At long last, it feels like there is a change in the air. Well, looking at the amount of “fine dust warnings” on my phone, “air” is a relative term. However, spring is here and it is greatly welcomed. That also means that the cherry blossoms in korea have come out.

Winters in Korea are quite bland to say the least. Lifeless and banal, it is hard for even the most creative photographer to come up with a compelling image. For me, I struggle quite a bit. I often head out to the sea as I find that out on the seaside, it doesn’t change.

However, in the city and in the country, it really comes alive during the spring. That is greatly due to the amount of cherry blossom trees that can be found around the country. The floral bursts that line the paths and roads and dot the the once brown hills, are now popping with colour.

This season is not without its faults. The trees are sometimes looked upon as reminders of the Japanese colonial era. In the current time, they are a dangerous attraction as many couples and instagramers flock to take photos beneath the colourful trees. During a global pandemic this is not recommended at all.

Despite the numerous warnings, people still ventured out to enjoy the warmth of the spring season and the cherry blossoms in Korea. Places like Gyeongju were packed and I saw a number of similar images online indicating that there were a large number of photographers out this year too.

As a photographer, I reluctantly went out a few times during this period to capture the beauty of the Korean landscape. During the pandemic you have to be cautious because so many people will go out to enjoy the blossoms and there is a high probability that there could be a 4th wave because of the warmer weather and crowds. At the time of this writing, numbers of infected patients are spiking across Korea.

With that being said, please enjoy some of my favorite images of the cherry blossoms in korea from this season and I hope at some point that things will get back to normal. Also this month I will be talking about the different aspects of cherry blossom photography on my podcast.

The post Spring Blossoms in Korea 2021 appeared first on The Sajin.