Provence, France

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.”

– Saint Augustine

In July, I had the opportunity to attend a photography workshop in Provence, France.  When my friends and I decided to go to Provence, I knew that Bryan F. Peterson would be the perfect person to choose for a workshop in that area.  I first met Bryan

about ten years ago at the beginning of my journey in photography.  I met Bryan, initially through his amazing instructional photography books.  I found his books to be entertaining, engaging, and easy to understand.  Many of his books line my bookshelves and helped form the foundation of my photographic skills.

Since first discovering Bryan in the pages of his books, I have been able to learn from him by attending his presentations and as a participant on two of his photography workshops in the United States.  In person, Bryan’s passion for photography and creativity is infectious.

I knew Bryan had lived in France for many years, so it just seemed to be the perfect choice to learn from Bryan while exploring Provence.

We spent a great deal of our time in Provence photographing the blooming sunflowers and lavender.  Bryan has a way of teaching concepts such as using a fast shutter speed to freeze action in an entertaining way.

I typically spend every summer photographing in sunflower fields.  While in Provence, I wanted to create an image in the sunflower fields that I am not able to create at home.  Using the lavender in the background, I was able to do just that.

We spent hours photographing the lavender.  It was challenging trying to find different compositions of the lavender.

It seemed natural to begin by shooting the ever-popular lavender and lone tree.  Once I had some of these compositions out of my system, I was able to look for other compositions.

I found this little splash of yellow really made this close up composition of the rows of lavender.  Purple and yellow are complimentary colors, located opposite of each other on the color wheel.  The combination of these two colors is always pleasing.

One of my favorite shots in the lavender fields was less about the lavender and more about the gorgeous, cloud-filled sky that we encountered that day.  Since the clouds were holding my interest most, I allowed them to fill the majority of the frame.

One of my favorite memories from the workshop is the evening we spent in the lavender fields in order to photograph the lavender with the Milky Way.  I wish I had taken a picture of the line of photographers spaced out across the rows of lavender that evening.

Bryan has already sold out this workshop for this coming July.  If you ever have the opportunity to explore Provence or any other area with Bryan, I would highly recommend that you do.

My memories of the workshop experience in Provence, France with Bryan, the friends I traveled with, and the friends I met at the workshop will be one that I will always treasure.