Lavender Dreams
I first visited Rocky Meadows Lavender Farm back in early July of 2021 with my wife and niece. I spent a lot of time making photos on that visit. I always intended to revisit the farm and finally made the time in late July of 2023.
I was so impressed at how well the field was doing. Kara and Chris have done a wonderful job growing this fragrant spot of paradise. They've expanded a visitor's options through experiences like wreath-making, glass painting and plein-air painting and with the new gazebo they are stepping into intimate full-service events like weddings!
Photographing honey bees is challenging enough; add in a mild breeze and thin flower stalks and a good capture is definitely more luck than skill.
Busy Bees in Action
I was at the farm long enough that I eventually developed the presence of mind to shoot some video footage! Below is one I'm fairly pleased with. I brought several clips and stills into Adobe Rush, did some color correction, played with slowing down parts of the clips and added a suitable music track in the background. I think I have a few clips that will make it into my Adobe Stock submissions.
Credit for the above image goes to my wife, Karen. Once the hay bales are removed, this will become grazing land for the Rocky Meadow horses. I like how she managed to capture everything in one image, including the beehives at the back of the pasture, helping to tell the story of how everything in nature is connected.
Above is an experimentation, using the OM5's Live ND function (Neutral Density) to create a long exposure in brighter light, without the need for a supplemental filter. It's one of the computational photography capabilities of the OM5, along with High Resolution mode, Starry Sky Auto Focus, Live Composite, Focus Stacking and Pro Capture. In this example, I pan the camera left to right before, during and after the exposure.The visual results are trial and error, but I quite like this particular image.
A Happy Accident
At one point, I was so wrapped up in shooting, I totally forgot to turn off the Live ND mode, but it turned out for the better. I love how the above shot on the left has such a dynamic feel because of the blurred movement of the lavender bushes midway into the photo. A combination of accident, timing and nature all working together to produce a cool image!
Final Thoughts
There's something very zen about being surrounded by the soft but rich scent of lavender and the omnipresent hum of honeybees hard at work. It was all so relaxing and stimulating at the same time. I'm sure I could have spent a few more hours at the farm, exploring with my camera.
Before I left though, I arranged to hang a few of the photos from my first shoot in the Rocky Meadows gift shop. I'm hoping they bring smiles to the visitors (and generate sales for me). Time will tell.
I hope you enjoyed this project. Thank you for looking!
