AMERICA'S PROVENCE
Something mystical and picturesque happens on the Olympic Peninsula for a short season every year at this time. The lavender fields burst into a colorful, harmonious bloom, creating a visual explosion of hues and fragrant aromas.
Living in the Sequim area and being surrounded by beautiful lavender fields, I thought it only appropriate to shoot some photographs of this beautiful flower, and form it into a story. I call this story, “The Color of Lavender," but in truth, there are many, many shades and hues of lavender and just as many fragrances.
Before living in Sequim, I saw lavender as just a color. But now, after experiencing the vibrant blooming of this perennial purple flower, I see lavender as so much more than simply a color. The aroma of lavender fragrance and the variety its hues blend together and flow with the landscape for as far as the eye can see.
The lavender fields in Sequim have been brightly blooming since the mid-1990s. Originally, there were just a few farms scattered around the valley. Even as the area became dotted with homes, small farms began to turn to lavender as a cash-crop. This small beginning soon grew into an international festival of tourist attractions. The Sequim-Dungeness Valley, with its Mediterranean-type conditions, is perfectly suited for lavender to thrive. The "rain shadow" created by the Olympic Mountains allows for the lowest annual rainfall in western Washington and is, therefore, perfect for lavender to blossom.
The origin of lavender is believed to be from the Mediterranean, Middle East and India. Its history goes back some 2,500 years. Lavender is a flowering plant of the mint family, known for its beauty, its sweet floral fragrance and its multiple uses. The Romans used lavender to scent their baths, beds, clothes and even their hair. They also discovered its medicinal properties.
Harvesting (and photographing) lavender must be perfectly timed with the seasons. May, June and July are the optimum months when the lavender is azure with color and the sun is low on the horizon spilling honey-warm light across the manicured fields. This can occur during sunrise and sunset. From the end of May to the end of July, you can find beautiful rows of lavender in full bloom for as far as the eye can see, rolling over green hills into distant purple mountains.
If beauty stimulates our senses and evokes an emotional response, then how much more do our emotions respond to the symphony created with the spring bloom of lavender in its sea of striking color, its abundant aroma and the subtle sound of its flower blowing in the breeze? I draw my inspiration for my timeless palette with deep purple hues of lavender, animated by earthy fragrance, which together, always brings me thoughts of serenity. Choosing a color palette in photography is much more challenging than you might think. I often seek inspiration in the color harmonies of classic artwork. The range of blues, violet and purple hues contrasted by golden greens creates a luminescent, unorthodox, jewel-like quality such as with the colors found in Maxfield Parrish’s creations. Like looking through stained glass, his art simultaneously inspires and challenges.
While lavender landscape photography is stunningly beautiful in and of itself, portraiture brings it to another level. One of the most compelling and intriguing ways to tell the story is to show humans in context.
A special thank you to Purple Haze Organic Lavender Farm for making it happen.