“Light as feathers, as fleeting as Zephyr, one moment they breathed pink, the next they faded.
Cherry blossoms were as much an inspiration for beautiful verse
as they were a reminder of life's fickleness, she thought.”
as they were a reminder of life's fickleness, she thought.”
Alice Poon, The Green Phoenix: A Novel of the Woman Who Re-Made Asia, Empress Xiaozhuang
The last time I photographed the cherry blossoms in the garden downstairs, they were covered in snow. Even though it was a stunning sight to behold, it was also kind of crazy at the same time. I much prefer them basking under the sunshine so I did another photo study. I had quite a marvelous time reveling under the fully bloomed trees. Up close the blossoms are ever captivating and appear even more delicate and beautiful. It's no wonder they are considered a visual metaphor for the transience of life in Japanese culture.
Photo note: I took these with a shallow depth of field and overexposed by a quarter stop to emphasize the ethereal, dreamy quality of the blossoms. I'm often asked how I edit my photos and to be honest, I'm pretty old school. I almost always shoot fully manual and try to visualize and compose my photos in camera. The most I usually do in post is crop and adjust for contrast or color balance.
I've always loved photographing cherry blossoms and this particular series with Rena and Ian might be some of my favorite photos I've ever done with them (with an assist from my husband). Just for the record, I'm not done photographing those two yet. They will be back.
Photo note: I took these with a shallow depth of field and overexposed by a quarter stop to emphasize the ethereal, dreamy quality of the blossoms. I'm often asked how I edit my photos and to be honest, I'm pretty old school. I almost always shoot fully manual and try to visualize and compose my photos in camera. The most I usually do in post is crop and adjust for contrast or color balance.
I've always loved photographing cherry blossoms and this particular series with Rena and Ian might be some of my favorite photos I've ever done with them (with an assist from my husband). Just for the record, I'm not done photographing those two yet. They will be back.
24 comments
Cherry blossoms are always so marvellous to see up close, especially because they are visually delicate and lovely. These are beautifully captured, Rowena. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. :)
Aww Rowena, your photos make me dream, they are so enchanting and seem from a fairytale, congrats! Cant wait Rena and Ian come back!:) Happy weekend dear! xo
So well written and beautiful images have a lovely weekend.
Beautiful pictures indeed, Rowena, and a reminder of how short lived some things can be.
Anne|Linda, Libra, Loca
These are just beautiful, chingu:) So lucky u have them right in your garden. And thank you for sharing your photography tips. Do you have a lens that you prefer when taking this kind of shots?
PS Can't wait to see more of Rena and Ian
PPS Have a lovely weekend!
They are such beautiful blossoms, and it's nice to see them enjoying the sunshine, although they were just as pretty in the snow! Great photos too.
Hope that you are having a lovely week with a nice weekend ahead of you :)
Away From The Blue Blog
These pictures turned out stunning, Rowena and I do miss Rena and Ian making appearances here. Bring them back sooner than later? ;-)
Shireen⎜Reflection of Sanity
What gorgeous photos. I have fond memories of visiting the Cherry Blossoms every spring growing up in Washington, DC. Thanks for posting!
Great post dear, i really love cherry blossoms. So beautiful.
www.glamourzone.org
Cherry blossoms are truly magical, they are so tender and ethereal. When I had a proper cam, I used to enjoy photographing them too. You have captured their fragile beauty perfectly. These photographs are utterly gorgeous!
It was interesting reading about your approach to photographing these. I do like the old school method. Editing offers so many possibilities, there are many fantastic programs and apps today, but I think it takes something from the moment. When one takes photos in the old style, one is more connected to the subject. One thinks more, focuses on the subject right then and there. Every method has its benefits and advantages, I'm sure, but the old school one feels the most like photography to me. Excessive editing often reminds me of digital art, which isn't bad as such, but it feels like different medium.
Beautiful flowers and beautiful photos! :)
These are lovely pictures! I really want to experiment with photography, but I have no idea where to start! x
Velvet Blush
There are so many cherry blossoms out and about now! They're beautiful!
Corinne x
www.skinnedcartree.com
So so beautiful! I love cherry blossoms <3
-Kate // http://www.classyandkate.com/4-ways-to-revamp-your-new-years-resolutions-for-the-summer/
I'm forever in awe of your beautiful photography - always so clean, clear and romantic! This is one hugely inspiring post Rowena and I hope you're having a wonderful weekend so far :)
Gabrielle | A Glass Of Ice x
They really are so ethereal and gorgeous! I think you saw I was pretty obsessed with them in Japan - they're such beautiful blooms and you get them downstairs!
Great job! The shots look awesome!
Great.
You did a an excellent job with these photos, and I am pretty old school when I shoot too.
Allie of ALLIENYC
www.allienyc.com
You truly captured the beauty of these Cherry Blossoms Rowena!
You truly captured the beauty of these Cherry Blossoms Rowena!
So beautiful. Some day, I'd like to be in DC for the blooming.
These are indeed very beautiful photos. I love that the overall colors are soft and even slightly warm. This spring hasn't been very nice weather-wise and I didn't really get to enjoy the spring flowers as much. Thanks to you photos, it's all better now. :-)
Today, I went to the beach with my children. I
found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and
said "You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear." She placed the shell to her
ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and
it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL
I know this is entirely off topic but I had to tell someone!
Post a Comment