Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival
Blooms Short but Sweet

Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is in full swing! With over 37,000 cherry trees... and more being planted... its definitely worth a visit. We take cherry trees seriously here! They begin decorating the city pink end of March and keep right on giving well into April, perhaps May... depends on the yearly weather.

This year Vancouver is 125 years old. So the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival was even more special this spring... if that's possible! And the 6th Haiku Invitational was part of our celebration. Perhaps you were one of the aspiring haiku competitors? visit the website for the whole story!

Remember I said "more being planted"? To celebrate Vancouver's birthday, the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Organization had a cherry tree sale. They easily reached their goal of 3,000 4-year old cherry trees!

Looks like the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival will be even better next year... and the year after that. The David and Dorothy Lam Foundation provided the Birthday Blossom Cherry Trees and the proceeds go to the nonprofit Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival to carry on their work.

Says Dr. Lam "... the cherry gives us everything - its color, its fragrance, its beauty - and asks for nothing in return. It just does all this to make us happy - and we should all live like that." Food for thought!

The festivals I went to in Korea were in specific areas of the city but the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival covers the whole city. So my photographs are mostly from several large parks or gardens. A few are snatched on the streets but only where I could stop the car for a few moments.

Sky-train gives a super aerial view of the pink and white world below but its just not possible to get great photographs at that speed. It does let you sit back, relax and enjoy a view of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival. Almost any station has cherry trees outside the station so get out and enjoy. Your ticket's good for 90 minutes.

"There are no strangers under the cherry trees." -Issa

This photo and the next one are of the same tree, in a small park near my home. It's the beginning of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival! This Akebono cherry tree has such a graceful shape! A horizontal view shows more of the true nature of the cherry... at least in my opinion. The branches flow like a beautiful poem and the light pink pops against the dark evergreen foliage behind them.

Take your time when you're framing your photo and look around in all corners of your viewfinder for the small details that make your final picture perfect. Work with your tripod, wait for the momentary breezes to finish. That's something that is usually more of a problem later in the day. The best time is early morning for breeze-free photo shoots.

Here's a portrait view of the same tree. Its interesting, especially all the mosses that grow on the tree trunks here in the temperate rain forest! This Akebono is a beautiful tree... but do you see why I like the horizontal view better?

This portrait shot cuts off the flow of the branches and even though the shape fills the frame - like I always tell you to do! - it just doesn't convey the sensual beauty of the whole tree. Art is subjective and you may like something that your friend doesn't.

So, make sure you take shots in both views... you just never know until you see your photo is enlarged on the computer or a screen.

Another hint here, I put as little of the sky in these pictures as possible. This particular day at the beginning of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, it was a mix of cloud and sun and very bright. Your camera can't record such a drastic difference - dark shadows to bright sun. Either the shadows or the light areas will suffer...

You sky will be white and blown out or your shadows will be so dark you won't see any detail in them. One end of the scale will be sacrificed. We've all had photos like that and it can get pretty ugly! So on a bright, or dull cloudy day, cut out most of the sky.

Or you could frame it top, sides or bottom with branches. Uninteresting skies require some imagination... use whatever is in the environment to create a frame.

Queen Elizabeth Park

Two photos of the same tree... an absolutely fabulous tree! The trunk is twisted and curled into the most interesting shapes. Reminds me of a human elder, bent and twisted but, oh so wise. A Harry Potter"ish" sort of tree!

It commanded the attention of photographers and folks who just wanted to be under it to share its space and energy. This is a tree with character! No matter what angle I photographed it from, the shape was powerful.

And horizontal or vertical, both show off the tree equally well! So what's the difference between these two photos and the two photos of the other tree just above?

Well, here, the amazing trunk is the main focus. Sure, the cherry blossoms are gorgeous and so is the shape of the entire tree... but its the trunk that captures my interest.

Unfortunately I didn't take my macro lens and that would have kept me busy for at least another hour. The blossoms were new, fresh and flawless and that's what you want for close up shots of flowers!

Stanley Park, VanDusen Botanical Garden and Kits Beach are next on my list for the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival... you can be sure I won't go without the macro. Its a race against time with all the streets, parks and beaches in Vancouver busting out in pink!

An example of selective focus. I focused on the cherry blossoms - f/8.0, 1/350", iso 200, focal length 85 mm. The blossoms are sharp but its a fuzzy background and you can only guess that the flowers are tulips.

So before you press the shutter think about the results you want. In your photo is everything in focus or are you going for come creative blur? Get comfortable with shutter speed and aperture and practice until you can create the photo you have in your mind. And use your tripod!

Don't forget to pack your camera manual with you... every time you go out to shoot. Study your manual... get to know your camera intimately... and practice A LOT!

What a gorgeous spring day last week... thought I'd hit several spots for this Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival but I never made it past QE!

Here we are in Queen Elizabeth Park! My hurry-up and go got up and went once I fell under the spell of spring and the pink petals of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival. The magnetic cherry trees were pulling in masses of admirers. People sitting and meditating under the umbrella of pink blossoms. All equipped with a camera of one kind or another.

The mood was mellow, slow-motion, and appreciative. Mother Nature showing off her best for the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival!

If you've thought of shooting stock, here's a good example. There's plenty of copy space - a designer has a lot of clear area for print.

There are stock photos to be had anywhere you like to shoot. Now most micro-stock agencies are accepting editorial submissions. An event such like the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is a terrific opportunity to add to your stock library.

All the micro-stock agencies have a library of information to study. Most require you to pass a test before they'll accept your first shots. And your first submission is part of the test! They examine your photos... accept or reject them. And they give you feedback as to why they were rejected.

Make sure you study the top selling photos on the stock websites if you want to have a go at it. Stock photography is a passive form of income.... you get paid even while you're sleeping! Not a bad idea!

Don't be upset if you're rejected on your first try. Almost everyone is. Wait the required time, study a bit more and resubmit.

And develop a thick skin because you'll receive lots of rejections - make rejection your friend because every one is a great opportunity for learning. And very often, a reject from one will be accepted by another agency. So some photographers work with several agencies.

These cherry blossoms remind me of a wave flowing across the ocean. The branches from adjacent trees seem to flow into the tree in the middle.

To me, the interesting composition of this picture is the curves of the masses of cherry blossoms. The tree trunk is in the middle of the photo... not playing by the rules of good composition! But that was the placement that gave me that beautiful wave of blossoms. And the bush behind and beside it seems to take it out of center to the left.

The lawn comes to the first third of the photo... good compositional choice.

Before we leave the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival at Queen Elizabeth Park, have a look at this serendipitous shot. What a thrill! Four Thai monks came to share the sakura viewing. After a few shots and introductions... well, a few more shots and a little video. They were lovely and gracious... and photogenic.

The saffron robes against the cherry blossoms was striking! Orange is always an attention grabbing color but with the green and pink blossom background, its a winner.

The composition has several interesting points and a good story. A photographer engrossed in catching his picture of the monks under the cherry blossoms. But right behind the monks are three girls with colorful jackets checking out their photos.

Still, your eyes go straight to the monks with their orange robes! There's a triangle that forms between the photographer and the monks. And the four months themselves form lines that converge into a triangle.

The cherry blossoms frame the picture and they almost seem to point at the monks! Wish I could say that I planned that but it just worked out that way. I had to get the shot fast.

Wrapping up QE Park now and putting you on hold for my next few days of Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival photos and stories! Won't be long so check back with me later this week.

December 2011 - note! I'm going to be in Thailand and Cambodia in January and February... just a few months... very excited! I checked with my new friends in the photos and got some information about wads in Thailand. I'm doing a bit of research to choose one, stay a week or so and practice my meditation. I'll get lots of pictures and tell you all about it when I get back.

One of the best places to celebrate the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is at VanDusen Botanical Garden. Even though its near the end of the cherry blossoms, the magnolias and camellias are just coming into their own. There are still a few cherry trees worth photographing before the festival wraps up for this year.

Here's one of several Higan cherry trees in bloom... the twisted branches give the tree and the picture an interesting feel.

The main compositional rule in this photo is "filling the frame". There isn't very much except the cherry tree in the photo.

At that time the sky was mostly cloudy - filling the frame fixes a problem. White skies aren't very exciting so hide them as best you can. The tree breaks up the white sky and only bits of it show through.

What a great shape, just like a big pink umbrella! When you're looking through the lens during the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, you'll find all sorts of interesting shapes and colors.

Here are my camera settings - 70 mm, 1/90' at f/16 and iso 200.

With all the rain we've been getting, the green in the grass and plants looks so rich. It looks so "springy" and fresh. And the different shades of green look great with the pink blossoms.

The pink blooms in front of the dark evergreen "pop" - the cherry tree fills the frame and its obviously the subject of the photo. If something is worth taking a photo of, make it the star!

Same tree as the one above.

My camera settings - 105 mm, 1/250' at f/8.0 and iso 200.

I used the telephoto lens but I also walked around the tree to get a different perspective. Now there's a yellow lawn sculpture in view under the branches.

Zoom lenses are wonderful inventions but don't get lazy. Often, you'll get a much better composition by using your feet rather than zooming your lens in and out!

Yellow is such a warm sunny color and your eyes can't help it - they go straight to it. That's what yellow does.... draws your attention like a magnet.

Which is super if you plan on including a yellow object in your picture! But make sure there's nothing in your viewfinder if you don't want it to be there.

Always do a final check for garbage or anything else that will spoil your photo. Pick it up, change your viewpoint... fixing mistakes in a photo editor is time consuming and is so easy to avoid just by being aware.

The path along the Rhododendron Walk is sporting some rhodies in various shades of pink. At their peak, this winding path is a kaleidoscope of colors. And right now there are lots of bright spring bulbs and perennials beside the path.

The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is backed up by lots of other Asian beauties... magnolias in the first stages of blooms and lots of camelias... especially beautiful beside the Korean Pavillion.

The white blooms here belong to a star magnolia tree and further down the path there are several more magnolias worth a few pictures.

Here we are, a bit further along the Rhododendron Walk and this is another magnolia tree in the early stage of flowering. Its not alone, there are several bursting into bloom.

The cherry blossoms and magnolias always flower before the leaves come out. Mother Nature planned that so well! The leaves last many months... the blossoms last only a week or two. They shouln't have to share the stage!

Lots of opportunities for a macro lens. Not just all the blossoms but lots and lots of "baby" ferns sprouting up. Those photos will make a great new page.

Back at the Great Lawn... another star magnolia and a bright red lawn sculpture. Red and green always look great together, even if its not Christmas! They're on opposite sides of the color wheel so they're called "complementary" colors.

This white magnolia was on my right and loads of orange and yellow daffodils on my left. I'm working on a page of spring bulbs right now and you'll be able to see them soon.

Seems that this year's Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is about to wrap up. There are still some trees blooming but most are looking very tired now.

But this is just the start of the spring gardens and warm sunshine. All around VanDusen Botanical Garden, there's new color and growth. Not only in plants but a magnificent new building! Can't wait for the grand opening.

Want to learn more about my favorite garden? There are more flower and garden photos of VanDusen Botanical Garden with lots of information. And their fabulous Festival of Lights is right here.

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