Blogging is on hold for Sakura Season...

Fortunately for my blogging, sakura, or Japanese cherry blossom, season is short, lasting roughly two weeks, depending on the Mother Nature's mood. The flowers are gorgeous while they last, and are revered in Japan because of how delicate they are. Within a few days of blooming, their petals can be found dancing in the wind and piling up on the ground like a dusting of pink snow. So, if someone sarcastically calls you a "delicate flower," no doubt, the cherry blossom is what they have in mind.

Because of what I supposed could be called the "magic" of the season, the Japanese flock to beautiful areas of the country for hanami... to simply sit or stroll, and enjoy the beauty of the flowers. The nearby Kintai Bridge in Iwakuni City, about 20 minutes from MCAS Iwakuni, is one of those places where people flock. We are lucky to be so close to what is considered a national treasure. The people who live near the bridge... not so much. For a few days it is wall-to-wall hanami participants,

gazing upward and usually eating one of 100 available flavors of soft serve ice cream cones (including wonderful flavors such as salt, garlic, and, of course, sakura. I, personally am hooked on the banana caramel, but I digress...) And the local government happily accommodates the desire of the Japanese to hanami by hosting an annual cherry blossom festival. While the Japanese merely enjoy taking snapshots of the flowers, and maybe one of a baby with the blooms,

Americans enjoy having their portraits taken among the trees, professionally. And, as a (loosely defined... I am making a living and putting my bachelor's degree to work) professional photographer, I am very busy while the blooms are abundant and the weather is decent. So, this week I have been to the Kintai Bridge area every day to photograph families. As an interesting side note, during this time, I have yet to see a Japanese family having their professional portraits taken. There was a bride or two, but no families. I am not sure why that is. Feel free to hypothesize.

Now, those who know me know that I am not a fan of pink, nor am I delicate, so the cherry blossom is not one of my top 10 favorite flowers. I love Stargazer lilies, even though my spouse is allergic to them (or maybe because of that), but in Japan, I prefer plum blossoms, which bloom a few weeks before the cherry blossoms...

...and irises (which bloom in early June in Iwakuni)...

...but cherry blossoms reign supreme with many of the people here. There are even websites devoted to predicting their bloom, which I followed closely to try and book clients at just the right time for the best possible photos. Of course, then there is rain, wind and work schedules to contend with... but so far so good as far as finding sessions that worked for all of my clients... whew!

And, like I said, I was out there six days out of the last nine. I would have been out there more, but a few of those days had rain. But that just meant that while I waited for clients to arrive (it would be unprofessional for them to beat me there) I snapped some photos of the blossoms and the bridge... including a few night shots. Here is some of what I captured. Enjoy this virtual hanami through my lens:

And, of course, one of my personal favorites...