Photography and Biking in Burgundy

My wife and I decided to spend a couple of days in wine country, and I couldn't think of a better place than the Burgundy region of France. Home to some of the finest wines in the world, Burgundy was especially appealing because it was harvest season—a perfect opportunity for photography.

One afternoon, we rented bicycles and set out to explore the vineyards. For the first mile or so, the ride was easy, but then we reached the hills. Living in Florida, where hills are practically nonexistent, we quickly realized we were in for a challenge. It wasn't just one hill—it was up a hill, down a hill, and then right back up another. Before long, we were feeling every mile.

For me, the highlight was photographing the grape harvest. Workers filled the vineyards, carefully picking grapes and carrying them to wagons for processing. Unfortunately, I was shooting in the middle of the day, when the light is typically harsh. In this case, however, I think it worked to my advantage. The strong sunlight emphasized the hard work and demanding conditions the harvest crews faced. I also discovered that the French reputation for being unfriendly to Americans was not my experience at all. Many of the workers smiled when they saw my camera, and some were even eager to pose for photographs.

As often seems to happen when I'm photographing people, I eventually got yelled at. One vineyard owner wasn't happy that I was taking photos of the workers and gave me a bit of a hard time. Fortunately, I had already captured the images I wanted, so it wasn't much of an issue.

The next time I visit wine country in France, I'll make sure to return during harvest season. Not only is it one of the most beautiful times of year to be there, but I'll also plan to spend more time photographing the workers who help bring Burgundy's world-famous wines to life.