PAUL PETCH

Untitled.

It’s the first week of May 2022 already, and Autumn is in full swing! I’m hungry for image making again, and in particular portraits after taking a good 6 month break post degree. Distancing myself from the beekeeping project was a good move. I was burnt out with portraiture, and the analog process (especially developing and scanning) as a whole and that’s not a place that I want to be in. Looking back over Summer it was a good period for me as a whole to just readjust and explore just picking up a camera again and shooting what ever I fancied- both on film and digital.

I’ve started to revisit the beekeepers book again, and moving to the second ‘layout’ on route to the final publication. There is some anxiety associated with getting my head back into the body of work with feelings of just how much of a whirlwind my final year of study was. Talking of which, I’ve also made contact with some of the beekeepers again to capture more images that I feel are missing from the series.

What has really started to excite me again and inspire me to create more work, is my budding photography book collection. During my studies I slowly started to collect photography books, and they helped me to explore the process of other artists better, as finding such information online was, and continues to be problematic. An artists published work is also offered exactly how they intend for us to consume it, and often flicking through the pages offer a unique experience. There is nothing quite like a big well printed photography book!

As i’ve mentioned before (many times?) – while I researched many photographers and their work during my degree, Alec Soth continues to stand out for me. I guess I’m a bit of a fan boy! I related to his story in someway in that he chipped away as a fine art photographer for a decade before he really found traction during the making of ‘Sleeping by the Missisipi’.  It’s always good to reinforce that making art is a journey and like everything worth investing in, it takes time. Soth’s approach really fascinated me whereby he followed one lead to another in a chain of events, that ended up being the backbone process of the Sleeping by the Missisipi”s diverse and kooky narrative. His approach to image making was similarly applied to how I made the body of work with the beekeepers. Within a tightly guarded community, I migrated towards the referrals and reccomendations of other keepers. It worked really well, and I’m still so grateful for the warmth and openness that I found, that enabled me to document such a tight-knit community.

This week I captured some fresh portraits for another series, that signalled the end of my downtime, and while it felt exciting once again to behind the camera, I also felt very rusty. Sadly the images were not even close to being in focus once developed and scanned, and my anxiety blew out of control thinking it was user error.

After a few more rolls the issue continued and looking closer at the results the out of focus was so extreme that I concluded the camera was faulty. I decided to open up the Yashica D, and I discovered that the mirror had come loose and was therefore not aligned with the lens.

While wasting 4 rolls of coloured film and developer to get to this point is frustrating (and expensive!)- at least it’s not my eyes or technique. The portrait was of James, a Christchurch florist, in his colourful shop and amazing yard where he grows a lot of food. We tried twice and failed. Third time lucky I guess? It could have been worse…. I could have driven out to the mountains to capture images of working beekeepers, that I can’t re-create. I think I may have dropped the camera or it rolled around in my van own it’s tripod- so maybe the issues started then. It is now fixed and something to keep an eye on.

If I was to reflect on my current and budding process, it actually took more than a decade including 4.5 years of study, for me to get to this point with my work. While I’m always hungry and motivated to make new work and develop more series, I’m also at some kind of peace too. Having explored the ‘why’ for so long now, I feel a shift in energy towards a successful formula for research and image making with more confidence. Allowing myself to be as vulnerable as the subject with the setup and approach I employ on location allows a unique connection, and my own style. It’s been a bit of a journey of self discovery I guess to get to a stage where inviting the subject to simply ‘be’ and I capture them, is as complicated as it gets. It feels right and a case of ‘it’s been under my nose the while time’ if I was to be honest. I just needed to trust the process and build the courage to photograph strangers. Similar to my commercial work, I now feel I have a solid process that yields images I’m stoked with, and I’m happy with that. Right now it’s enough. Right now I’m enough.

I adore the work of Alex Soth, Duane Michals, August Sander, Annie Leibovitz and Diane Arbus, who in my mind also have a drive to simply connect with their subjects in an authentic way and capture that moment. Flicking through their books continues to enforce and inspire me towards- that documenting people and their lives is still as important in 2022 than it ever was and I’m truly hooked. I can’t wait to invest more energy into sharing my art through my preferred medium too- publications.

Anyway, here is another random collection of images that document the past few months. Is there a theme? Not really, but it’s always nice to head out with the camera(s) and experiment with long exposures and panoramas too.

An update Feb 2022.

This is literally the 6th time since the new year that I’ve sat down to write this post, and finally today it’s published. I just lost my mojo for words and being excited for my image making. It happens a fair bit to be honest, but this time I have so many projects outside of image making to catchup on that had to be taken care of. My camper van has taken 2 years to convert with limited time between studies, so that was at the top the list. I finally got solar power fitted and hand made some great curtains too. It’s now pretty much done and I love the huge sunroof windows so much! It really feels like you are part of the environment when laying in the back.

So yes, it has been relatively quiet on the photography front post end of my degree, that’s to be expected considering the sheer volume of work I created in 2021 alone. It ended with a huge crescendo being awarded a prize of academic excellence, as well as the news that an application for a scholarship to study Masters was accepted. I was stoked. In all honesty it could have not ended better after 4 + years of paying my way though full-time study (yes a pat on my own back thank you!). Recharging the batteries is great.

I’ve also been prioritising meeting like minded communities and people as we move forward into this ‘new world order’ as we are told. I just deleted a huge paragraph that discussed my own thoughts surrounding covid and freedom of choice, as I can’t be bothered with wasting my time with this narrative anymore. It has all got so tiring with the lack of common sense in society right now, where opinions are seen as facts, while facts are opinions- all served – policed and censored by greedy big tech, corrupted big Pharma, and power hungry Governments. There are no other views or thoughts allowed against the ‘truths’ we are force fed. If you have not read the book or seen the movie 1984 go check it out. I feel like I’m living on another planet to be honest. Anyway, we have made our choices and that’s that. Some against their will though, that is heartbreaking. I truly wish everyone the best of luck as this mess unfolds, and if I can help anyone in anyway, please let me know.

Meanwhile if you want to see alternative views, or looking for help and advice please check out Dr. W. Malone (Telegram), Dr. Peter McCullough (Telegram), and Voices for Freedom (Telegram), Voices for Freedom (website), Avi Yemini (Instagram), Counterspin Media (Instagram), Rebel News (Instagram).

What about the beekeeping project? The first proof of the Canterbury beekeepers book was not the best to be honest as I chose a cheap option of print for hand in- as costs were already off the charts shooting and developing so much imagery. This year I aim to create more beekeeping portraits and even rescan the vast collection if need be to make the image quality better for print. I’m pretty sure that won’t need to happen, but the process from capture to print is definitely a journey and a commitment. Similar to image making, at the moment this beekeeping book is at the bottom of my to do list as I finish other projects and invest my time in other stuff I love to do. On the work side of things I’m rebuilding my photo business again and also decided to reboot my graphic design services over at Paul James Design, so if you need any branding or want to get online with a website, please let me know. I’m also offering tutoring that includes developing your own black and white film, or how to use your camera while making meaningful bodies of work.

This update is not my best, but it’s something- and at the moment something is fine with me. Meanwhile, let’s celebrate good health, nourishing food, good people, joy and the healing sunshine away from screens. Let’s look up at the light filtering though the wise trees, and feel the radiant heat from the earth beneath our bare feet. Let’s enjoy the music and dance with smiles and a verse. None of which needs a login or a passport. Yesterday I went to the mountains and sat amongst the trees and next to a raging river in my camper van as the rain hit the roof. I had my camera loaded, and for the first time in 3 months was present within the image making process again as I headed out for a walk amongst the elders. There will always be magic in loading a camera film, and hearing that gentle click as the shutter fires then making the results appear with chemistry. Sometimes I forget that.

Here are a selection of images captured since November and I guess they reflect the downtime, things I love to do, places I like to explore and spend my time, and not really having any goals other than just capturing something to keep the narrative moving forward in my work and story.

Final Hand-in of Beekeeper Project.

Well! That’s it. I’ve literally just uploaded my final end of year workbook and reflection. Last night was the exhibition in the ARA design block, 3rd floor Photography. The turn out was great and really good to see the class hang their work after 3 years. My journey was 4.5, with 2 years at Ilam Fine Arts UC, and 2 at ARA Institute with a 6 month break in the middle. Most voiced how quickly the years have passed, but I feel totally different to that reality. The past 4.5 years have been a long, full-time and financially challenging time for me. Paying my way with work outside of studies has worked out well though, and combined with how much the studies have developed not only my own morals and ethics as a photographer, but also the work I now call my art, has been utterly profound and I value it highly.

I feel so grateful of some of the insights of the world, and how photography fits into it, with the help from some amazing teachers and students along the way. I’m tired. Oh so tired. After a relentless and challenging year of research and image making, it’s now time to rest up and enjoy some downtime. During the past 3 weeks, my routine of ‘wellness’ has been challenged as the project completion consumed my days. I can now breathe and be present once again with the earth, family and friends. The coming years ahead look rocky and un certain. I’m happy to be able to take a back seat and refocus my energies into 2022. Will I do a masters? Will my commercial work dry up? Will everything not change much at all? Who knows.

On a more positive note, last night I was awarded the prize of ‘Academic excellence in Photography’ at ARA Institute! I’ve never won anything like this before and feel so joyful! The award means a lot to me at 47 years old, and miles ahead in grades to my first Degree in Biochemistry back in the mid to late 1990’s. Of course I’m a different bloke, and my devotion to learning is greater than as a young student, but honestly, it has been just as challenging, but on another frequency. So much has changed in the world since graduation in 2000, that it’s difficult to fully comprehend and share the highly philosophical narratives within an arts based degree in 2021. But I made it though and with such an award added to my achievements, I’m super proud. The award also has a decent cash payment too. Wow what a bonus!

What I’d like to share with you all is my final reflection of the beekeeper project. I can then officially chill out. Writing about each portrait experience is what I believe elevated my work to the highest grades and enabled a really extensive and thorough final reflection. Here it is. It’s quite lengthy. A big thanks to my teachers, family, supporters of my blog and instagram feed, and of course the Beekeepers. I really appreciate it. One last thing….what’s happening with the beekeeper book? The hand-in was really a proof and there are a fair amount of tweaks to do before I’m happy to put up for sale. I guess it will be ready in the new year now, and limited to 99 signed copies. Anyway, end of degree vibes!

Final Reflection

My project aim was to document the people behind beekeeping in the Canterbury region of New Zealand and the environments in which they operated. Early plans were to create cohesion between the images with posed questions to the beekeepers. I believe I achieved the goals of the project.

Documenting a range of beekeepers of all ages and cultures was important to me for this vast project. Early on the abundance of middle-aged white males was apparent, and I had to spend additional admin time and scope to widen my audience to ensure I got to document a true representation of the community. 

Admin was a difficult process from the start with this project, and quickly out grew a simple word document with contact details. I utilised a customer relationship tool called Capsule CRM that allowed me to add all details of ‘leads’ and accompanying notes with calendared prompts to follow up. This software was central to the success of the whole assignment. Without this tool I would have not been able to manage such a vast group, from initial contact though to shoots and model release. 

Did I manage to represent the diversity of the beekeeping community? Yes, I feel that I did. I captured both male and females ranging from 20’s to 80’s. Some diverse cultures, and hives in urban settings to high country. It took persistence and hope. I had both.

Early anxieties included a reservation to shoot subjects due to this process being so unfamiliar to me outside of ‘prescribed’ commercial image making that I’m accustomed too. I also had to dig deep and trust my process that moved from hand holding the TLR’s onto a tripod with cable release. Compositional challenges were apparent too, and central to creating images from the start that would work across all images at project completion. On top of these worries I had inner conflicts surrounding what film to use. Colour or black and white? 

Thankfully as I captured more subjects and developed the two types of film, I not only felt more comfortable with subjects and the images that I was making, but using a cable release was a great way to connect more with the subject/s. As for monochrome vs colour, it became clear that my coloured work was simply better aesthetically than the monochrome images. After several class critiques and feedback towards this reality, I trusted colour process more and for the complete project invested in this primary with monochrome as more of a backup. I’m happy with the results.

From the start I wanted to keep the process simple so that I could focus on the subjects and their environments. I wanted to explore the aesthetics of beekeepers and their world through a series of photographic images, and feel I did exactly that. I applied the same process to all keepers from the initial contact email, time of day to shoot (mostly), and height/ angle of camera on the tripod. Repetition was key and paid off well as the collection of images grew. The biggest hurdles became making time in the best light, and travel which is I good place to be I guess vs problems with photographic cohesion and style. I’m happy with the end results.

Aside from the process of photography, I had excessive travel and the physical development of every roll with digital scanning. The time and energy I invested was relentless from week one. At times I was very tired and found that I needed a break from image making. I also had school holidays to accommodate. Thankfully using the CRM enabled me to back off when 

 

needed, and then simply follow up leads once I had the energy/ focus again. It worked really well. Warning signs that I needed a break included boredom and making simple mistakes during the chemical developmental process. I listened to these signs throughout the assignment and thankfully it worked well.

Artists who have inspired my goals for this project include Alec Soth and Glenn Busch, Diane Arbus, August Sander and Duane Michals all of which capture people on large format film. I also found their aesthetic and process compelling in the sense that they simply had subjects stand and look at the camera. This process in my own work blossomed as I spent more time shooting. I guess I see it as both subject and photographer stripping away the façade and agenda for a second or two. Having a cable allowed me to stand away from the camera and upright- looking the subject in the eyes. I was not hiding and as vulnerable as the subject. The results speak for themselves.

I’ve been getting more and more into art books this year too and recently of note is a book by Anne Noble “ In Conversatio; In the Company of Bees”. It looks at the astounding practice of leading photographer Anne Noble, set against the issues of ecosystem collapse and climate change and examining what an artist can do in response. Its creative focus is on that most important insect, the European bee. Reminiscent of an artist book in its extensive visual content, its appeal is to a wide readership curious about art, ecology, science, literature and their intersections. It is not just a beautifully designed book, it also speaks to me!

I’m feeling very similar to Anne, in that I’m falling for the bees, and their wonderful place within our environment. Simply watching their behaviour and colonies develop is so compelling. Anne’s passion definitely motivated me mid way through the project to continue. Very inspiring.

The regions that I visited enabled me to explore the beekeepers in their environments fully. I had no idea at the start of the assignment that beekeeping was so reliant on the seasons. Early images were captured during the winter and autumn months in which the bees are basically hibernating in their hives surviving the cold weather. It was not until Spring and right near the end of hand in (late November) that hives were being tended to for colony growth and honey production for he warmer months ahead.

As luck would have it, this reality actually worked in my favor as I set out to shoot portraits of keepers in their homes and ‘happy places’ first, than onto subjects wearing suits and amongst the hives as it warmed up. The series document this well and makes for a great experience within the final book too. You see the faces of these people who get up daily against all odds, and keep bee colonies alive, and then see them hard at work about half way through the collection and book.

The seasonal aspects bring me to my final comments with regards to the project as a whole. The research ‘questions’ simply did not fit the characteristics of this unique community. 

They were dry and clinical. Boring and generic. They were also going to be time consuming and I opted to not bother the beekeepers more than I already was with regards to the image making and their valuable time. Once the season kicked off, most commercial keepers work from 7am to 9pm, and there was no way any time could be allocated to my annoying inquisitions. So I decided to leave them alone and in 2022 alongside the continuation of this project towards a book, ask for anonymous essays instead. I can visualise a hardback book filled with half stories and essays, and then photography. 

Anyway, for this project and final hand-in, I turned the planned questions towards myself in the forward of the book. I believe it works well and adds some insights to the experiences I’ve had spending time with such a warm and inviting community. I’m happy with how this ‘cohesion’ evolved and played out. I’m also happy with using my 35mm auto focus camera with 70-200mm for close up hive imagery alongside the more staged 120 TLR’s. Scanned at 5000 DPI and converted to 6×6 the 35mm images look brilliant.

Time management went exceptionally well for this project alongside ‘life’ and ‘other work’, as I started it early using the CRM. I can’t actually fault how well this project developed into the final prints and book. Honestly I’m struggling to find any negatives at all. I guess the relentless cost associated with film and chemistry had me struggling through my wallet, and the travel costs also were difficult to manage on occasions. This is more naiveté though, as I did not consider this reality.

What would I do different? Not much actually. I would love to continue with this project into 2022 and make a book as discussed. I would like to travel further afield and meet more ‘alternative’ beekeepers who live off grid or manage hives topless. With covid hysteria and discrimination against unvaccinated, this is a major unknown moving forward.

If I was to create further projects using the template ‘learnt’ from this project, I would consider using digital equipment to keep costs down, or invest in only black and white as it’s much cheaper. I can’t really find anything that was problematic overall and that I would do  differently as a whole. 

Overall, I feel that I captured the people behind the beekeeping community in Canterbury New Zealand and the environments in which they operate. Through the insights I gained I brought this narrative together with a book and series of prints. I’ve enjoyed every moment of the project and I feel my work showcases that too.

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Sophie, David, Jeff and Maia.

I’ve captured David’s portrait at his home previously, and it was time to see the hives he manages at ARA Christchurch this week. After clambering out of the window, we got to see the active hives in a great sheltered spot between a beautiful tree and the ‘U’ building roof, where David teaches cooking skills. It’s fascinating where hives thrive isn’t it? I’m really happy to be able to add an urban location to the growing collection of hive imagery that has taken me high into the mountains, into peoples back yards, and now on top of city developments. I have another urban hive shoot lined up this week.

At a totally different environment at Amberley, I then captured Sophie’s portrait from Mount Lyford Honey surrounded by open green paddocks and trees. I’ve now documented the six staff at Mount Lyford Honey, and Sophie’s happy place is with her amazing horses and dog. I actually dropped one of my cameras when with Sophie, and the back popped right open! On developing I lost 3 images from the shoot with David, but due to my obsession with ‘backing up’ with black and white, not all was lost fortunately. Hive photos of the crew working at Mount Lyford will now have to wait until the new year, with the end of this week signalling the final image taking of the university hand-in, and development/ scan.

Then focus then switched back to urban hives with Jeff, who has been hiring ready to go hives across Christchurch for many years. The hives we got to spend time with were on top of Ballantynes department store in the central city, and the light was on our side and lit the scene well, rather than being behind! I finally got to spend time with a Maori beekeeper too and her name is Maia. We actually met twice as the first time the light in her the yard where the hives lived, was to harsh and the highlights combined with dappled shadows, was simply yuck! The second visit was near sunset and it was pretty flat, but gave us a beautiful lens flare with golden light. Maia is officially the last beekeeper portrait go the ARA project. I’m so tired that I can’t really even think straight. Shooting film has definitely been a full-time process, and the grind has been real over the past 4 + months. I’m deep into the copy for the book now too, and also printed a selection of images at ARA for the end of year exhibition. I’m pretty delirious to be honest. Emotional too.

I’m happy that we are at the end of this stage of the project, and looking forward to a break into 2022. The hours invested in this project have very quickly started to build up to the 400 required for the project. I’m really happy overall. Tick tock…. I’ve truly LOVED capturing everyones portrait, but its now time to rest and make sense of what’s happening here in my beautiful New Zealand.

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Perry, Lindsay & Christchurch Beekeepers Club.

I attended the Christchurch Beekeepers Club hive day on the weekend (and added a few images below) and it was really interesting to see some very experienced beekeepers, such as Gordon talk about setting up and maintaining hives. One thing is for certain, that owning a hive takes a lot of work to maintain it, and keep the colony healthy. There are so many diseases and opportunist parasites that can reap havoc if the colony is sick or weak. It’s a hobby that takes some devotion. One speaker caught my attention as he spoke about what causes swarming in a hive, where the queen and all her followers leave looking for more space, and just how to avoid it. Lindsay also talked about how he is often called to swarms, and how he gets them back into hives where they can be safe and productive once again.

We chatted afterwards and it turns out that he is a hive inspector. His role is to check hives for disease mostly, and then give the a certificate of health to beekeepers who can then legally own and maintain hives. It’s an annual event that safe guards and traces disease throughout the New Zealand hive community, and that makes total sense. Through such inspections ‘hot spots’ of disease are known across the islands and helps a cause of action to remedy it.  Lindsay was visiting Kaikoura on Monday to inspect some hives for a fellow called Perry, who had 15 hives spotted at the base of, and top of some high country there. I asked if I could join them and document it, and with Perry’s consent I drove down Monday to see the hives and Lindsay in action. It has been a long time since I’ve visited Kaikoura, and I was excited to join them.

When I first arrived they were suited up and checking out some hives just off the coastal road near Goose Bay at a strawberry farm. Walking towards them I could see a fellow patting his head, and flicking a branch around as if he was trying to warn off some bees. As I got closer the pissed off bees were onto me, and I could feel the anger! Unlike last time this happened when I started swatting them, and I got stung, I took the advice of Kevin, to curl into a ball face down on the ground when being attacked. I did i exactly that and after a few ‘head butts’ and rapidly buzzing around my head, the bees flew off.  I then had time to suit up. I was like WTF Perry! haha. Apparently a bee had got into his suit and stung him, and I had caught the event unfold the moment I arrived. Now suited up I was quite anxious still, as it was another borrowed suit, and clearly had some repairs to the face mesh. Maybe I was a bit paranoid having seen a bee get into yet another Beekeeprs suit? After about 10 minutes and no sign of any bees getting into my suit, I mellowed. We then left that site and headed upwards in a great little 4WD.

Perry’s family has a holiday home in Kaikoura, and it comes with 700 Hectares of bush, and boy oh boy was it lush and rich with New Zealand flora! When we got to the high point, the hives were literally over flowing with bees and they were showing signs of swarming. Several hives had heaps of bees covering the outside, signalling that the space inside was not much. It was super foggy and quite humid-warm- with absolutely thousands of bees flying around as they opened up the hives to check for disease. I mentioned to Lindsay that this job was not for everyone as it’s quite the experience being inside a huge loud ‘swarm’ of pissed off honey bees as you rummage through their home. From what I’ve heard, commercial beekeepers struggle to find photographers due to the remoteness of the work, and also working with the bees themselves. For the faint hearted I guess, it is quite scary. Thankfully I’m pretty comfortable being remote and with the hives, and aware that the images I’m capturing are quite unique in the sense of documenting what Beekeeprs experience day after day. I feel my imagery is more for the Beekeeprs and a celebration, than commercial work that is about the product ultimately. It’s an ongoing privilege to spend time with Beekeepers too, and appreciate it very much.

Perry must have taken 5 boxes of honey back home to Christchurch on Monday, and after tasting some, I can share that it was utterly beautiful. Pure ‘bush’ honey from bees who are surrounded by flowering natives from Manuka, to Kanuka to Beech Trees and more is divine. At one point the fog lifted and the sun broke through to reveal some peaks and sky. It was beautful. Boy oh boy was it hot in that suit though. I was not even lifting the 40KG boxes, or on my knees working though rack after rack, but felt very hot and uncomfortable during the day. A few times I had to walk off about 500M and just sit in the shade with my vale off. It’s quite intense when your hot and amongst such active hives, and the more time I spend with beekeepers, the more I appreciate just how physically demanding the job is. It must be brutal on hot Summer day for sure. The bonus of the fog though, even though it sacrificed views to the ocean, was just how well it showcased the sheer numbers of bees flying about due to it offering a ‘white background’. I feel that I caught images that showcases just how intense it actually is right in the middle of a giant ‘cloud’ of bees. The close up images of hive ‘comb’ and the larger peanut shaped cells, for the growing the queen bee in, are crops taken from my 35mm camera.

Overall the day was great, and It was pretty nice too, being called the young bloke at 47, with Lindsay in his 60’s, and Perry mid 70’s. I hope I’m as active and passionate as these guys in 20 + years time. Haha. Cheers fellas from the experience and good yarns.

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Foothills Honey Hives.

I spent half the day with Laura from Foothills Honey and we visited several hive locations towards the hills of the Southern Alps, and the light was pretty good. I know I talk about light a fair amount, but when it’s diffused behind clouds or within the last hour of the day it’s mostly nice and even, flat and the subjects don’t have to squint. I met more Beekeepers from the crew at Foothills, that’s about 20 in the peak of the season, and again I was fascinated with their process and hard work. Beekeeping is simply a physical job with no short cuts to the results. Laura spoke about the colonies being pretty strong this year, and the yield this season may well be a good one. We spent a fair amount of time in the ute between locations, and most of what we spoke about is not really beekeeping related at all. It was simply a great chat with a like minded soul that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I cherish more and more during these strange times, where I see a lot of division over popular culture heading onto 2022. One things for sure though, I’m now shooting less rolls, as I’m becoming quite selective towards the types of photos I’m looking for. I’m ticking off ‘portraits where I can see the face’ – ‘portraits in hive suit’ – ‘flora’ – ‘landscapes with hives’.

On the weekend, I also visited a ‘hive day’ for the Christchurch Beekeeping Club and the turn out was fantastic! There must have been 60 + people of all ages, and apparently this was a small turnout! I’m also going to visit the North Canterbury Beekeeping Club next weekend where I expect I’ll get to see more presentations from experienced beekeepers, and experience a great feeling of community – just like on the weekend. I handed out a few fliers to interested people, but with the project spilling into 2022, I’m not really looking for more portraits right now, so keen to take it slow when it comes to mustering up subjects. The more time I spend with beekeepers, the more I feel like its a community that’s for me. I’ll have no worries setting up my first hive next Summer I’m sure with so many friendly people willing to help. I volunteered to help with an image bank for CBC moving forward too, so that will be fun, and the least I can do to give back to the community. It will all be digital of course.

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