Inokashira Park Cherry Blossoms 2022

The Inokashira Park cherry blossoms 2022 offered beautiful partial blooms that required specific photography techniques to capture. During that sakura season I used handheld bracketing to manage harsh morning backlighting and careful framing to avoid safety barriers, ensuring better images despite challenging light and wind conditions.

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The Inokashira Park cherry blossoms in 2022 were calling, and on an early Sunday morning, I answered. While not yet in full bloom, their partial splendor was more than enough for my camera. This is the story of that morning. It was a good day to shoot the flowers even though the light wasn’t the best. Luckily, a trusted photography technique allowed me to overcome that problem.

Morning light and changing weather

My arrival at the park was met with a brisk wind and a sky that hinted at impending grayness. I knew my window for capturing the blossoms in good light was small. Before 8 a.m., the park was already filled with morning walkers, fellow photographers, and the happy barks of dogs out for their daily stroll.

Using binoculars for composition

Among the early risers, I noticed something new this year. Photographers used small, birder-style binoculars. It was a surprising and clever adaptation. Birdwatchers could quickly pinpoint their compositions amidst the sea of cherry blossoms.

Sakura photography challenges

While Inokashira Park is a stunning location, it presents a couple of challenges for photographers during hanami season.

Dealing with orange safety barriers

Hanami (cherry blossom viewing parties) can get quite noisy so local authorities installed orange barriers to block off some areas from large groups and to protect the trees. The color was just horrid which became a creative challenge to frame a shot without them. At times, it really tested my patience.

Managing harsh morning backlight

My second challenge was self-inflicted: the time of day. Due to a packed schedule, an early morning shoot was my only option. Standing on the bridge over the pond and looking east, the rising sun was right in front of me. This created backlighting: a bright sky and dark, silhouetted trees.

Handheld bracketing for better exposure

To overcome the tricky lighting, I used bracketing which involves taking multiple photos of the same scene at different exposure levels. You take one underexposed, one overexposed, and one “correct.” By blending these images later in software like Lightroom or Photoshop, it theoretically creates a single, perfectly balanced image. No details should be lost in the shadows or blown out in the highlights. But it’s not always perfect.

While a tripod is often used for this technique to ensure stability, I prefer shooting handheld. With a steady hand and a fast burst mode, it’s possible to capture the bracketed shots with minimal movement. My approach gets me satisfying results.

Another problem is that bracketing requires a static subject as each frame needs to align when blending them in software. Wind creates problems which is what I faced that day. It necessitated me waiting for a break in the gusts to take photos.

If I had the chance to shoot that day again, I would have opted for an afternoon session. With the sun behind me, the cherry blossoms on the pond would have been bathed in a warm, even light. Hopefully, that’ll happen next time.

Were Inokashira Park cherry blossoms 2022 worth it?

That morning in 2022, I was well-equipped with my Fujifilm X-T3 and XF 16-55mm lens. However, nature always has the final say. The wind and approaching clouds served as a reminder that completely perfect shooting conditions are rare in photography. Things often change and quickly.

Despite the challenging lighting conditions, I was pleased with the images I was able to create using handheld bracketing. I often used this technique when I shot with Fujifilm. It helped get better images when the sun was in a difficult location as it was when I shot these cherry blossoms.

Have you experienced the cherry blossoms at Inokashira Park? Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below! If you want to discover more about this place, look at [Inokashira Park Photo Guide: Best Spots & Photography Tips].

My photography gear for this shoot

• Camera body: Fujifilm X-T3
• Lens: Fujifilm XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR

I trust Sandisk 128GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I Memory Cards with my images.