Tips on Shooting the Lavender Fields of Provence

Over the last several weeks, my social media feeds have been flooded with a torrent of lavender images, each seemingly more beautiful than the last. Late June is generally the high season for the lavender bloom in the famous Provence region of southern France. It's a time of year when photographers, tourists, and bees come together in perfect harmony to dance among the purple fields from dawn to dusk. Photographer Jimmy McIntyre was part of the crowds last month and made an informative and entertaining video on his ten-day trip photographing the bloom.

McIntyre is well known for his Photoshop tutorials and his Raya Pro digital blending panel. In this video, he focuses on composing a variety of shots. Scouting locations during the middle of the day and utilizing the PhotoPills app, McIntyre is ready and well-positioned to capture each image when the light is perfect (or when the Milky Way is visible). 

Another terrific lavender field photography video is by Mads Peter Iversen. Iversen has a series of landscape photography videos detailing location and photography tips from his travels around the world. In this video, he discusses the best photography spots he found in Provence as well as composition tips (with care given to understanding sun position in relation to his subjects) and camera settings.

Anyone have the opportunity to check out the bloom this year? I'd love to hear your experiences in the comments below.