Hi John, such a lovely comment, I’m so glad you’ve found The Wandering Lens and I saw your order for the eBooks arrive, enjoy planning your trip to France!
The lavender fields of Provence have gained a lot of popularity in recent years thanks to social media (they were always popular, perhaps just more so now in terms of damage to the fields caused by people taking photos), which has seen several farmers put up fences, or restrict access to certain fields.
That said, if you’ve got a car and can drive around not only the Valensole region but also the Luberon, you’ll find many beautiful fields accessible, whether it’s taking photos from the roadside or entering a little. I’ve always been more on the respectful side in terms of entering fields, and never like to wander in, most of the images in this guide were taken on the edge, but you’ll see plenty of people roam through the fields.
We’ve actually got a community of photographers who may be able to offer some more insights from their recent experiences, The Travel Photography Club, and we’re always welcoming insights from fellow photographers. One of our members was photographing the tulips last year and it looked so beautiful, would love to get there one day!
Would love to see your lavender photos so will follow on Instagram 🙂
Warm regards,
Lisa

I’m heading to Provence soon to photograph lavender for the first time and your resources are incredibly helpful. Quick question: do photographers generally need permission to enter the lavender fields like we do here in the Netherlands with tulip fields? Also curious if you’ve found it easier to avoid crowds during evening hours or if there are certain areas that tend to be quieter.

I’ll be picking up your e-guide as well — I always enjoy supporting photographers who put so much effort into helping others have better experiences in the field.

If you ever find yourself photographing tulips or windmills in the Netherlands, or heading to Yosemite for mountains and waterfalls, feel free to reach out — I’d be happy to share some local insight.

Thanks again for all the great work you’re doing.
John

Hi Joe, thanks so much, hopefully you’ll get to visit soon! I didn’t use filters or bracketing, I prefer to keep it simple and ensure the settings work well to expose both the foreground and background sufficiently then adjust in post processing. The light is nice and soft later in the evening so it’s possible to photograph a little over exposed for the foreground but still have detail in the sky 🙂

That’s probably a little too early unfortunately! Mid-late June and early July is ideal. Have a wonderful trip though, there are so many beautiful places in Provence that will be so photogenic in May!

Hi Julie, you may have heard the recent news about people wrecking the fields and unfortunately due to the popularity, this has become the case in some fields as people value their portraits and images over the condition of the lavender. The image of me holding some sprigs as above was taken back in 2016 and I never took more than this however now you’ll see people posing with giant bunches they’ve ripped from the fields. That’s what the farmers are upset about and the fact people are trampling all over the fields without any care about ruining them. Most of the photographs taken above were actually from the side of the road or edge of the fields…you’ll find it’s not necessary to walk into the fields. No permission is needed if you’re respectful 🙂

So amazing to hear Scott! The fields are a little late this year coming into bloom but should be reaching peak in early July 🙂 I hope you had a great time anyway!

Thanks
Janice