Cherry Blossoms at Sunrise

As a photographer in DC, I can't NOT shoot the cherry blossoms. Every year, I trudge down to the Tidal Basin hoping for a great shot. Many years, I fail. Last year I went for sunrise and it was the cloudiest day in weeks. In my earlier attempts, I would drive down during normal hours (after 6 am) and find myself stuck in traffic with nowhere to park, getting more and more frustrated at all the cars that don't seem to be moving. What normally takes 5 minutes to drive, takes over 45 minutes. I would just leave without even getting out of the car.

This year was perfect. It was 65 degrees. I got down there early enough to find parking (although I did have to search 3 lots) and I found a great location to sit and watch the sunrise. I even remembered my tripod. I really enjoyed the morning.

Here are the shots I processed so far. I have a few more that I might do.

As I looked around, I thought that the images that I take show a Tidal Basins devoid of people. That is anything but true when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. The place is mobbed and I often feel like I could easily fall into the Tidal Basin when trying to maneuver around all the people. Here's my picture to represent that reality:

I thought about titling it "These are My People."