True Blue
The Hidden World of WA Native BeesTrue Blue focuses on the ten species from one Western Australian genus of native bee, Ctenocolletes, or the “Comb-Bearers”. These WA locals are largely disregarded as they don’t fit into the popular view of what constitutes a bee; they don’t make honey, they’re not part of any hive, many are not black and yellow. Yet without them much of WA’s unique ecological value would diminish.
Using UV light, each image harnesses the species’ biofluorescence. Through this natural phenomenon we not only get to see the hidden biodiversity within a single genus of insect, but we can understand what the world through their eyes is like. Bees have the innate ability to see into the UV light spectrum, light and colour invisible to the human eye. Whilst we may never truly know what that’s like to experience, UV induced visible fluorescence (UVIVF) photography helps us catch a glimpse of this unknowable reality.
“True Blue” was awarded “Shortlisted” for the Sony World Photography Awards 2025. This was exhibited in Somerset House, London.
Ctenocolletes albomarginatus
Ctenocolletes centralis
Ctenocolletes fulvescens
Ctenocolletes nicholsoni
Ctenocolletes nigricans
Ctenocolletes ordentis
Ctenocolletes rufescens
Ctenocolletes smaragdinus
Ctenocolletes tigris
Ctenocolletes tricolor
Photographed at the Western Australian Museum