Books and Resources That Helped Me
Contents
Intro
I have found that books and written guides are often more useful to me than watching photography videos on YouTube. Videos can still be helpful, especially when I want to see how a piece of equipment works, but they do not always match the kind of photography I do.
Sometimes a video is mainly about promoting new gear, which can leave you thinking that you need the latest camera, lens or accessory to take better photographs. The photographer’s use case may also be very different. I once watched someone demonstrate close-up photography by photographing spiders indoors. There was nothing wrong with that, but the technique did not necessarily translate well to photographing active bees outside.
Watching someone else go on an insect photography walk can be entertaining, but it cannot replace going into your own backyard or a nearby park and practising. The more time I spend outside, the more I learn about light, focusing, bee behaviour and the equipment I already own.
Books and written guides allow me to slow down, study the fundamentals and return to a particular section when I need it. These are some of the photography and bee-related resources that have helped me along the way.
Photography Resources
John Shaw’s Closeups in Nature
John Shaw
This is an older book from the film photography era, but many of its fundamental ideas are still relevant today. It covers subjects such as magnification, exposure, lenses, working distance and lighting.
I also enjoy the way John Shaw explains technical subjects. His writing is clear and practical without making close-up photography feel unnecessarily complicated. The book is available to read on the Internet Archive.
John Shaw’s Guide to Digital Nature Photography
John Shaw
This is a broader book about nature photography, but it includes a useful section on close-up photography.
I would recommend reading it before becoming too distracted by equipment reviews and technique videos online. It provides a good foundation for understanding exposure, composition, lighting and working with natural subjects.
The Manual of Close-Up Photography
Lester Lefkowitz
This book was published in 1979, so used copies can often be found at a reasonable price. My copy was previously owned by a library.
Like John Shaw’s earlier work, it was written during the film era, but much of the technical information remains useful. This is especially relevant to me because I use several vintage manual-focus lenses and accessories.
Lester Lefkowitz has also written more recent books on close-up photography. I have not read those yet, but they may be worth exploring if you prefer a newer reference.
Photography Websites and Forums
Photomacrography.net
Photomacrography.net is a long-running forum for people interested in close-up, macro and high-magnification photography.
There is a great deal of practical knowledge in its discussions, including information about lenses, lighting, magnification, focus stacking and homemade equipment. Some discussions are quite technical, but the forum is useful when I want to research a specific question.
Extreme Macro
Extreme Macro is a useful website for understanding the concepts behind high-magnification photography.
It explains subjects such as reproduction ratios, reversed lenses, extension tubes, effective aperture, diffraction and focus stacking. Even if you do not plan to photograph at extreme magnifications, the site can help explain what happens as you move beyond 1:1.
Learning About Bees
Learning how to operate the camera is only part of bee photography. Understanding the bees themselves has been just as important.
Knowing something about their size, preferred plants, nesting habits and behaviour makes them easier to find and photograph. It also helps me recognise when something interesting is happening, such as buzz pollination, roosting, nest building or nectar concentrating.
Bees and Other Beneficial Insects: A Pocket-book Guide
Megan Halcroft
This small guide is convenient to carry and provides a helpful introduction to Australian native bees and other beneficial insects.
It is especially useful for beginners who want a simple reference for recognising some of the bees and other insects they may encounter in the garden.
Australian Native Bees AgGuide
NSW Department of Primary Industries
I bought the electronic version of this guide because it includes interactive material such as video and audio.
It provides an accessible introduction to Australian native bees, including their biology, nesting habits and identification. I found it suitable for a beginner like me who wanted to learn more without starting with a highly technical identification key.
The Australian Bee Genera: An Annotated, User-Friendly Key
Tobias Smith
This is a more detailed guide to identifying the different genera of Australian bees. It is available as a free PDF from the website.
It is particularly useful once you want to move beyond broad descriptions such as “small black bee” and begin understanding the physical features used to distinguish one group from another.
A Guide to Native Bees of Australia
Terry Houston
This is a comprehensive reference on Australian native bees. It covers their diversity, biology, behaviour, nesting habits and relationships with plants.
It is a useful book to return to when you encounter a new bee and want to learn more about what you have observed or photographed.
Online Bee Communities
Bee Aware of Your Native Bees
Bee Aware of Your Native Bees is an Australian Facebook group administered by Megan Halcroft.
Members share photographs and observations, and people with considerable experience often help with identification. It is also a good place to enjoy photographs from other bee enthusiasts and learn which species are being seen in different parts of Australia.
The group’s resource section contains additional guides and reading material for anyone interested in Australian native bees.
Workshops
Native Bee Workshops with Tobias Smith
I attended a native bee identification workshop taught by Tobias Smith at The University of Queensland in 2021. It was an excellent introduction to the diversity of Australian native bees.
One of the highlights was being able to examine different bees under a microscope. Seeing their sizes, body shapes and identifying features up close gave me a much better appreciation of how varied they are.
Tobias runs native bee education activities and workshops through Bee Aware Kids. If you are in Brisbane or elsewhere in South-East Queensland, it is worth checking the website or his social media pages for upcoming sessions.
Reading Helps, but Practice Matters
Books and online resources are helpful, but learning directly from someone with experience and seeing the bees for yourself adds another dimension.
You do not need to read every book on this list before taking photographs. One good close-up photography guide and a useful local bee reference are enough to get started.
Reading can help explain the fundamentals and prevent unnecessary spending, but it still needs to be combined with practice. No book, website or video can replace time spent outside watching bees and learning how they behave.
In the end, the most useful resource is often the garden, park or patch of flowers near you. Take the camera you already have, go outside and see what you can find.