I know that I’ve done plenty of macro photoshoot blog posts in the past (fuzzy plants, early spring, chrysanthemums, blossoms), but I can’t help doing yet another one. With wonky weather, some cherry blossoms in Central Park and decided to bloom a little early. And then New York decided to dump a sudden rainstorm. And then the clouds cleared right before sunset! Sakura + post-rain sunset = rare opportunity.

Macro is a game of scale, and the size of droplets is predefined by the physics of H2O. Thus, when raindrops hanging off buds are so large, you know we’re working on millimeter scale.

Stepping back downplays the water but enables a bit more interesting framing. This shot brings in green buds above, bare branches behind, highlighting the timing of this photoshoot: it’s realllly early for this tree.

Indeed, for context, this is what the trees looked like on Thursday. The few big groves in Central Park aren’t there yet, but many isolated trees on hillsides are in peak bloom now. Other New Yorkers are also enjoying it.

Compared to the dedicated sections in, say, Brooklyn Botanical Garden or Washington DC, the trees in Central Park are scattered amongst other landscape features. In places, they’re growing on rolling green hills next to exposed glacial granite. A Boathouse shuttle stops right in front of another (and blocked the light lol). Central Park runners dash past others.

I emerged from work at like 6 pm — just an hour before sunset — so I had to move quickly. This was the first time I was dashing around for photos in a while, and it was glorious. But as I was running on grassy hills post-rain, I was slipping and sliding everywhere! There were two casualties: a muddied left shoe and a missing DSLR eyepiece.

This is the grove I’m waiting to fully bloom. It’s Pilgrim Hill, at 72nd and 5th. It should be great this sunny weekend.

I’ll just leave you with this generic shot. Wheeeee