Springtime in the DMV

Each year, spring brings a renewal of life to our city. Flowers and trees shower us with vivid colors. The air smells sweeter (unless you nose is running from seasonal allergies). And the baby birds and insects are all harbingers of the new. This spring has been particularly poignant because, as the pandemic that has had us in its grip for a year has started to wane, we are once again free to gather together for graduations, protests, and performances. We asked local photographers to share their favorite images of springtime in the DMV and thirteen of them answered the call.

Mark Caicedo

(IG: setlistthief; Flickr)

Rodney D. Cunningham

(IG: @rodneydcunningham)
Spring is about renewal.  That always means flowers.  The first picture is a reflection of a tree that is flowering in the DMV.

The second picture is of a peony (I think) that is blooming in the DMV.

Spring is different this year because we are in the second year of a pandemic and everyone is anxious to leave it in the past.  Each one of us is desperate for something — anything — that suggests that life can and will move on in a positive way.  Flowers remind us that renewal happens and that all is not lost.

Cassandra Hetherington

(IG: cassandrahetherington)
By decorating our house for the cherry blossoms we brightened up a little corner of our neighborhood. People walking past our house would stop to tell me how this brought a smile to their face and it facilitated conversations with my neighbors. I hope the National Cherry Blossom Festival (and other groups!) encourage people to decorate their homes again. It really made this spring feel special when we needed it most. 

Gloria Jones

(IG: glo.is.me)
Spring in the DMV means Spring vibes at CityCenter DC and this year it meant the return of the return of the 17 year cicadas.

Kristine Jones

(IG: 3women4craft2market)
This spring was a time for transitions — from a pandemic to protests without masks, and from law school graduation to the working world.

Miki Jourdan

Everywhere you look, you’ll see new life bursting into view in the spring. The trees, the flowers, the birds, and, yes, the insects. While the periodical cicadas may have played a starring role among the bugs in the DMV this spring, dragonflies take a backseat to no insect when it comes to photogenicity (or is that photogenicism?). These particular dragonflies were photographed at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.

Rob Klug

(IG: @osoikame)

Spring marks the return of the drum circle and its dancers to Malcolm X Park. Photographing the dancers is my absolute favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Angela N.

(Flickr)
This was someone’s random Foggy Bottom front yard we noticed on our walk to the Kennedy Center.

The Smithsonian’s Mary Livingston Ripley Garden is always colorful but especially in the spring.

Van Ngo

(IG: meeestermang)
Warmer weather always calls for being out and about as much as possible. With more and more folks fully vaccinated this Spring, it provides more confidence in attending social gatherings or even taking short trips. Albeit not captured in the district, I’ve begun my outing and abouting. This first snapshot was captured at Sandbridge Beach and features Korshi the business dog living his best life.

As for the second, I love spotting well primped automobiles of past decades. It just so happens Alexandria Cars and Coffee kicked off an event at Hollin Hall Shopping Center this past weekend. Anyone care to guess the car?

Kelly Paras

(IG: flipflopcaravan)
Spring in DC means graduation season! This year graduates began to celebrate (in public) once again.

After the winter reprieve, spring sees the slow return to water sports on the Potomac River, like early morning crew practice.

Victoria Pickering

(IG: @vpickering)

One of the things I’m so glad to see starting to come back are creative free performances, adapted to the new circumstances.

Arpita Upadhyaya

(IG: arpixa; Flickr)
I love Spring in DC! The city is vibrant and blooming in its different neighborhoods, parks, and around the memorials. The first photo is from the early days of spring when the first tulips were in bloom – welcome splashes of color after the winter – the area around the monument was full of people and photographers trying to capture these beauties.

This year Spring also marked for me the beginning of commuting to work again – I enjoy commuting on the DC Metro and photographing it along the way. These photos are still instantly recognizable as taken during the COVID era with masked commuters and an enhanced sense of loneliness. 

Jeff Vincent

(Flickr)
Spring is a celebration of flowers, of course.  But it also marks the resurgence of outdoor markets, many of which were curtailed last spring by the pandemic.  Both of these photos were taken on May 15, 2021: the first at the Arlington County Farmers Market, and the second at a flower market next to Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Northwest DC.