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    Getting That Perfect Flower Photo

    by Julie Mautner

    Calling all anthophiles! (Yes, that means flower lovers... who knew?) With something as compelling as a flower, taking a fantastic photo is relatively easy. And with the superb cameras found on just about every phone these days, it’s safe to say you have all the tech you need, right there in your purse or pocket. But whether you’re going for Instagram gold or just enjoying the pleasure of the process...whether you’re shooting the elegant arrangements at your friend’s wedding or trying to capture a field ablaze with color...certain tricks can definitely transform your images from good to downright glorious. To kick off this series, we asked Paris-based photographer Carla Coulson to share some tips. Her photo here (above left) is called “On My Way”; to see more of Carla’s work check out her website and Instagram. And read on for approach to photographing flowers, which she does magnificently...

    Carla says: “I’m not an expert in photographing flowers but I am a devoted flower lover so for me it’s pure pleasure! I’ve come to approach photographing flowers in the same way I photograph people. I’ve realised there are many ways you can photograph the same subject so what I do is treat my flowers as though they’re people. I study them, I move them just a couple of millimetres to the left or to the right, I get down low or try to see what they look like from above. I'm always searching to make a beautiful shape or see something in the flower that I haven’t seen before or that isn’t necessarily obvious or the way everyone sees the flower. 

    “I’ve also learned that you can shoot any subject in any light and it can be interesting and fun. The important thing is that you like the light as it adds a totally different message to your image. In my series “Young Girl in Bloom,” I chose to use an even, soft light (except for one image) to convey a feeling of peace and quiet. Whilst I have been at home during the past couple of months I’ve photographed flowers from the day they arrive fresh till the flowers are simply petals that have fallen apart. I’ve enjoyed the whole process of seeing them change shape, colour and mood, and I’ve been looking for at what stage they’re most interesting to me.

    “So I guess my advice is simply to treat your flowers like something you love and when you’re photographing them, pay attention, look at them, move them, change the light until something lights up within you... and then snap!!”

    Julie Mautner - Resident Blogger

    ProvencePost.com

    WhatToDoInProvence.com

    Introducing your Confetti Moment

    by Debbie • 23 Oct, 2020 •
    We will not let it get us down, the peonies are still growing and there is lots of planning to be done for your big day. We will wait until Brides and Grooms around the world have made decisions for their dates and confetti is in their minds again. The flower industry took a nosedive at the beginning of the Pandemic. It was a difficult flower season globally for everyone in the business, but we have all manage to adapt. Unaware of the troubles we have all endured, the flowers are all growing well. Marcel has worked his magic. The Peony Season here in France only lasts 6 weeks, starting in mid-April until the end of May, but the growing goes on 24/7. All our peonies are grown outside in the Provencal sunshine. Peonies need a lot of sun and water. Our confetti business is only Peony Petals. To enable you to enjoy Peonies all year round. If y our wedding is out of Peony season, it is the perfect choice for you. For the last three years I have been collecting these beautiful petals. Handpicking, Hand drying, sorting, and boxing them all up. I have put together all the packaging, designing the website and the labels. Crafting every single item with love all put together ready for your special day. This website is brand new, but Marcel has been growing Peonies for 20+ years. Over the next 12 months, we will be sharing our love of petals and our social media will be reaching out to all. So tell your friends all about us. Your confetti moment lasts 5 minutes. Our year-long daily life creates your confetti moment and memories. We'd love to share it with you. With love, Debbie

    Fresh from the farm

    by by Julie Mautner • 11 May, 2020 •
    If you’re thinking of using our confetti for your event, we thought you might like to meet the people making it for you! Ferme Fleurie located in the heart of Provence in the South of France, is a large family-owned flower farm that exports 95 percent of its harvest to Holland. Yep, a big truck comes anywhere from two to seven times a week and carries away massive containers of flowers, all of them measured, clipped, bunched, refrigerated...and ready to be sold at auction. The rest are sold locally through farm markets and florists. But it’s not just the beautiful flowers that have made locals so attached to Ferme Fleurie....it’s also the adorable owners Marcel and Debbie. So how is it that this effervescent Englishwoman and her handsome Dutch husband came to be among the largest flower producers in Provence? Born in a small town near Amsterdam, Marcel and his late wife Julie came down to Provence and established the farm in 1999. Julie lost her battle with cancer in 2013. The following year, Debbie—a former teacher who comes originally from Whitstable in Kent, England but was living in Istanbul at the time—arrived in Provence to visit friends. Among their guests at dinner one night was the flower farmer who lived just next door. And over that long, laughter-filled meal, Marcel and Debbie connected. They stayed in touch and before too long, Debbie had chucked her life in Turkey, moved to France and moved in. The couple married on the farm in September 2015. With 14 hectares (34 acres) of land, Ferme Fleurie operates year round. What can't be grown reliably in the ground is raised in one of 28 greenhouses. To help get everything picked, packaged and shipped off on time, Debbie and Marcel have a fantastic team of workers, a group that swells to 40 people in the height of the “short and intense” six-week peony season each spring. While anemones comprise a large part of their production, it’s the peonies for which the farm is best known: gorgeous fluffy blooms in colours including Sarah Bernhardt, Duchesse de Nemours, Coral Sunset and many more...in both “Simple” and “double” varieties. The farm’s 130,000 stabilized peony bushes will produce roughly one million pretty stems this year. These are the peonies from which your confetti is lovingly made by hand. From the planting to picking to drying to packaging...it’s all done right here on the farm. Debbie and Marcel also grow lilies, roses, tulips, viburnum, sedum, lavender and more. “Marcel is Dutch and likes to plant things,” Debbie says with a laugh. When they’re not crazy busy on the farm, the couple loves to walk with their dogs, participate in local fundraisers and festivals, discover new restaurants, drink great red wine, hang out with their large group of international friends and, of course, to travel. “But no matter where we go,” Deb says, “we’re always happiest at home on the farm.” Julie Mautner - Resident Blogger ProvencePost.com WhatToDoInProvence.com
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