Stockholm had full blossom cherry blossom trees during the months of April and May. Spring has arrived late this year but the excitement to see these flowers was clearly visible among both locals and tourists. Even though Kungsträdgården is ‘the’ place for everyone to visit, one can spot many more trees planted across the city.
Kungsträdgården is a unique place, as it has sixty trees concentrated in a small area making it an exceptionally attractive location for photo shoots. I started doing photoshoots in this place this year. It is a photographer’s heaven. If you don’t have a planned shoot, even a walk around this place will give you lot of opportunities and subject material. Here are some ‘behind the scene’ I captured early morning around Kungsträdgården.
Sunrise in Stockholm is before 4.30am. So! By 7.30 a.m. we have full blown sunlight and shadows on faces around the cherry blossom trees. Images have a risk of getting washed out. While shooting people, a very high risk of getting harsh lights and shadows on the person’s face. Hence, I tried to plan photo shoots as early as possible. It is difficult to convince people to come so early with full makeup and dress, but everyone understands the concept once they reach there. At 7. 30 a.m., seasoned photographers are leaving the place. They are already done with their photoshoots.
Above picture is my absolute favourite. I was waiting for my model and this girl just stood there clicking her own pictures. But, she fitted well in my frame. There is something magical about how these pink and blue colours have played even in sunlight. I asked her later if I could post it on Instagram, she said it was okay!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiUn976j_iw/?taken-by=eatclicktravelrepeat
One can find props from other shoots like the bicycle with colourful roses, balloons for the kid photoshoots, people exercising and the cleaning personnel doing their daily job to keep the place spick and span for the incoming thousands of tourists and locals. Also, these horse riders pass the trees every day around 7.15 a.m. It’s fun to capture them around the full bloom cherry blossom trees. Also, audible are drones 🙂 yes! people are super creative early morning!
Kungsträdgården is also the preferred location for many festivals during summer. Japanese festival happens in Kungsträdgården and is the first festival to occur. This year we enjoyed authentic Japanese music and dance performed by artists specially flown from Japan. It was beautiful and super crowded. Besides, that lot of stalls offered food, drinks and sold items particularly focused on Japanese culture. Be it Bonsai trees, Japanese lettering or matcha tea, all receive a fabulous response from locals who are happy about the arrival of spring. This event occurs on the last weekend of April.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh3T3n4D5nS/?taken-by=eatclicktravelrepeat
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