POLINA IN PROVENCE
Lavender Season Photo Sessions in Provence 2026
There is a window — just a few weeks each summer — when the Valensole plateau turns violet from horizon to horizon. I photograph inside that window. This is how it works.
Lavender season begins in
—
days
The Season Is Short. Shorter Than You Think.
Lavender does not bloom everywhere in Provence at the same time. The season moves — from the lower valleys in mid-June, up to the high plateaus in July — and if you know where to be and when, you can follow it for nearly two months. This is exactly how I work.
Mid-June — Gordes & the Plateau du Vaucluse
The season opens in the Luberon, around Gordes and the fields of the Plateau du Vaucluse. This is where lavender blooms first — lower altitude, warmer ground. Sessions here run from around June 10th through mid-June. The landscape is different from Valensole: more intimate, with ancient stone villages on the horizon and the Abbey of Sénanque tucked into its famous valley. Fewer crowds than July, softer light, and a quietness that is hard to find later in the season.
June 20 – July 8 — Plateau de Valensole
This is the heart of the season and the window I protect most carefully. The Valensole plateau is the largest lavender-growing area in the world — an ocean of purple that stretches to the horizon in every direction. Sessions run from around June 20th through July 8th, during the confirmed peak bloom. Slots here fill first, always.
July 10-15 — Plateau de Sault
Higher in altitude, the Sault plateau blooms last — and stays in bloom longer, sometimes into early August. If I have availability after Valensole, I offer sessions here through the end of July. The landscape is wilder, the fields less visited, and the light in late July has a particular golden quality that I love.
What that means in practice: if you are flexible on dates and location, there is a good chance I can find a window for you somewhere in Provence. If you have your heart set on Valensole specifically — reach out early. Those slots are gone first.
I keep my bookings intentionally few across all three windows — because each session deserves my full attention, my knowledge of that specific landscape, and my ability to move us to the right field at the right hour.
Lavender does not bloom everywhere in Provence at the same time. The season moves — from the lower valleys in mid-June, up to the high plateaus in July — and if you know where to be and when, you can follow it for nearly two months. This is exactly how I work.
Mid-June — Gordes & the Plateau du Vaucluse
The season opens in the Luberon, around Gordes and the fields of the Plateau du Vaucluse. This is where lavender blooms first — lower altitude, warmer ground. Sessions here run from around June 10th through mid-June. The landscape is different from Valensole: more intimate, with ancient stone villages on the horizon and the Abbey of Sénanque tucked into its famous valley. Fewer crowds than July, softer light, and a quietness that is hard to find later in the season.
June 20 – July 8 — Plateau de Valensole
This is the heart of the season and the window I protect most carefully. The Valensole plateau is the largest lavender-growing area in the world — an ocean of purple that stretches to the horizon in every direction. Sessions run from around June 20th through July 8th, during the confirmed peak bloom. Slots here fill first, always.
July 10-15 — Plateau de Sault
Higher in altitude, the Sault plateau blooms last — and stays in bloom longer, sometimes into early August. If I have availability after Valensole, I offer sessions here through the end of July. The landscape is wilder, the fields less visited, and the light in late July has a particular golden quality that I love.
What that means in practice: if you are flexible on dates and location, there is a good chance I can find a window for you somewhere in Provence. If you have your heart set on Valensole specifically — reach out early. Those slots are gone first.
I keep my bookings intentionally few across all three windows — because each session deserves my full attention, my knowledge of that specific landscape, and my ability to move us to the right field at the right hour.
Why Clients Book Six Months Before the Flowers Bloom
Every year, I open the lavender calendar in late December or January — long before a single bud has appeared on the plateau. And every year, the dates fill within weeks.
This is not marketing pressure. It is simply the reality of a short season, a small number of slots, and an audience of couples who have learned to plan ahead.
If you are dreaming of lavender photographs for summer 2026, the time to reach out is now — or as soon as you find this page. I will hold your date with a deposit and keep you informed as the season approaches.
Every year, I open the lavender calendar in late December or January — long before a single bud has appeared on the plateau. And every year, the dates fill within weeks.
This is not marketing pressure. It is simply the reality of a short season, a small number of slots, and an audience of couples who have learned to plan ahead.
If you are dreaming of lavender photographs for summer 2026, the time to reach out is now — or as soon as you find this page. I will hold your date with a deposit and keep you informed as the season approaches.
The Fields Change Every Year — and 2026 Is Particularly Interesting
Lavender farming is agriculture, not scenery. The fields are managed, rotated, replanted. What was a breathtaking sea of purple one summer may be another culture the next, or bare soil, or young plants too small to photograph.
Last year, a significant number of fields on and around the plateau were harvested early and replanted with new varieties. This means that in 2026, many of those fields will be coming into their first or second full bloom — and some of them are already showing extraordinary promise. Different plant varieties, different heights, different distances between the rows, different views toward the horizon.
The landscape is genuinely new. Not just "the same fields in a new year" — new geometry, new compositions, new possibilities.
I scout the plateau before every season. I know which fields have recovered, which are at peak maturity, and which new plantings are worth driving to at golden hour. This is part of what you are booking when you book a session with me.
Lavender farming is agriculture, not scenery. The fields are managed, rotated, replanted. What was a breathtaking sea of purple one summer may be another culture the next, or bare soil, or young plants too small to photograph.
Last year, a significant number of fields on and around the plateau were harvested early and replanted with new varieties. This means that in 2026, many of those fields will be coming into their first or second full bloom — and some of them are already showing extraordinary promise. Different plant varieties, different heights, different distances between the rows, different views toward the horizon.
The landscape is genuinely new. Not just "the same fields in a new year" — new geometry, new compositions, new possibilities.
I scout the plateau before every season. I know which fields have recovered, which are at peak maturity, and which new plantings are worth driving to at golden hour. This is part of what you are booking when you book a session with me.
What I Already Know — and What I Will Tell You Closer to the Season
I publish two guides for my lavender clients:
The Lavender Fields Guide — an overview of the Valensole area, how to navigate it, what the different zones of the plateau offer, and what to expect from the landscape.
The Outfit Guide for Lavender Sessions — colors that work against purple and green, fabrics that move in the wind, what to avoid, what photographs beautifully in that particular light.
Both are freely available — no booking required.
What I do not publish in advance — and what no guide can tell you — is which specific fields will be at their absolute peak in the week of your session. That information exists only in real time. I will share it with you directly, shortly before we meet, based on my own scouting. We may change the plan the morning of your session if the light or the fields call for it. That flexibility is built into how I work.
I publish two guides for my lavender clients:
The Lavender Fields Guide — an overview of the Valensole area, how to navigate it, what the different zones of the plateau offer, and what to expect from the landscape.
The Outfit Guide for Lavender Sessions — colors that work against purple and green, fabrics that move in the wind, what to avoid, what photographs beautifully in that particular light.
Both are freely available — no booking required.
What I do not publish in advance — and what no guide can tell you — is which specific fields will be at their absolute peak in the week of your session. That information exists only in real time. I will share it with you directly, shortly before we meet, based on my own scouting. We may change the plan the morning of your session if the light or the fields call for it. That flexibility is built into how I work.
How a Session with Me Looks
You reach out
Fill in the inquiry form below. I respond to every message personally, usually within 24 hours. I'll share available dates and session details so you can choose what fits your trip.
We choose your date
You pick a date and a time slot — sunrise (5:30 a.m.) or sunset (8:15 p.m.). I take two sessions per day, one at each golden hour. Your date is confirmed with a 30% deposit.
I scout the fields before we meet
In the days before your session I visit the fields — checking which are at peak bloom, where the light falls best, which new plantings are worth the drive. I also stay in touch with local farmers whose private fields I have permission to shoot in.
I send you a gps location few days before the photo session
A few days before we meet, I send you the exact GPS location and meeting time. Plans can shift the morning of your session if the fields or the light call for it — that flexibility is built into how I work.
We do a photo session
We meet in the field at golden hour. I direct gently — a shift in angle, a turn toward the horizon, a pause while the wind moves through the rows. No list of poses. An hour that feels, afterward, like it happened very naturally.
You receive a gallery
Within two weeks I send your gallery. Edited in my signature style — film-influenced, warm, with the quietness that matches the landscape.
What My Clients Say
Frequently Asked Questions
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- The season moves by altitude. Around Gordes and the Plateau du Vaucluse, bloom starts around June 15–20. The Valensole plateau peaks between June 25 and July 8. The Sault plateau blooms last — from around July 10 through the end of the month. The exact timing shifts by a week or two depending on the spring, and I monitor all three areas closely every year.
- Very few. I keep the number intentionally small so that each session gets my full attention — the right field, the right light, and time to slow down. Once the slots are filled, I close the calendar until the following year.
- For the lavender season, six months in advance is the standard — and sometimes that is already late. If you are planning a trip to Provence for June or July 2026, reach out as soon as you can. I will confirm availability and hold your date with a deposit.
- I choose — and that is intentional. I scout the plateau before every season and again in the days before your session. I know which fields are at peak bloom, which have good light at the hour we are meeting, and which are worth the drive. You will know our exact location shortly before we meet.
- This is rare — I only book sessions during the confirmed bloom window — but agriculture is unpredictable. If the season is late or a field is harvested earlier than expected, I will adjust. We may move to a different zone of the plateau or shift the timing slightly. I have never had a session without lavender.
- I offer two slots per day: sunrise at around 5:30 a.m., and sunset at around 8:15–8:30 p.m. Both are golden hour — the only time in a Provence summer when the light is worth photographing in. I do not offer midday sessions. If you are choosing between the two, sunset is slightly more popular; sunrise is quieter, the fields are empty, and the light is extraordinary.
- I have a full outfit guide for lavender sessions — colours, fabrics, what to avoid, how to dress as a family or a couple. It is freely available on this site. The short version: white, ivory, cream, terracotta, warm neutrals. Natural fabrics. Nothing with large prints or logos.
- Yes — sessions can include aerial drone footage and a short film of the day. Details are on the sessions page.
- I am used to working with American clients and happy to help with questions about where to stay, how to get to Valensole, and how to plan your Provence trip around the session. Just ask.
- Yes — and it's one of the most romantic settings imaginable. If you're planning to propose in the fields, I can coordinate with you in advance so the moment is captured without your partner suspecting anything. Engagement sessions are also available — just the two of you, golden hour, and an ocean of purple. Reach out and we'll plan it together.
- Yes — and it's one of the most romantic settings imaginable. If you're planning to propose in the fields, I can coordinate with you in advance so the moment is captured without your partner suspecting anything. Engagement sessions are also available — just the two of you, golden hour, and an ocean of purple. Reach out and we'll plan it together.
- Yes — under my wedding brand Levska. If you're planning a wedding in Provence or elsewhere in France, visit levska.com for details.
2026 Availability
A small number of morning and evening slots are available for the 2026 lavender season. Sessions are held in Gordes area, Valensole plateau and in surrounding areas of Provence, depending on where the season takes us.
To inquire about dates, reach out below. I respond to every message personally.
A small number of morning and evening slots are available for the 2026 lavender season. Sessions are held in Gordes area, Valensole plateau and in surrounding areas of Provence, depending on where the season takes us.
To inquire about dates, reach out below. I respond to every message personally.
Reserve Your Lavender
Session — 2026
Session — 2026
A few slots remain. Fill in the details below and I'll get back to you within 24 hours.