Bees are beautiful and we don’t know it. That seems to be the message of the photographs of Joris Vegter, a professional expert in close-ups of tiny, unknown insects. This time he has put the bees behind his target and has captured the paradox of the fragility and power of these insects, the pressing need to protect them and the strength of these pollinators to reinvent and reorganize themselves in any circumstance.
Love at first buzz. This is how we could describe the crush we feel when carefully observing Vegter’s photos. The photographer has teamed up with Guerlain to show bees in a different way, fragile and beautiful, small but powerful.
Vetger has worked with a macro lens and a flash diffuser to achieve minimal lighting. He says he prefers to work at dawn or dusk, when nature seems to go in slow motion, or during the day when the bees are busiest. At these times the photographer usually captures moments of pure magic. “My greatest wish is to raise awareness about the importance of these infinitely tiny creatures that populate our gardens,” says the artist who in turn reveals to us that they are very beautiful insects if you look at them closely.
Looking closely at these photos it is discovered that bees have two large compound eyes, and three smaller eyes on the top of the head, known as ocelli. With this they get a panoramic view.
Insects use their proboscis (a tongue-like organ) to suck nectar from flowers and store it in the crop. When bees appear to be dancing, they are actually communicating with other bees to indicate the direction and distance of pollen sources. Even the most hardworking ones get tired, which is why they sometimes perch on a flower to take a nap alone.
Guerlain has been protecting bees for a decade. His mission, through the Guerlain For Bees Conservation program, brings together more than fifteen allies and initiatives around the world, and includes protecting their habitats, pollinating species; and educate children through the Bee School. In addition, the maison works with the GoodPlanet Foundation, a non-governmental organization created by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, to raise awareness among young people about bee conservation issues.
Guerlain also empowers women through the Women for Bees program in partnership with UNESCO and independently with local NGOs in the Bologna and Calabria regions of Italy; Alicante, Spain; Osaka and Tokyo in Japan; and the Yucatán region, in Mexico.
For this edition of World Bee Day from May 20 to 22, Guerlain will dedicate 20% of online and physical store sales to the Guerlain For Bees Conservation program, including sales of the limited edition of Abeille Royale Advanced Youth Aqueous Oil which for the occasion has been redesigned by the French artist Oniriq.
