Monthly Archives: April 2015

falling blossoms

Each spring, swarms of people pack the narrow path at Washington’s Tidal Basin to experience the delicate Japanese Cherry Blossom Trees during the brief few days when they are in peak bloom. But there is an even more magical period just after the peak when the trees let loose of their petals and create a world of enchantment. Every year when the last snows melt and the air begins to warm, I hear this siren’s call and begin to plan my chase and her (photographic) capture. But she is an elusive temptress that may (or may not) yield a glimpse of her beauty before rapidly melting in the rain or vanishing with the wind, leaving ones outstretched hands with nothing more than a petal or two. So it was this year… the beauty of her blossoms filling me with hope, but gone just hours before a long-planned shoot. This year, however, she did give me one short dance as she embraced me in her falling blossoms.

fallen blossoms

fallen blossoms

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a morning walk with my iPhone

Lately I have been experimenting with capture-to-publish mobile photography. Here are a few images I took and edited on my iPhone during a morning walk (after scouting a location for an upcoming shoot). Double-click to enlarge each.

Japanese Cherry Blossom Trees

The sky was dreary at the Tidal Basin this morning, and the Japanese Cherry Tree blossoms were not quite at peak. So I added some artistic touches using the same (and only) iPhone app with which I edited all images in this post – Enlight (very highly recommended).

Magnolia trees at the Old Executive Office Building

These magnolia trees in front of the Eisenhower “Old” Executive Office Building (next-door to the White House) caught my eye. But the sky was totally grey and the light was dull. I replaced the sky with one from a previous photo (taken in California!), and modified the temperature of the light on the trees–all from the screen of my trusty phone.

Four Stars for the Old Executive

Four Stars for the Old Executive – In earlier times, visual design details mattered and they are found everywhere in Washington, including these stars and bars on the base of a street lamp. As everything in here actually is a shade of grey or black other than the stars, which are gold, it was an easy decision to render this image in black-and-white.

White House Security

White House Security – I had not intended to walk by the White House until I noticed the drama of the Washington Monument behind it, disappearing into the clouds and mist. Walking closer to the “people’s house” (ahem) yielded too many distractions from fences, guard posts, and rooftop security. So I retreated to the Ellipse where I found these earlier monuments to the defense of the White House irresistibly ironic.