ARTIST PAUL PETCH

Beekeeping Project

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.

If you liked this post and want to support my work, could you please share it? You can share by using the icons on the right or below. Thank you!

 

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.

If you liked this post and want to support my work, could you please share it? You can share by using the icons on the right or below. Thank you!

 

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.

If you liked this post and want to support my work, could you please share it? You can share by using the icons on the right or below. Thank you!

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.

If you liked this post and want to support my work, could you please share it? You can share by using the icons on the right or below. Thank you!

Southern Alps Honey.

I caught up with Ben and Leah, and some of their crew a few days ago from Southern Alps Honey. This husband and Wife team mostly work alone and manage more than 1000 active hives located in some beautiful locations from Rakaia Gorge to areas close to Mount Somers. On this day there were some staff helping out, and watching the bunch get into the zone and work through the hives was a fascinating experience for sure. It is a very physical and repetitive process, with hive boxes weighing in at 40 KG peak honey flow. The seasonal change is still a tad volatile so we were not able to get deeper into the mountains with recent floods, tree fall and boggy paddocks and trails. Their 4WD actually got stuck on the way to meet with me and they had to be pulled out by the generous farmer. I could not help as my Toyota van is rear wheel drive and gets stuck on wet grass, never mind mud! The two locations we visited were still stunning and set against gorse (or Ulex Europaeus) and beech trees, that both provide resources for the honey bees. Gorse is actually a weed introduced by settlers that seems to thrive in the harsh conditions of the South Island, but has become a vital part of the honey bees life as its bright yellow flowers flourish nearly all year round. Beech trees are native and offer honey dew, a sugary bi product of the Beech Scale Insect, that honey bees adore.

Leah and Ben lived in Australia for sometime where Leah worked as a nurse, and Ben a helicopter pilot. After returning to New Zealand they built the business from scratch over a 7 year period to where is is now and a full-time commercial operation. Both are really knowledgable and passionate about their beekeeping, and I learnt an absolute heap about what it takes to operate commercially, to understanding stages of the colonies process through the seasons. Due to the colonies struggling with the crazy weather patterns in the region, Ben and the crew were adding litres of sugar syrup to purpose made ‘feeding trays’ within the hives to provide food and a boost to increase the numbers in the struggling colonies. A first in many years by all accounts. See the high tank on the back of the truck with what looks like a fuel pump? That’s the sugar syrup dispenser. This procedure is all about timing, as levels of syrup, (known as C4) if found in the final product is an issue as it’s not classed as natural NZ honey. Another discussion surrounded relatively new legislation governing what constitutes Manuka honey now, and how it has impacted the industry immensely. It’s not the first time that I’ve heard about it either whereby during the introduction of the legislation, honey stockpiled for 2 years unable to be sold, while they worked through the new guidelines. Sadly, industry wide this caused the cost per kilo of honey to drop from $14 to sometimes as little as $2. Add covid supply chain issues, and the largest export market, China dictating the pricing too, it’s a tough business now to make a living. I also asked if Ben had noticed any decline in the bee colonies over the years, and the answer was that global warming and the erratic weather has been the biggest contributor to their hive decline, and the relentless need to re-build colonies.

Then disease such as Varroa Mites and American Foulbrood also play a role in the bees decline, and can strike at any time.  New Zealand apparently has very strict policies when it comes to hives infested with disease, and often the sick colonies get burnt- hive and all. Interestingly, other countries such as the USA treat colonies with antibiotics instead. Yuck! Overall, Ben informed me that New Zealand honey bees are sort after globally due to good genetics, and their ability to great honey producing colonies, and compared to the USA and other countries, our honey is still relatively free of pesticides too, that globally is now the largest killer of bees. Sadly, disease and pesticides (amongst other factors) result in a phenomena called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) which is a major issue for bees moving forward. I found this essay from https://www.evergreen.edu by Bryanne McNamar that explains CCD really well.

Southern Alps Honey’s hives are located quite far from the Canterbury Plains too, that see a lot of pesticide spraying, so their honey is naturally low in pesticides too. I’ve been fortunate to taste a lot of raw bee honey comb since I started this project (my favourite) and Southern Alps Honey has been the richest, darkest, and most intense flavoured to date! So good.

Due to restrictions getting to the more scenic locations and the light just being horrid, I’ll have to revisit Southern Alps Honey again over the Summer to capture the hives and operations against the mountains. That’s all good though, as this project has only really started after 4 months, and like beekeeping itself, the photographic process can’t be rushed or forced. Mother Nature dictates both outcomes. One pleasing outcome of working on more hives now – is that the images are showcasing just how many bees are present at these sites, and it’s still early in the season! I can only imagine the experience of standing in the middle of hives stacked 7 high multiples by 10- 20! I’m now wearing a suit by the way after being stung on the face, and it’s a much much better experience all round. A necessity really. There is better safety of course, but it also allows me to navigate and capture more angles, and the process. It’s utterly mesmerising being amongst so many bees!

Whats coming up next? I’ve been working though a list of images I feel will work well and compliment the series. This list mostly includes the flora that the honey bees love, and others are more still life and the equipment. I was stoked to finally capture the stunning yellow flowers of the Gorse, as well as the Beech trees that are so vital, to Southern Alps Honey’s hives, and South Island bee keepers in general. It’s great to tick off these types of images, as they do really compliment the portraiture and in situ hives. I’m trying my best to wind this project down for hand in by the 22nd November, but I’ve got some interesting leads at the last minute that I feel will add to the series. I’ve got some urban hives lined up in the city,  and I’m still chasing a location with a mountain view too! I’ve also been passionately looking for a Maori beekeeper portrait, and I’m very excited to finally have one lined up, after looking since the project started 4 months ago. I’m also starting to write the ‘essay’ to accompany the imagery in the book, and have plans to head off in my camper-van and chill in the back to write it. I feel this is the only way it will get done with too many distractions at home. Wish me luck! One other worry is that I’m running out of Kodak Portra coloured film, and with the prices increasing by 20% (that’s 50% in the past 2 years) It’s a bit of a rush to get a good stash purchased and put in the fridge, to safe guard shooting not just in the coming months, but also next year. Thankfully black and white Ilford HP5 is still affordable. Worst case, that will be the film of choice, because I’m not going to abandon this process! Finally, this set I feel represents the working hive  best to date, as I’m getting to know the ‘work place’ and commercial routine of beekeepers better. All of which would not be possible without the generosity of the people I’m spending time with.  Thank you for your time and passing on your knowledge to me.

If you liked this post and want to support my work, could you please share it? You can share by using the icons on the right or below. Thank you!

Some Updates – Beekeeping Project .

I had a catchup with Wendy, one of my tutors for ARA yesterday and we went through some concerns I have with regards to the project. Initially I had none as such, but I guess some of the admin work is becoming problematic. I’ve been using Capsule CRM for managing the people involved with the project and its has been a life saver to be honest. So so good. The issue I was discussing surrounded getting model release in the least annoying way. I started the day Googling for a model release plugin to simply install here on my WordPress site, and was stunned to find NONE! What I did find were multiple plugins that allow you to create embedded forms- and with some custom tweaks, including digital signature add ons- you ended up with a link you can send to people and they fill it out.

The trouble is that these ‘website form’ solutions are either $200 + per year (yes that’s not a typo) or the cheaper ones have terrible design and usability. This matters to me. I spent the whole morning into lunchtime looking for a solution where I could send a link to the subjects- and they take seconds filling it out- and then it gets sent to me as a PDF. In the end I opted to design my own model release as a PDF that’s stripped right back, and very clear with regards to what I’ll use the images for. I then hooked it up with an online service PDFfiller, that allows me to add interactive test input boxes, and a digital signature to sign it off. The only downside is that its an expensive service upto $40 per month. The good side is that the first month is free and only charges you if you continue past the first month.

I’ve spent two full days this week working out a method to release images simply, as well as personalising emails to invite each beekeeper to free up the images to use. Some would prefer a visit with paperwork I’m sure, so I’m catering to that too. The goal of this final project is to prove that I’ve done 450 hours of work, and trust me, that ain’t going to be a problem! I’ve been busy on this project from week one, and blogged about every portrait or hive visit. I’ve decided to made it into a A4 PDF book for submission, but also a perfect bound book that I will submit as part of hand in too. Physical is just better and I’m going to make a book like this for every major project moving forward for my own reference. FYI I’m using Angus Donaldson for my printing needs here in Christchurch, based on such great results on the They Are us zine.  that they printed. In fact, with this, and a project surrounding lockdown that will be made into a book, plus the beekeeping book design for hand in, I’m spending a fair amount of time designing at the moment. I was a freelance graphic designer from 2001 – 2008 and book design has always been my favourite process, and in 2021 I’m using the fantastic Affinity Publisher software rather than being held at ransom by Adobe. Honestly, I actually prefer it to Indesign! It’s brilliant to use.

I have a couple of weeks to put it all together now, and I started the beekeeping book design today. Instantly I was faced with the reality that in an ideal world I would love to have the more personal portraits of Beekeepers suit-less juxtaposed to them suited up. But due to the seasonal reality of beekeeping, and time frame for hand-in, that is not likely to happen now, but definitely over the period of the next year. Beekeepers are very busy now too and up early- finishing late- and I don’t want to get in the way this side of the year. In one way it’s great to see the layout speak to me this way as I’m adding images to pages, but it also means I have to work a formula for the book based on the series of images I do have, that are mixed portraits and working at hives. Thankfully I have time. Thankfully I understand this part of the process.

I’ve been getting more and more into art books this year and recenlty of note is a book by Anne Noble “ConversātiōIn 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. I’m positive next year that I’ll set up a hive so that I can spend more time observing bees and making more art surrounding them vs the keepers. I guess that’s what this book has highlighted to me that my work is ongoing and surrounds the people of beekeeping in Canterbury, rather than the bees themselves, and that’s OK. Yet, if I start Masters next year, It’s likely that I’ll continue with the focus on with bees and environment-and that in-between art and science place. I’m now inspired to add some close up abstract imagery into this current body of work. I’ve applied for some funding to continue Masters into 2022- so fingers crossed. The image below by the way is of Lisa, a student being taught by the wonderful Kevin Gate on 35mm that is not my preferred format- but it surprised me. I’ve also attached some images from Anne’s wonderful publication.

If you liked this post and want to support my work, could you please share it? You can share by using the icons on the right or below. Thank you!