appropriations season and some blooms
march 2023 | district of columbia
MAMIYA C220
Cinestill 400d, Portra 160, Portra 400, Ilford HP5 400
I work in Congress in public policy. That’s my day job. But I photograph for a living, in a sense..
Every fiscal year, the House of Representatives is charged with creating the budget for the entire federal government. We determine how much the legislative branch will fund, or appropriate funds to, certain programs in the executive branch. It’s a long and incredible process that typically begins in the spring - the busiest time of the year in Washington, DC. Not to mention, one of the prettiest times of the year with the blooms all over town: cherry blossoms, magnolias, tulips, redbuds, you name it.
These days, I’m a hybrid employee, based in Miami and traveling to DC on occasion, mostly during busy times, for example, appropriations season. This year, to my fortune, the dates I was tapped to fly up to the District lined up quite nicely with the peak week for the annual cherry blossoms. It’s incredible that, now in my second year living back in Miami, after a decade in DC, that I have not missed peak bloom since I first moved to DC so damn long ago. I caught them last year on a weekender with my wife and daughter.
March always is unpredictable, weather-wise, and this one seemed to follow the script. One morning it was sunny and hot, the next cold and dreary, and it flip-flopped all week. No matter - I took my Mamiya around town, locked in countless miles of walking, and brought back four rolls.