I’ve been waiting a full calendar year for these flowers to bloom again. I pass by them on my daily quarantine walk, dotting the tree lawns of my neighboring street.
I assumed all-pink flowering trees are the well-known Japanese Cherry Blossom (perhaps I have my 2007 Bath and Body Works obsession to blame for that), but a quick Google search for “pink trees Ohio” helped identify the the two trees in my development as Flowering Dogwoods and Eastern Redbuds.
Due to the unique state of our world right now, all my events, branding, and engagement shoots have been placed in a weird limbo. I’d been itching to pull out my camera and knew I couldn’t let this pink wonderland slip away. The bloom never lasts longer than a month.
My sister Alexandra and I work together often. We feel comfortable around each other and she’s familiar with my shooting style, so I never feel too much pressured. I told her to put on her pink eyeshadow and we set off on our daily quarantine walk, this time with my camera in hand.
It was an incredibly windy day with unreliable cloud coverage, so we had to work quickly. It actually worked out pretty well. When the sun was shining, and casting unflattering shadows, we used that time to experiment with different poses and see what looked best. Once the clouds passed over, giving us a soft and even light, I snapped away. At one point, a lady drove by in her car and shouted, “Work it girl!”
Two outtakes to demonstrate how direct sunlight can cast shadows on your subject’s face.
I love the volume of the blossoms and how they almost obliterate the entire background in some shots. Would you ever have guessed there were houses all around us?
We also played around with sticking a few petals on her face. Tip: eyelash glue words great here!
Truthfully, I was a little nervous since I hadn’t picked up my camera in at least a month, but I’m really happy with how these photos turned out!
How about you? Where are you finding inspiration during this period of isolation? Are the trees near you in bloom?
My favorite shot of the bunch is the last one on the right. The leaf so perfectly curled around her eyelid. It was a total happy accident! Is this what it means to “become one with nature”?
If you feel inspired by these shots and want your own photos captured amid the bloom, send me an email! I’ll stay six feet away and use my zoom lens. 😉
