people.  For this reason, I prefer to do these session at sunrise because the later into the day it gets the larger the crowds become.  Trust me!

2- Be Open to Alternate Locations

There are thousands of Cherry Blossom trees around the Tidal Basin and the most popular spots are the ones that also capture some of the monuments in the distance.  If you are open, you can get the full Cherry Blossom effect if you move away from the monuments to the other areas (like Hans Point) that also have Cherry Blossoms and may also have less traffic. If it’s a must that you have the monuments in the photos as well, that’s fine too but it does require a little patience if we have to wait for other spectators to walk by (or thru, LOL) our photo location.

3- Go During the Weekday

One of the ways that I have been successful with smaller crowds during the Cherry Blossom was to go during a weekday morning.  This year that wasn’t the case as neither my clients nor myself were available during the week of peak bloom, but if that’s a possibility, like it was for Jon and Emily’s session, then I highly recommend it!  If you have a flexible schedule and can catch peak bloom (about 70% bloom has happened) on it’s first day then you’ll be able to get a larger variety of shots, which can also include getting those monuments in the shot!

There you have it!  While Cherry Blossom engagement photos take a little bit of planning, I think the outcome is so worth it if that’s what you desire in your special photos!!  As much as I love flowers, it’s always fun to read an email from a wedding client that wants to take their photos during this time!  See you this time next year!!