About us
I laid down the basis of today’s archive in the early 80s. At
that time I was photographing plants and flowers and at the same time
teaching photography at the adult university in Hamburg. The annual work
supporting a friend during the lavender harvest in the fields of Provence
in the South of France brought both inspiration and a sensuous desire
for a more profound occupation with the natural and the botanical world.
The present name of the archive dates from those days and has been retained
for nostalgic reasons.
Cutting lavender - Photo: Margrit Müller
My private macro experiments, nature and biotope studies soon found
a broad acceptance so I decided in the 90s, after a first success in
a variety of publications, to open the archive and to make my fund of
pictorial material from private research and botanical excursions accessible
to a broader public. With my entry in the BVPA (Federal association of
press agencies and picture libraries in Germany) in 1995 Lavendelfoto
launched into a further phase of internal and external growth.
Taking into account the material of fellow-authors who are now under
contract for Lavendelfoto in Germany and abroad, we have meanwhile gathered
a stock with more than 200.000 botanical representations. We are certain
that this will develop due to the increasing needs and inquiries from
our customers relating to our growing botanical archive.
The authors of Lavendelfoto today hold a wide variety of qualifications.
We have specialists in the area of botanical mapping or in the field
of nature and environmental protection; therapists with Bach Flowers,
perfume- and aroma plants; gardeners and garden-architects; scientists
from the botanical institutes of various universities and scouts and
leaders of nature excursions and safaris and many other botanical activities.
We are thankful that all their activities have contributed in a certain
way to the high scientific standard of the pictorial material in our
archive and data-base as it presents itself today.
Japanese Garden - Photo: Dr. Hans Heinrich Müller
In December 2001 our data-base was first published as an online-catalogue
linked with various search engines. Ever since then we have been working
on the improvement of our digital offer which enables you to pursue your
own research on our website.
We are now very pleased to present an improved research tool which provides
the public an access to more then 20.000 digital pictures via scientific
nomenclature as well as common plant names in German, English and French.
Thus our archive can be used not only as a botanical encyclopedia for
scholars, students and an increasing number of members of the public
with botanical interest, but also as a picture source for illustrated
newspapers, magazines, books and any sort of press publication and advertisement
where pictures with botanical content may be required.
Whatever the reason for your research on our website may be, we are
happy to welcome you to our online data-base.
Cordially yours
Gerhard Höfer
Autumnal impression - Photo: Christa Palma
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