Cherry blossoms. Oh, cherry blossoms. These fleeting little blooms drive even the most stolid heart wild once a year. For the few days, maybe a week, that these little white beauties offer us their presence, the crowds descend and the world turns to chaos. Still, they have a drawing power that brings couples and families alike knocking at my door to capture themselves at this especially transient time of year. In this post, we’ll explore a session where the couple almost timed it perfectly and look at the ways we can make the most of the last of the blossoms.
Most years, the cherry blossoms begin to bloom around the last week of March or the first week of April in Seoul. That’s when we see our first buds, but the flowers don’t really begin to open up and show themselves for another week after that. In this particular year, they began to bud in the second last week of March, fully bloomed by the end of March, and were on their last legs by the time this session rolled around on April 4th. While they’re more likely to be late than early most years, this is pretty much the time frame we have to work with and it always pays to have some flexibility in your plans if you can.
Unfortunately, that sort of time was something that Claudius and Michelle did not have. So, we would need to make the most of the situation and work with the last of the flowers. The day before the session, I hopped on my bicycle and took a quick tour around the city’s parks to see what was left and Yeouido was our only viable option. Since the blooms had come early and there was rain forecast immediately after our session, the park would be empty. That’s the only time I recommend Yeouido during cherry blossom season! At any other moment, it is a sea of people.
Since the couple had booked a longer session with me, we began our time together at Changdeokgung for some traditional Korean themed images and the last few plum and cherry blossoms on the grounds, as well. Aside from multiple locations, though, a longer session like this allows for a lot of different scenes and variety in the final images. In essence, it gives us time to explore both the locations and the flow of the session.
As the above flowers were the last remaining in the palace, a line began to form behind us after our third frame and we decided to move on an return once the crowd had cleared. So, we jumped back into the palace buildings and made use of the variety of Changdeokgung. The unpainted section of the palace brings a very different, but equally beautiful look to the images. After every few frames, we popped our heads out to check on the blossoms again. As soon as the line was gone, we jumped straight back over and made a few extra images there.
By this time, the commuting hour was fast approaching and we knew we’d need to avoid that if we hoped to make it to Yeouido before dark. So, we snagged a few additional shots with the colourful section of the palace and called ourselves a taxi to the riverside park.
The taxi over was an incredibly nervous one for me. I had been to the park the day before, but that doesn’t mean a whole lot in cherry blossom season! As we approached, I could see that the trees still had a few blossoms but the wind had begun to blow ahead of the storm. We’d get a few moments with the remaining blossoms and I was determined to make the most of them. As soon as we alighted the taxi, we jumped straight into action and made use of the blossoms right alongside the rode before heading down to the riverside. The cloudy weather leading up to the storm meant that we could shoot in any direction without worrying about light, and that was great for getting a lot done in a short time.
Finally, it was time to head back into the flowers and get as many images as possible with them before the storm. Already, we felt the first rain drops and the wind beginning to pick up. So, we found the last few trees with flowers on and stacked them together to create a cherry blossom tunnel for our last set. The only trees with blossoms left were on the sloping banks of the park, so our footing was awkward. But, the moments were lovely.
As we wrapped up our session, the rain that would spell the end of the cherry blossoms began to fall. They’re incredibly fragile, so rain and wind knock them off the trees effortlessly. Nonetheless, we managed to capture some lovely moments with the last of the flowers. While the full trees can be stunning at peak season, the last few blossoms have their own draw, as well.
Cycling around the city the following afternoon, I found nothing but empty trees and petals on the ground. We got very lucky with the timing of this session!
If you’re looking to have your own pre-wedding, family, or proposal photos with the cherry blossoms, do reach out well in advance and book a date as soon as possible! Follow my Instagram and check my stories to get an idea of the cherry blossom predictions for each year.