Cherry Blossoms
One of my favourite sights of the spring season are the bright pink cherry blossoms, They disappear as quickly as they arrive so you have to be quick to capture them! I had my sights set on “The Stray” in Harrogate, North Yorkshire for some time thinking that when the blossoms arrived it should be a great location for some photography!
I have a few blossom trees close to where I live so when they turned pink I asked my friend who lives in Harrogate if the trees in Harrogate were pink yet…”certainly are!” came the reply so Sunday evening with the weather forecast expected to clear and brighten up for sunset i chanced it and set off…
I arrived to a mass of pink and plenty of people taking in the wonderful sight of long lines of pink blossom hanging down around them as they walked down the paths. There was even a family who seemed to be using the trees as a backdrop for a music video!
The forecasted cloud clearing and sun coming out didn’t materialise but I still enjoyed walking through the park and trying to think of more creative shots whilst also trying to get some shots without loads of people in them - the odd picture seemed better with a person in for scale however.
Japan is famed for its cherry blossom, known as “Sakura” with its brief nature is a reminder of the shortness of life. They also hold a cherry blossom festival called “Hanami”. Harrogate seemed to be enjoying such festivities too!
“The Stray” is a 200 acre public parkland close to the centre of Harrogate and has 2 long rows of cherry trees which in Spring turn this lovely colour. It is also the sight of Tewit Well which is marked by a dome which also makes a nice image!
The blossoms appear depending on when Spring starts which is slightly different every year due to the climate. Once they emerge they may only be around a couple of weeks depending on the weather…once the wind picks up the ground is awash with pink petals and the trees regress to green - so be quick to capture them when they are in bloom!