I normally associate flowers with spring. However, summer seems to be a great time to shoot freshwater flowers.

White waterlilies I recently returned to Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens. On my previous visit in June, the lotuses were just starting to bloom and the waterlilies hadn't yet appeared. Both the lotuses and the waterlilies are now in bloom.

Pink waterlilies

While I returned to Kenilworth primarily to shoot the waterlilies, I also took the opportunity to shoot some more lotuses.

White lotus

Pink lotus Most of the photos I've taken at Kenilworth that I really like are close-ups. The garden itself is very pretty, but I've struggled to get a good photo of the garden. The following is a photo of the garden itself. Notice that the lotuses are chest height, making it difficult to get a view of much more than what's right in front of you.

A field of lotuses

While I was at Kenilworth, I also shot some more dragonflies. With all the still water around, you would think that mosquitoes would be a major problem at the gardens. However, it turns out that dragonflies eat the mosquitoes. I used to think they just looked really cool. Now I have even more reason to love them!

Portrait of a dragonfly

I've heard a lot of great things about Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. I've seen some really great wildlife photos from Blackwater. Since I'm not much of a wildlife photographer, Blackwater hasn't been high on my list of destinations. However, I visited Blackwater a couple of weeks ago and was pleased to discover that the refuge also presents some really nice landscape opportunities.

A midsummer sunrise

I took this photo at sunrise. It was no easy feat. Sunrise was at 5:47 that day. The refuge is about a 2 hour drive from DC, so I had to get up at 3:00 to get there at 5:30. Moreover, when I arrived, I discovered that the parking area on the peninsula was closed off due to construction of a new pier. The next nearest parking lot was half a mile away. So, I drove to the next lot and ran. The sunrise only lasts a few minutes and there's no way I was going to get up that early and drive that far just to miss the sunrise! So I ran the half mile in the muggy summer heat with a huge photography pack strapped to my back and carrying my tripod—while swarms of biting flies pecked at my face. It was not a fun experience!

Nevertheless, I arrived in time for the sunrise and the run, the heat, and the bugs were all worth it! I love the photo. I definitely plan to visit Blackwater again. Maybe next time, I'll go back in the fall when the sun rises a bit later and the flies are no longer hatching.

Incidentally, the sunrise looks great against a dark background. Click here to see the photo in a black lightbox.