Properframe Loc: US Virginia

One problem about the first weekend in April. The Cherry Blossom race is on Sunday the 7th. Now this can be your blessing or curse. You will not be able to park within miles of the place - even in East Potomac Park. Take an Uber to get close. The wonderful thing is you will have a low number of tourist type people around the southern shore of the Tidal Basin as no one can park close by. And all the spots within reason will be filling up quickly with runners and watchers. So that eliminates a lot of families in town.
I went last year for a sunrise shoot that day forgetting about the race. Brutal conditions, 30mph winds. Never took my gear from my car - I will not divulge my parking secret. Whitecaps - no reflections, blossoms whipping, would not get any shots better than the ones I have so after about 20 minutes I left. Again horribly cold day - but only about 50 people were around the basin at sunrise. Usually it is THOUSANDS. Some wedding shoots. Good luck. No full moon this year - that is magical when it happens. My favorite shots - and at 2AM the basin is a ghost town.

Kingman

Good catch, even a shorter walk... I am staying on the Arlington side and was fixated from across the river. I can walk back to the hotel after the sun is up hopefully according to the long range forecast!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

The walk from Arlington is at least a half hour. You'd get a great view of the Tidal Basin and the trees from a distance, but the Smithsonian stop is probably a better choice.

If you have a flash, bring it, or even just use the pop-up on the camera. When the light is on the blossoms, it's great. But, a flash really helps in the shade or otherwise outside direct sunlight so that you can get bright white / pinkish blossoms. The crowd is only really crazy when the peak falls on a sunny and warm weekend. Sunrise and mid morning on a weekday are the best times for less crowd. Evening on a sunny golden evening is great light, but more busy.

Take that walk back over the Memorial Bridge to Arlington on the way home, it's well worth the trip as is a visit to Arlington Cemetery. The walk along the basin from the MLK monument to the FDR has lots of trees, maybe a bit less people, and two of the new monuments if you haven't been to DC in the last 15 or so years.

DC Cherry Blossoms - March 2009

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

DO you have Photographer's Ephemeris? It will be easy to pinpoint the right location for sunrise to make sure you get the shot you want when you want.

https://www.photoephemeris.com/

MDI Mainer

If you are planning to walk from the Virginia side of the Potomac to the Tidal Basin area or back you should know that the Memorial Bridge is undergoing renovation, so be sure it is open to pedestrian traffic when you are using that route. In the past the Park Service has closed the bridge to all pedestrian and vehicular passage for short periods of time to accommodate the work, and there are other disruptions presently in effect.

https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/learn/management/bridge-rehabilitation.htm

https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/learn/management/pedestrians-bicyclists.htm

Kingman

THANKS!

MDI Mainer

Your welcome. I lived in the DC area for 50 years, and, even by highway department standards, the NPS had a reputation for long and incredibly disruptive road work!

Kingman

Great call about 2 AM shots with full moon. I like it! I do not live locally, so that's out. Gotta do with what dealt at the time....thanks.

MDI Mainer

The Washington Post today ran an article about alternative, less crowded venues to see cherry blossoms.

http://thewashingtonpost.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

Goldyrock

I have gone there many times, and have found the people friendly, and not rude. One year, I did the "Flat Stanley" for my grand niece. They took pictures of me posing in various places with it. Even the park rangers posed with it. Easy to get shots of the Cherry Blossoms framing the Jefferson Memorial.