DC CHERRY BLOSSOM SEASON: HOW TO TAKE PHOTOS WITHOUT CROWDS

The DC Cherry Blossom Festival is such an iconic time for spring photos, attracting over 1.5 million visitors to Washington each year. It never gets old for me since I still look for new ways to capture images of these whimsical trees. And while the ever popular Tidal Basin makes a lovely backdrop, it quickly becomes overwhelming when trying to capture the blossoms through a sea of people. So below are some tips and insights for dreamy spring photos during one of DC's most highly-anticipated festivals of the year without the crowds.

Wake Up Before Sunrise - Golden Hour at the Tidal Basin

If you're looking for a virtually crowd-free landscape, then the best time to take pictures is while others are still asleep. On a windy Sunday morning, I braved the cold to witness a golden sunrise at the Tidal Basin. It was well worth the early wake up call, with the vibrant light casting warm hues across the Yoshino cherry blossom trees and DC monuments.

But what if the middle of the day is the only time you can make it? As much as I recommend not going during peak crowd hours, this is a great opportunity for close-up shots! Try using a wide aperture to focus on a cluster of flowers while the background blurs out of focus.

Explore a Lesser-Known Photo Spot - US National Arboretum

If a wide-open green space is more your style, then the National Arboretum is great to wander around. Since it's out of the way enough to need a car to reach it, you won't find any crowds here. In addition to the various gardens and plant collections, there's also the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. Because the trees are quite spread out across the arboretum, I recommend driving around or even taking a bike (a Capital Bikeshare station is located at the R Street entrance).

Discover What Else is in Bloom - Magnolia Season at Enid A. Haupt Garden

Shortly before the cherry blossoms reach peak bloom, there's another gorgeous flower showing off its colors: the magnolia! The Chinese Magnolia (or saucer magnolia) has a deep magenta hue and grows in clusters on tall trees. Nearby the Smithsonian museums is a popular spot filled with a ton of these flowering trees, the Enid A. Haupt Garden. Since it’s a pretty spacious garden, you'll find several benches to sit down and relax as you admire everything in bloom. The surrounding buildings include the Museum of African Art, Museum of Asian Art and Smithsonian Castle. To catch these flowers at their most lush, I visited during the first week of March. Once again I aimed to take photos at golden hour, which timed perfectly with those last moments of daylight.