There I was, crouched in a very uncomfortable position in the bush, quietly waiting and waiting for her to come back. It was hot, with the sun was beating down hard and I could feel the sweat running down my stomach under my clothes. I had been here for so long it seemed, since I last spotted her and had bolted to get my camera and a lens, suitable to magnify her in all her glory.
Stalking is hot tiring work and just when I was about to give up, I could hear her hum around the corner. I raised the camera, kept very still and just waited. Suddenly she was right in front of me, darting her gorgeous butt back and forth, mesmerising me. I took a deep breath, aimed and started firing liking crazy, five frames per second, trying to catch her mid-flight to freeze a moment in time to study her later.
She settled on a pearly white citrus blossom and she set to work massaging off the sticky yellow pollen and collecting bundles on her long legs. These were the moments that allowed me to slow down, take everything in and at the right time and in the right light, capture her in pixel perfection.
It was during these moments my obsession with bees began.
I am a professional photographer by trade, successfully photographing commercially for over 15 years. Although I have photographed many things in my career, I specialise in food photography. I have always been a keen gardener; studying the certificate of permaculture design and practising those principles in both my work and personal life.
As part of creating a sustainable ecosystem, bees were a natural progression to complete the circle. After years of keeping native stingless bees, I dived headfirst into the amazing world of beekeeping - and what a wonderful journey. Wonder, awe and respect for these beautiful females who are up against the perils of what nature has in store for them, and even more so from humans. Despite all this, these tough females work relentlessly to create sweet pleasures for their sisters. Luckily enough, I can harvest their sweet honey for the world to enjoy.
Above all, without bees and their tireless labour - we could not survive.
“The bee is the pollinator, that fertilises the flowers,
that bear fruit and seed, that grow new life.”
Madame Honey's hives are kept in Everton Park, Brisbane’s Northside, where the ladies get to sample a variety of seasonal trees and flowers. I am working with a very talented floral photographer to bring together the honey hand-in-hand with a visual display of what botanicals and places the bees have been collecting their pollen and nectar from, and the changing seasons. You will be able to follow the flowers in bloom and taste the difference from month to month.
As a small boutique honey producer, my absolute priority is the welfare of the bees above honey production, so there are natural limits to how much and when during each season I can supply product.