April 22, 2011

Happy Earth Day :)

April 22, 2011

Yup, today is Earth Day! Usually I am really excited about Earth Day, but unfortunately, this year, I am feeling rather "blah" about it. It has almost been 5 whole years since I graduated from Bren and 11 years since I first heard of and learned about the discipline "environmental science." But when I think about the progress we've made the last couple of years with respect to environmental policy, I can't believe how little we've done even though we've learned so much scientifically. A couple of years ago, I heard with my own years from a policy maker on the Hill who said, "well, why should I care about climate change? I don't have children, so I definitely won't have grandchildren...why should I sacrifice myself to protect the environment and the resources that I can't enjoy because I'll be dead by the time this really affects anyone?"
Yeap, WOW, what a jerk!!!

Apologies for the pessimism, but the great news is that there are tons of people who continue to work hard toward the advancement of science and many relentless souls who continue to fight the battles!!! FIGHT ON!!!

This Earth Day weekend will be a gloomy one because of the rainy weather we are supposed to get here. Thank goodness I spent a glorious afternoon outdoors last Sunday. The sun was out and the weather was the best!!! Taking advantage of the opportunity, I got to go to the National Arboretum!! In addition to the beautiful plants that are now sprouting and in bloom, a visit was made to the Bonsai tree exhibit. I loved the setting of the exhibit...bonsai trees were positioned nicely and I can just imagine that if there weren't that many people around, it could be such a tranquil and peaceful place to walk around. Without further ado, here are photos from the National Arboretum.

See, I am super fair. As you can see, photos with the {I.C.M.} watermark indicates that it was taken by I.C.M. That's right, photo credits are muy importante!

In addition to the bonsai exhibit, there was a special Japanese Ikebana flower arrangement exhibit...here are 2 of my favorites:

Now it is Bonsai time!!!

And lastly, here is my most favorite photo from that day...

Happy Earth Day, everyone!!! We should actually be thinking about our environment everyday and appreciate the resources its given us...but on this particular day, take a little longer and reflect on the impacts you've made on Mother Earth and the things we could do and do better to be a better person on this Earth..you've heard that speech so I am not going to keep going, so just do it!!

Leafygreens Photography

April 4, 2011

Short post to practice discipline...

Leafygreens Photography

April 4, 2011

I've been focused on my spring cleaning, so have not had time to organize a lot of photos yet. But because I told myself that I would be more disciplined with my blogging, here's a short blog from a couple of photos that I took from Sunday's farmers market.

I love Takoma Park's farmers market!!!

Chives!!!

Uh-oh, my own shadow :( Oops.

If you've been to this farmers market, then you'll know that he is the egg man! His fresh brown eggs sell out within 15 minutes and there's always a line. And they are delicious!!! With spring here, he also sold lovely daffodils on Sunday :)

Good night!!! Or good morning/afternoon wherever you are!!!

Leafygreens Photography

March 31, 2011

Cherry Blossoms in DC!

Leafygreens Photography

March 31, 2011

Cherry blossoms in bloom all around the tidal basin is something I look forward to every year since I've moved to Washington D.C. And ever since I've gotten addicted to photography, I see photographing cherry blossoms as good practice for composition and lighting. It'll be interesting to see how my photos change over the years as I learn more and more, hopefully it gets better!

Last Friday, I had my day off, so I got to go on a photo walk early afternoon. The weather was gorgeous, sunny, no harsh light, though it was cold and windy, but who's complaining? It was an awesome day! Cherry blossoms had not hit peak bloom yet that day, so there was hardly a crowd!!! You don't know how much I hate crowds!

Without further ado, here are some pre-peak bloom photos from March 25!

The best part about cherry blossoms now is that there's someone who's actually willing to drag me out before sunrise to see and photograph them. Last year, for the first time, I watched the sunrise from the tidal basin with cherry trees in full bloom all around us. That morning was also when I realized why photographers get up at wee hours in the morning to catch that bit of light. However short that bit of light lasts, it is the most beautiful, the golden glow is unbeatable!

So carrying on the tradition from last year, we went to watch the sunrise on the first day of peak bloom (March 29) with delicious coffee and breakfast in hand! This is an aside, sorta...but while reading the Washington Post this morning, I came across the section on featured haiku(s) on the cherry blossoms festival this year. So I decided that I could write one to describe my sunrise experience. HAHAHAHAHA. See how it follows the pattern of 5-7-5 syllables!!!

Back to the story...it was dark when we got out there. I really don't remember having to wake up that early last year. This year the sun was to rise at ~6:55am. And unlike last year when I was in a sweater and a skirt, this year was much colder!!! Thank god I didn't put away my mittens and beanies yet. (Credit for the beautiful bokeh photo of the highway goes to ICM)