Three Models and a Lavender Farm
There's something special about photographing in a sea of purple lavender. The colour, the scent, and the atmosphere create the perfect backdrop for portrait photography. When I secured a photography permit to shoot at a local lavender farm, I knew I wanted to make the most of the opportunity, so I organised an all-day session with three different models
The weather certainly made things interesting.
It was very hot around 34 degrees, sunny with a blue sky and high wispy clouds. While that sounds ideal, clear summer skies can create some of the most challenging lighting conditions
The midday sun produced extremely high-contrast light, with harsh shadows and bright highlights that aren't always flattering for portraits
1/400 f2.8 iso 64 with speedlight
For the first shoot of the day with Tamara, I was able to use a Godox speedlight and 35cm softbox to reduce the shadows to balance the light with the background. It worked well, helping to soften the sunlight and add a little extra sparkle to the images.
Unfortunately, as the day went on, the wind began to strengthen, and the softbox was becoming more of a liability than an asset, repeatedly threatening to fall over despite me clinging on to it with one hand, and trying to take photos with the other.
Tamara made a great save when it toppled in her direction!
Working with Eugenie for the second session was very enjoyable
As before, we had to shoot in the shade, but we utilised a small red parasol which shaded Eugenie from the worst of the sun, and also added some interesting shadows to her face.
Natural light 1/2500 f1.8 iso 64
Natural light 1/640 f1.8 iso 64
The afternoon sun produced extremely high-contrast light, with harsh shadows and bright highlights wasn’t good for portrait photography
So, Aliy and I worked almost exclusively in areas of shade which was pretty much under one solitary tree in the first field of lavender
Getting the exposure right on Aliy was the most important thing, so I didn’t mind that some of the sunlit highlights were blown out
All three models were absolutely fantastic. They arrived full of enthusiasm, adapted to the challenging conditions, and brought professionalism and creativity to every set.
Whether we were working in the shade, navigating the breeze, or finding new compositions among the lavender rows, they made the entire day very enjoyable and productive
Tamara
Eugenie
Aliy
Equipment
Nikon Z8 camera
Nikon 135mm f1.8 Plena lens
Nikon 14-30 f4 lens
Godoz AD600BM speedlight
NEEWER 35"/90cm Octagonal Softbox
Godox XPro II flash trigger
Images processed in Adobe Lightroom
