Provence Photo Workshop

Purple colors in Provence – A Photographic journey among lavender fields

Endless iconic fields of lavender in full bloom stretching to the horizon and perfectly manicured lines creating waves on the hilltops of the Plateau de Valensole, welcome to the paradise of landscape photographers! Now you have the great opportunity to capture these purple lavender fields yourself during the peak time of their blossom period and let their fragrant aromas follow you forever. Discover the extraordinary light, the vibrant colors of the fields that inspired painters like Van Gogh, Cézanne and Matisse that created masterpieces in these iconic landscapes.

After traveling there every summer the past 5 years I have fallen deeper and deeper in love with the magical purple lavender landscapes of Provence. The tranquility and the nature has let me enjoy Provence with all my senses and soul. Provence has inspired me very much and I would like to share its beautiful landscapes with fellow photographers.

Take your photography to another level on this unforgettable journey in the magical setting of Provence while creating lifelong memories and images with me next summer on a Provence Photo Workshop.

Provence Photo Workshop

Provence Photo Workshop

• Dates: Monday June 24th – Thursday June 27th 2019 NEW DATES FOR 2020 COMING SOON!
• Price: 1200€ (30% deposit upon reservation) Early bird 1095€ until end of August 2018. The full payment should be made 90 days before the workshop.
• Duration: 4 days, 3 nights
• Accommodation:  double bed for single occupancy in a private room incl private bathroom, and two double beds for single occupancy in a shared room
• Group size: 5 photographers (small group guaranteed)
• Fitness level: Easy

The aim is to let everyone of you to get the most out of the workshop and I believe that a small number of participants will let me interact with each and every student individually. Photographers of all levels will benefit from my tuition and I will be there to answer your questions. A small number of participants will ensure that everybody will have a peaceful nature experience and concentrate on capture the beauty we will be surrounded with in Provence.

Provence Photo Workshop

Itinerary

Monday June 24th:

Our base during the workshop will be near Valensole and that is also where we will be meeting up at 16h00 on Monday June 24th. Valensole can easily be reached by car (parking free of charge at our accommodation) or by bus. If you wish, transport can be arranged from Aix-En-Provence TGV for an additional fee (located 1 hour from Valensole and can reached by train from Paris and Marseille).  Our accommodation for the 4 days is a Bed & Breakfast nestled on a hilltop with a beautiful view. There is a pool which will be very useful when the temperature rises in the afternoon, perfect to relax and refresh. At 18:00 we will gather around a welcome drink and the itinerary of the workshop will be presented. We will enjoy a homemade dinner and then head off for our first sunset shooting together!

Tuesday June 25th & Wednesday June 26th

We will begin the day with a session on one beautiful lavender field that is suitable for the sunrise. After the shooting we will drive back to our Bed & Breakfast where we will have a breakfast together at 08h30. After the breakfast there will be a theory session from 09h30 to 11h00. Thereafter you will have free time. Valensole is just a few hundreds meters from our Bed & Breakfast, its a charming medieval village that deserves to be discovered. If you wish to buy different lavender products that is the place to do your shopping. At the Bed & Breakfast we have a pool for our disposal, there are also sunbeds, a space to play boule but also a small pond where you can adopt the zen ambiance and do yoga or pilates in tranquility. We have a few hours to relax until dinner time and I will be at your disposal all this time if you have any photo related questions. At 18h30 we will enjoy a homemode dinner before we will set out for our sunset shooting. If there will be no clouds we will do a Milky Way session at night :-)

Thursday June 27th:

Our last day :-( We will begin this day with a sunrise session and have breakfast at 08h00. After the breakfast there will be a Q&A session. I’m there to help with post-production, do photo critique or any other topic you wish to have more knowledge on. The session last until 11h00 and the check-out takes place at 11h30.

Topics that will be covered during the Provence Photo Workshop

• Photographic planning
• Theory and technique for landscape and long-exposure photography
• How to recognize where the beautiful light is in any given situation
• How to use different filters such as UV filters, polarizers but also ND and GND filters
• Composition in landscape photography
• Post production in Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom

Provence Photo Workshop

The photo workshop in Provence includes:

• 7-8 field sessions
• Expert tuition with local knowledge
• Post-processing sessions and advice
• Photo critique sessions
• 3 nights accommodation (check-in June 24th, check-out June 27th)
• All breakfasts (if you are allergic to any food please inform me upon your reservation)
• Transportation during the photo workshop

The Provence Photo Workshop does NOT include:

• Your trip to and from Valensole (pick up from Aix-En-Provence can be arranged for an extra charge, please ask for more details when you do your reservation)
• Travel and medical insurance
• Lunch & Dinners
• Everything that is NOT mentioned in what the workshop includes

Provence Photo Workshop

Photographic equipment

I suggest you to bring following:

• Digital SLR camera
• Spare batteries
• Wide-angle lens
• Tele objective lens
• Tripod
• Remote shutter
• Photographic filters
An extensive list will be provided upon registration.

Workshop partners:

• Rollei – try their tripods, filter holders and filters – discount voucher offered after workshop, 15% discount in their webshop
• Terrascape – try their filter bag

Still hesitating?

There are numerous of photo workshops in Provence at this period. What differs mine from the others?

• Its a shorter workshop but long enough for you to be able to be on the field minimum 7-8 times
• It is not a photo tour and there will be no traveling during the afternoon. After all the temperature is around 32+ degrees therefore I have made sure to reserve a place with a pool so you can refresh and relax in between the shootings. You will have free time in the afternoon but I’m available all the time and would be more than happy to dig deeper in any topic you wish.
• A small group, the number of participants are limited. This assures me that I will have interaction with everybody in the group, you will have more of my time :-)
• Local knowledge and experience, I have been there in July during the past 5 years photographing the lavender fields. I know the areas very well, I know when to go out shooting for the best light and I know how to plan our days in order to get as much as possible.
• My Provence Photo Workshop will let you capture the lavender fields but you have free time to visit the village Valensole during the afternoon and I would be more than happy to share places to see and visit if you plan to come a few days earlier before the workshop or stay longer after it has ended.

For questions or reservation, fill in the form below:

Cancellation and Refund Policy

• Deposit not refundable
• Within 60 days from the date of the workshop: penalty of 50% of the course fee
• Within 30 days from the date of the Workshop: penalty of 75% of the course fee
• From 29 days to the date of the Workshop: 100% penalty of the course fee

Trip Cancellation and Insurance

I strongly advice all participants to purchase trip cancellation and interruption insurance as protection against an emergency which may force you to cancel or leave from the tour either before it begins or while it is in progress.

Limitations of Liability

We assume no responsibility whatsoever caused for injury, loss or damage to person or property in connection with any service resulting directly from: acts of God, detention, annoyance, delays, expenses arising from quarantine, strikes, thefts, pilferage, failure of any means of conveyance to arrive or depart as scheduled, civil disturbances, terrorism, government restrictions or regulations and discrepancies or changes in transit or hotel services over which it has no control. Reasonable changes in the itinerary may be made where deemed advisable for the comfort and well being of the participants. In case of a medical problem arising during the expedition, which results in costs for evacuation, use of aircraft or repatriation, the responsibility for payment of these costs belongs solely to the participant. We strongly advise that passengers ensure that such eventualities are covered by travel insurance. If not covered by travel insurance the responsibility still remains with the participant and we specifically decline any responsibility whatsoever.