Why the South of France is perfect for lavender fields
One of the best things about fields of lavender is the way the rows provide natural leading lines, carrying your eye to a focus point in your scene.
Provence has to be the best place for shooting fields of lavender. The farms around Valensole are hugely popular with tourists and photographers alike, who only come for the lavender. However, you’ll need to explore to find the best place to shoot. Drive down narrow dirt lanes and get out on foot to find quiet spots with natural points of interest.
What makes Valensole in particular so special for photographers is the type of lavender farmed there. Two types are popular in the region – there’s traditional lavender but also a wild version known as Lavendin. This wild version is smaller but the colours are brighter. The shots below were taken in a field that grew a genetic mix of the two, providing large bushes with the bright colours of its native cousin.
You don’t have to go to Provence to shoot lavender, though. There are places in the UK that offer similar photo opportunities.
The specific date the lavender is harvested will depend how much sun and rain the field has been receiving. In a particularly dry year farmers may harvest it sooner than usual but typically the harvest is around mid -late July. The closer you get to harvest, the richer the colours will be but you can start shooting any time from mid-June onwards. The shots in my ‘Fields of Glory‘ series were taken just two days before harvest – I was lucky.
If you have time, the best way to approach it is to scout out your favourite locations beforehand. Think about where the sun will rise and decide whether a sunrise or sunset shot would work best. The low angle of the sun creates beautiful shadows that will bring out definition in the lavender. Look out for natural focus points – a tree, a small cottage, some feature of the landscape, even take a few shots beforehand so you have time to think about the best angle to opt for.
If you’re after a sunset shot, the sun goes down about 21:30 so aim to arrive no later than 21:00. Avoid the middle of the day. Not only will the sun be harsh and directly over you, there will also likely be a faint haze in the sky due to the heat. If it’s daytime shots you want then 18:00-20:00 is perfect timing – the sky is still blue but the angle of the sun will bring out the shades of purple in the lavender.
As always, the angle of your shot will make a huge difference. Photograph the lavender front-on for perfectly symmetrical leading lines or shoot it from the side so that the dirt tracks between each row disappear and the sunlight defines the neat purple rows.
By Mark Higham. Prints and canvases are available on my website at https://theartshot.com You can find more of my photos on instagram at @theartshot360. https://www.instagram.com/theartshot360/
By Mark Higham. Prints and canvases are available on my website at https://theartshot.com You can find more of my photos on instagram at @theartshot360. https://www.instagram.com/theartshot360/
This classic shot from Valensole looks peaceful and tranquil, doesn’t it? Not a soul in sight. But looks can be deceiving, as any photographer knows, right?
Because, this is what it really looked like on the day. I climbed onto the hill behind the photographers and got this shot of everyone else lined up to catch sunset.
Original Moment
Everyone wants their shot to be different somehow, otherwise each of these photographers would walk away with the exact same image. That’s the tricky part. Making yours different is the biggest challenge.
Some of the photographers here have set up scenes to add originality but others are relying on using photographic techniques.
It was a bright, sunny day but the guy next to me was using his fancy tripod and combining it with a super high density filter attached to his lens, making the exposure time about 3 minutes. The purpose of this is to show the clouds looking really whispy but a breath of wind across the lavender would blur all the foreground and ruin his shot. Luckily it’s a calm day but even if it weren’t, he could take this as two shots and merge them later in post – one shot would expose for the sky and the second, faster shot would expose for the lavender.
There’s another option to make this shot different as well. You could use focus stacking to achieve perfect sharpness throughout the entire length of the field. Set your camera to its sweet spot (roughly the mid available f/stop) and shoot, focusing on the point nearest you at first. Take repeated shots, moving the focus point further and further up the field with each one. In post, join together all the sharply-focused portions of each image to make one complete shot with pin sharp detail from front to back.
Photoshop Magic
Then there’s Photoshop, always another way to add originality to your image, either by adding extra elements or manipulating the scene somehow. With the stunning purple stuff perfectly captured, you can go back and play with your images in all sorts of ways. Using just this one shot, I was able to create a variety of moods in post processing. Here’s a taster but to see them in their full glory (or to purchase prints) take a look here.
