StarvingPhotographer.com Blog » Cherry Blossoms

Spring is in the Air – Cherry Blossoms at UW

Mahesh — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 18:09:40 +0000

Needle in a Blossom Stack: Pentax K-5, Pentax 18-135mm f/3.5.5.6ED AL IF DC WR

Please click on the images to see larger versions. It’s that time of year again. Early April, and the cherry blossoms are our in full force at UW’s main campus. If anyone wants to see these blossoming beauties, now is the best time. I hope you enjoy this year’s pickin’s.

Pretty in Pink: Pentax K-5, Pentax 18-135mm f/3.5.5.6ED AL IF DC WR

Raitt Hall: Pentax K-5, Pentax 18-135mm f/3.5.5.6ED AL IF DC WR

The Quad: Pentax K-5, Pentax 18-135mm f/3.5.5.6ED AL IF DC WR

Building Blossoms: Pentax K-5, Pentax 18-135mm f/3.5.5.6ED AL IF DC WR

Small Blossoms: Pentax K-5, Pentax 18-135mm f/3.5.5.6ED AL IF DC WR

UW Cherry Blossoms, Take Two

Mahesh — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:40:06 +0000

I was on call yesterday (Sunday) and it just so happened to be the first day of Daylight Saving. I woke up extra early and looked out my bedroom window. Noticing the nice quality of the developing light, I packed my gear and headed back to the University of Washington’s main campus. I arrived just after sunrise and pretty much had the place all to myself. The colors were excellent, and I snapped away happily. By 45 minutes, I was satisfied with what I captured and headed to Children’s Hospital, refreshed and “eager” to start call. That last part is probably stretching it a bit.

Anywho, here are a couple of shots from the outing. If you look carefully at the first image, you can see the Space Needle in the distance. I really love the pink hues on the blossoms. I hope you do also. Let me know what you think.

Panasonic GF-1, 14-45 f/3.5-5.6, 20mm (40mm equivalent), f/8, ISO 100, (1/15, 1/30, 1/60 second exposures)

Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6, 45mm (90mm equivalent), f/8, ISO 100, (1/8, 1/4, 1/2 second exposures)

Cherry Blossoms at UW Main Campus

Mahesh — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 04:37:39 +0000

We had a little break in the weather this afternoon, so I decided to visit the Quad at UW main campus to photograph the cherry blossoms. If you’re thinking of visiting, the blossoms are at full bloom now. Tomorrow calls for an overcast day, which I think is perfect for photographing the blossoms. There won’t be any contrasty light to play havoc with your exposures. The gray skies will look dull, so I’d try to keep as much of it as possible out of my frame. Even if there isn’t a lot of light, I would still utilized a polarizer. It helps to minimize glare from the surface of the pathways, blossoms and benches.

The blossoms this year are more white than pink, but still unbelievably beautiful! They have not bloomed everywhere on campus yet but are spectacular at the quad.

I had my little Panasonic GF-1 camera and the kit 14-45 lens with me. I’m amazed at the quality I’m getting out of that combo. I took 3 bracketed exposures, then combined them in Photoshop to get the “perfect” exposure. I played around with Channel Mixer to get the b&w tones looking a little contrasty.

Below is an image I made this afternoon, along with a Google Map of where I was standing when I took the shot. (The green arrow points to my exact spot.) I hope you enjoy the image.

Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 14-45 f/3.5-5.6 lens, 25mm (50mm equivalent), f/8, (1/5, 1/8, 1/13 seconds), ISO 100

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