It's a very hot Saturday in July, but I'm determined to get to the local farmer's market. Peach season has started here in Virginia, and there's no more welcome time of year. Peaches have been my favorite summer fruit since my childhood in France. For several years, my family lived in a lovely old house in the Loire Valley with a huge walled-in garden and park. It was a child's paradise, with every kind of fruit tree growing there—cherries, apples, pears, even apricots—and peach season was the highlight of the summer. My siblings and I would vie for the ripe fruit, and the maid-of-the-moment (they came and went rapidly with four rambunctious kids) would prepare jam or compote that we would slather on french bread. My favorite peaches were the white-fleshed ones, and I was disappointed to discover we couldn't get them when we returned to the States. In recent years that has changed, as new white varieties keep appearing, one more delicious than the next. With so many delightful memories of peaches, and so much enjoyment of their warm, round softness and sweet succulence, it's no surprise I've been inspired to focus my lens on them. The color and texture of peaches is as inspiring in my studio as it is in my kitchen.