Friday Photos: Colorful spring flowers in New York City

Record high temperatures bathed New York City in sunshine last week, causing flowers to bloom across the five boroughs. Every patch of green in Manhattan was crammed with tulips and pansies in vibrant colors.

I headed to the West Village with camera in hand to document the first signs of spring.

Red Flower

It was the perfect opportunity to test out my new micro four thirds camera, a Panasonic Lumix GF2 that I bought after reading a glowing review on A Little Adrift.

Red Flower 02

I was reluctant to abandon my Canon G11 camera, which had captured my travel adventures  from Wyoming to Egypt, but the slow shutter speed and blurry images convinced me it was time for an upgrade.

Garden 06

Flowers looked unbelievably sharp with the Lumix GF2’s dedicated “flowers” setting, but I found it hard to shift the focus to objects in the foreground. The auto setting did not wow me, but the shutter speed was incredibly quick for a small camera.

Garden 04

I am still experimenting with my new camera, but was pretty satisfied with my first shots. What do you think– is the Panasonic Lumix camera a keeper?

Garden 02

Flowers 01

Orange Flower 01

Highline 01

How did you celebrate the start of spring?

About Leslie Koch

I'm a New Yorker with a passion for travel and art. I founded DowntownTraveler.com after returning from a year-long backpacking trip around the world. Find me on Twitter at @leslietravel.