Recently, lavender has become a symbol of photography in Bulgaria. Photos of lavender fields flooded the internet especially in June and July. So I decided to do something different and to organize a photo shoot with a model in lavender field.
It is not easy to find a lavender field if you have not seen where they are. When I was searching on the internet to find any location of a lavender field, I could not find any. In general, people do not like to share where they are as they want to keep this wonderful photo spot for themselves. That is why I created a map to help you with some of the locations of lavender fields near Kazanlak area. This map is just an example, there are many lavender fields in the area, but this is a good place to start.
There are lavender fields in Bulgaria in many areas – the Upper Thracian Lowland, Central Northern Bulgaria and even along the sea around Burgas and Varna. Lavender blooms at the end of May and the beginning of June. During this period, you can often see cars stopped by the side of the road and people trying to capture the beautiful purple color of the lavender.
Of course there is a reason for lavender fields to be so attractive and to “invite” even foreign photographers whom travel thousands of kilometers to shoot these blooming flowers. And the reason is the incredible saturated blue-purple color which creates an incredible contrast when shooting landscapes or portraits.
Lavender is very valuable, so lately the number of fields in Bulgaria is growing more and more. Bulgaria is one of the largest manufacturers and exporters of essential oil, which is produced from lavender flowers.
Lavender
Lavender is primarily used in the perfumery, also in the production of paints and varnishes, scented soaps, as an anti-erosion plant and is one of the most valuable honey-producing plants.
To realize the photo shoot in lavender field, first I had to find one. I did a lot of researching in the internet, but unfortunately the information there is pretty scarce about the exact location of the lavender fields. The directions are quite general and it is not very clear.
After having traveled almost the whole area around Kazanlak I can for sure say that the biggest lavender fields are located before and after the turnoff to the village Tazha. Before and around the villages Manolovo and Tarnicheni there are also fields, but rather poorly maintained – overgrown in weeds and the color of lavender is barely visible.
Other smaller fields could be found on the way from Kazanlak to Shipka. Almost the entire route is covered with tiny purple squares that stand out from the whole landscape. Unfortunately, they are too small to photograph landscapes where the field of lavender is so extensive it goes far beyond the horizon. But since I’ve decided to do portraits, such small field was just great for this purpose. It was surrounded on all sides with sunflower crops, which gave a very interesting contrast to the area.
Once I found the right place I had to get to work. Just to warn people who want to shoot in the fields to be careful, because as I said the lavender is very valuable and most places have security around the clock. If you see the guard is better to ask him politely and warn him before entering the field, otherwise the guards are very frustrated after they see you, no longer you will be able to convince him to stay in the field, even if it is only for photos. In my case there was no guard, but almost all passers-by with cars and bicycles stopped to see what is happening there 🙂
