Summer Palette

Even during this hot and dry summer, the well tended garden offers us the delicate colors of a summer palette. This potted purple lavender and pink climbing mandevilla delight our eyes, while the rainbow of color in the sunlit background shines even brighter.

Summer in Erika’s garden

Selective focus draws our eyes to the delicate flowers in sharp focus the foreground. The blurred background plays its supporting role, as the distant flowers appear as booked, or fuzzy spots of color. If you would like to achieve this effect in your photography, use a small aperture, such as f/16. (The exact setting you choose will vary with the lens choice, distance from your subject and the depth of focus the scene requires.)

Let’s keep our gardens watered and fresh this month, for we will miss this summer palette come winter.

Another climbing mandevilla blooms at Erika’s back door

Lavender in July

The Provence region of France can be blistering hot in July, and you might think that you were a month or two late to enjoy seeing rows of lavender growing in the fields. You’re not! You might be a month late to see fields of sunflowers in Provence as well as Tuscany (in Italy), but you are right on time for the lavender.

When my daughter Courtney and I took our road trip through Provence, driving in our “putt-putt” between Avignon, Gordes, Les Baux, St. Remy, L’Isle sur Sorgue and Roussillon we discovered this lavender field at the Abbey de Senanque. The abbey’s location is just at the foot of the hill near Gordes. I shot this photo, but you may have seen a similar shot on many book covers.

While the weather is hot and dry in July, you will hardly notice it. The delicious cuisine, the colorful farmers markets, the pottery shops and the local wine (Chateauneuf du Pape), provide ample distraction. Oh yes, there is the scenery and landscape photography too, to capture and hold your attention.