Is seeing the cherry blossoms in Washington D.C. on your bucket list? If so, save yourself some time on location scouting and visit my favorite five spots to photograph the beautiful spring blossoms next time you are visiting the nation’s capital! My fiancee and I ventured out to the Tidal Basin at sunrise this Thursday to do some location scouting for my weekend spring sessions, as well as to have a romantic meander around the Basin. Below are my favorite spots for portraits near the blossoms!

Inlet Bridge

My absolute favorite spot to photograph portraits here at the Tidal Basin in D.C. I love the rounded archways, the banks along the water, and the grassy slopes – all beautiful elements that add to my portraiture. My favorite time to photograph families and clients is always here at golden hour (sunrise and sunset).

Walk along the Tidal Basin

After visiting the Inlet Bridge, walk north along the Tidal Basin from the George Mason Memorial Towards FDR Memorial. Look above you as you witness the vibrant pink and white blossoms in the trees overhead!

Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial

FDR Memorial has the prettiest little pathways through the cherry blossom trees – and it’s a quieter area, too! Explore this hidden area for less crowds and gorgeous spots for portraits (plus, there’s plenty of shade)! There also happens to be an Eleanor Roosevelt statue….for those that love Eleanor as much as I do. 😉

Across from the Jefferson Memorial

Find some tree branches with flowering blossoms and frame the picture with different monuments! (Washington monument, Jefferson Memorial, etc) Add an artistic touch and move around a bit to have the blossoms close up and right in front of your lens, then open up your aperture for some blurry out-of-focus blossoms! It’ll add some dimension and put the focus on the monument! If you want to switch it up, you can put the focus on the blossoms, instead.

DC War Memorial

Right near the MLK Memorial are tons of towering cherry blossom trees along the grassy path, with the elegant DC War Memorial to the left! Along with the Jefferson Memorial, this is another one of my favorite spots for portraits. Isn’t D.C. just so picturesque?

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

Cherry Blossom Tips

• Get there super early for the gorgeous light and less crowds! Since the cherry blossoms only bloom one week of the year, you can always expect huge crowds – even at 6:30 in the morning on a Thursday like we did – but it will be far less packed on a weekday morning than if you visit on a weekend and in the midday afternoon and /or sunset.
• Be sure to bring a tripod and neutral density filter for the intense sunrise glow.
• It’s cold here in Washington D.C. – even in April! Wear layers and gloves so your fingers don’t freeze while you’re snappin’ away!
• Understand that there will always be crowds but to have patience when you are waiting for that ideal photography spot. You’ll find tons of photographers working – with their tripods, with clients, etc.
• Consider bringing a blanket and a hot thermos of coffee or hot chocolate – and R – E – L – A – X. Remember why you came all the way here – to experience and relish in the wonders of these beautiful and altogether fleeting cherry blossoms.

I hope these tips are helpful to you as you click away and photograph these stunning beauties! Please share this post to any of your friends who may be visiting the D.C. cherry blossoms!

Have you ever visited D.C. during cherry blossom season? What were some of your favorite spots that you visited?

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Cherry Blossom Photo Diaries…