Travel theme: Blossom

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Today I’m participating in Where’s My Backpack’s Travel Theme photo challenge. This week’s theme is “blossom”. Remember you can click on each photo for a larger view. If you like what you see, feel free to subscribe and receive nature photography updates a few times a week.

I was lucky to visit Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia when every tree was in bloom this past April. Let me share just a few of the many beautiful tree blossoms the area has to offer in the spring.

Washington D.C. is known for its cherry blossoms, but once you see these pink magnolias in bloom, also known as tulip trees, you may just fall in love with them as I did. There were many, many of them in the gardens of the Smithsonian red castle.

Tulip trees - pink magnolia trees in bloom at the Smithsonian red castleTulip trees - pink magnolia trees in bloom at the Smithsonian red castle
Tulip trees – pink magnolia trees in bloom at the Smithsonian red castle

 

Tulip tree blossoms - pink magnolia blooms
Tulip tree blossoms – pink magnolia blooms

You’ll find many cherry blossoms (some of them white, the others pink) all around Washington D.C. but the highest concentration is around the Tidal Basin. They sure are pretty to look at and walk by, and when their petals fall, they look like snow, except it’s not freezing cold.

White cherry blossoms in Washington DC
White cherry blossoms in Washington DC

While visiting Thomas Jefferson’s estate at Monticello, I stumbled upon these lovely pink tree blossoms. I believe they belong to the dwarf almond tree.

Dwarf almond tree pink blossoms
Dwarf almond tree pink blossoms

There are many Eastern red bud trees in that area of the country and they sure welcome spring with their bright pink colors.

Easter red bud tree in bloom
Easter red bud tree in bloom

Dogwood trees were in bloom too, in various colors. This dogwood tree had yellow blooms.

Yellow dogwood tree blossoms
Yellow dogwood tree blossoms

When an Eastern red bud and a dogwood tree hang out together during blooming season, this is how beautiful they look next to each other.

Easter red bud tree and white dogwood tree blossoms
Easter red bud tree and white dogwood tree blossoms

Finally I discovered the weeping cherry blossom tree during my trip. It’s a cross between a weeping willow and a cherry blossom tree. Getting lost underneath one of these trees wouldn’t be so bad.

Weeping cherry blossom tree
Weeping cherry blossom tree

Do you have favorite tree blossoms?

Floral Friday Fotos: Red dogwood tree blooms

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Today I’m participating in Floral Friday Fotos. You can click on each photo for a larger view. If you enjoy my photos, I encourage you to subscribe and receive updates when I post new photos, usually 3 to 5 times a week.

There are plenty of dogwood trees in Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. and I was lucky to be visiting when the trees were starting to bloom. Although dogwood trees blossoms can be vary from white / yellow to pink, my favorite ones have to be the red blossoms. I saw one dogwood tree with red blossoms while visiting Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. I understand Jefferson himself planted most of the dogwood trees there so their age may explain why they’re so big.

You don’t often see trees with so many red blooms so it was a pleasure to photograph, even though the lighting was challenging since it was in the middle of the day, and it was a warm, sunny day. Perfect day to visit Monticello, walk the grounds and take pictures like these.

What’s your favorite kind of dogwood tree blossoms?

Floral Friday Fotos: Red dogwood tree blooms
Floral Friday Fotos: Red dogwood tree blooms
Red dogwood tree blossoms
Red dogwood tree blossoms
Close-up of dogwood tree red blossoms
Close-up of dogwood tree red blossoms
Dogwood tree - red blossoms
Dogwood tree – red blossoms

 

A Word A Week Photo Challenge – Contrast

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Today I’m participating in the A Word A Week Challenge. This week’s theme is “contrast”.  I encourage you to click on each photo to see a larger view. If you like what you see, please subscribe to this blog to receive updates of the new photos I post, usually 3 to 5 times a week.

There are many ways to feature contrast in photographs, so here are a few of my personal interpretations for this photo theme. There can be contrast between light and dark, as in this backlight setting on Coronado beach in front of the Pacific ocean.

A Word A Week Photo Challenge – Contrast between light and dark
A Word A Week Photo Challenge – Contrast between light and dark

Or it could be contrast between light and dark at night, between the bright full moon in the background and the dark trees in the foreground.

Travel theme: Contrast - Moon rising beyond the trees
Travel theme: Contrast – Moon rising beyond the trees

It could be the exact opposite with the trees in the foreground in bright light, and the clouds in the background in the dark.

Contrast between trees in the sun and dark sky with clouds
Contrast between trees in the sun and dark sky with clouds

It could be both a contrast in size, small versus large, and in color, white and versus pink, as in this photo of a small white poppy right next to a large pink poppy.

Contrast between small white poppy and large pink poppy
Contrast between small white poppy and large pink poppy

Finally, it could a contrast between what you see at first glance, and what you really see if you look more closely, as in this map of the USA in the water puddle with the colors of the American flag, still one of my favorite shots so far.

Water puddle in the shape of the United States
Water puddle in the shape of the United States

 

WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflections

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Today I’m participating in the WordPress weekly photo challenge and this week’s theme is “reflections”. Remember you can click on each photo for a larger view. If you like what you see, feel free to subscribe and receive nature photography updates a few times a week.

I love photographing reflections as they can be quite a challenge, since a little movement by fish or birds swimming in the water, or even a slight breeze, can affect the reflection. Here are a few of my favorite reflections in the water I got the chance to photograph in the past few months.

In this first photo, the water was very still, so the reflection of these two white ducks was almost perfect.

Wordpress Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflections of two white ducks swimming in the water
WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflections of two white ducks swimming in the water

In this next picture, you can see a little breeze can distort the reflection of the tall trunks of palm trees in the water. The swimming path of the mallard duck creates even more ripples in the water.

Wood duck swimming on pond with the reflections of three palm trees
Wood duck swimming on pond with the reflections of three palm trees

I had a hard time photographing this mallard duck couple but I really like the reflections of the trees and plants into the rippled water in the foreground

Brown mallard female duck swimming in a pond with tree reflections
Brown mallard female duck swimming in a pond with tree reflections

I love the way the blue sky reflects into this pond water with its smooth ripples. It looks like the water is made out of liquid metal, like mercury.

Reflections of light and tree leaves in pond water
Reflections of light and tree leaves in pond water

Water ripples can make the reflection of a fancy white great egret look a little silly, don’t you think?

White great egret with his reflection in the water
White great egret with his reflection in the water

This last picture is one of my favorite photos featuring reflections. I love the white circles all over the water behind the white great egret. The gray lines are the reflection of a bridge’s fence that goes above the pond.

White great egret with interesting water reflections
White great egret with interesting water reflections

Floral Friday Fotos: my first cherry blossoms

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Today I’m participating in Floral Friday Fotos. You can click on each photo for a larger view. If you enjoy my photos, I encourage you to subscribe and receive updates when I post new photos, usually 3 to 5 times a week.

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to photograph my first cherry blossoms earlier this week at the San Diego Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park. This is prime season to enjoy the cherry blossoms in San Diego and I wanted to take advantage of them before they disappear for a whole year. I took a lot more photos than these few but I thought this would be a nice sample to start you with, using this Floral Friday theme. Happy Friday and happy first day of spring!

Cherry blossoms at the San Diego Japanese Friendship garden in Balboa Park
Cherry blossoms at the San Diego Japanese Friendship garden in Balboa Park
Floral Friday Fotos: my first cherry blossoms
Floral Friday Fotos: my first cherry blossoms
Close-up of pink cherry blossoms
Close-up of pink cherry blossoms
Close-up of pink cherry blossoms
Close-up of pink cherry blossoms