Roy Cruz
Cherry blossom season is one of the most picturesque times in South Korea. The pink and white flowers fill the air with an almost magical atmosphere, and people flock in droves to the places where they can be found. However, this beauty is fleeting. The blossoms usually only last around a week, typically the last week of March into the first few days of April. The rain and wind can make it even more unpredictable, as the blossoms are very sensitive to weather.
Jinhae, a district of Changwon City, is one of the premiere destinations for cherry blossoms in South Korea. It is home to the biggest cherry blossom festival in the country. This is rightly so, because pretty much the whole town turns pink and white during cherry blossom season.
In 2023, I got to work with some lovely couples in Jinhae during cherry blossom season, and I will showcase their shoots here.
The first couple was Michele and Chris. They were stationed in Jinhae during their tour of duty and I got to shoot at the naval base for the first time. It turns out the base has some beautiful cherry blossoms and they even have a street named after them. This is an exclusive spot, which means we pretty much had it all to ourselves. I’d love to work with more couples here in the future (calling all the couples and families on active duty :)).
A couple of days later, it was time to go out to the Cherry Blossom Festival in the Jinhae town proper. Since the festival draws big crowds, it is better to start early. I met Ojelle and Paolo at the Gyeonghwa Station early in the morning. The defunct train station is one of the most popular areas to view cherry blossoms, and we made sure to get there before the crowds did. After the station, we drove over to the Yeojwacheon Stream, the other most popular place to view the blossoms. We did a few shots on the outskirts of the stream, then ducked into a nearby eco-park, which was a bit quieter.
Later that day, it was back to the base to finish my cherry blossom week in Jinhae. This time, I got to work with Thao and Jed. Even though we used the same area as I did a few days earlier, the blossoms had already changed quite a bit. This was a reminder of how fleeting the season is. We were still able to find some great spots and it was a great way to end the week of shooting portraits among the blossoms.
Looking for a photographer for your cherry blossom shoot in Jinhae, South Korea? Please get in touch!
Roy Cruz is a freelance photographer based in South Korea specializing in event, editorial, and portrait photography. Available for assignments nationwide and worldwide.