Cherry Blossom Portraits in the Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco – A Photographer’s Dream
Creating soft, layered portraits with cherry blossoms and natural light

Every spring, the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco transforms into a serene wonderland filled with delicate cherry blossoms—making it a dream location for portrait photography. At Photosprouts, we took full advantage of the blooming season to create soft, timeless portraits using nothing but natural light.
During our session, I relied entirely on the available light—no flash or reflectors. The soft, filtered daylight gave our images a natural and romantic feel that complemented the setting perfectly.
One of our favorite composition is to sandwich the model between branches of cherry blossoms. This approach creates beautiful depth and visual layers, making your subject stand out while maintaining that ethereal, nature-wrapped look.

The portraits were taken on a Canon R5 paired with the RF 85mm F1.2 lens. I shot in manual mode to control every aspect of exposure (the combination of ISO, aperture and shutter speed), and I widened the aperture to f/1.2 for that buttery smooth background blur that’s perfect for portraiture.
At Photosprouts, we love helping our students master techniques like these in real-life settings. We offer photography workshops for both beginners and experienced photographers every Thursday and Saturday in San Francisco. You don’t even need to bring your own gear—Canon R50 mirrorless cameras are provided during class, so you can focus on learning and capturing great shots. And of course, you can come to the class with your own equipment and learn how to use them.
Interested in portrait photography? On June 21st 2025, we will have the Aesthetic Portraits in Natural Light, which is a perfect opportunity to take your skills to the next level. You’ll learn to harness natural environments, such as finding soft light on a sunny day, creating light and airy portraitures and also dramatic ones using hard light. In addition, you will see yourself pose and direct models with confidence, and photograph professional-quality portraits—just like we do at Photosprouts.

