Bees are modern day superheroes, and vital for the earth to exist, from the smallest flowers to the largest forests. Without them, most of our food production would cease. Their role as pollinators is key to making this beautiful home of ours flourish, and feed us.
This 2021 project set out to discover who the beekeeping people of Canterbury New Zealand are, and to explore their working environments. Spending time with these unique farmers and hobbyists, highlighted that their relationships with the bees is of fundamental importance. Without beekeepers, bee colonies would simply collapse. What became apparent as the weeks passed, was that New Zealand honey farmers are a diverse and passionate community, that are united in their quest to keep bee populations alive.
The Beekeepers project was my final year submission as a series of prints and a 200+ paged book, that at ARA Christchurch gained an A+ grade and the Noeline Mcllroy Bequest, ARA award for academic excellence in photography. The goal is to complete the portraits, and book for publication in the coming years.
