Spring in Seattle - Sakura Petals on Film

Spring in Seattle means it’s time for me to bring out the 35mm film camera and try to capture the delicate pink of cherry blossom petals on film. This has been an obsession for several years now, and it’s one of the biggest reasons I moved to Seattle.

I read a book called “The Sakura Obsession” by Naoko Abe and recommend it to any other sakura enthusiasts. It weaves important cultural memories and history in with descriptions of the different varieties of sakura and why we’re more familiar with the pale pink variety that only blooms for 1-2 weeks. It’s required reading!

Anyway — cherry blossoms are difficult to shoot. It’s hard to meter the light because their petals are so delicate and they’re always blowing in the breeze, so it can also be hard to get a sharp focus. Thankfully a soft, blurred effect is something I intentionally try to add to a lot of my work. I’ve even gone as far as adding polarizers to shoot blurred movement during the daytime…

🌸 Anyway, here are my best shots from this year so far :) 🌸

If you’re curious, these were shot on Kodak Gold.