References – BeeLover.Net

Here’s a list of references and resources that had helped me a lot. I’ll split this into two areas:

Photography Related

John Shaw’s Closeups in Nature: The Photographer’s Guide to Techniques and Equipment by John Shaw. This is a an old book made during the film photography days. However the foundational contents are still applicable today. I think you will also enjoy the way John Shaw explain things. You can read the book on archive.org.
John Shaw’s Guide to Digital Nature Photography by John Shaw. This is a more general book on nature photography. I highly recommend the section on macro. Read it before you search the internet or watch videos (of amateurs and hobbysts) on Youtube.
Lester Lefkowitz’s Manual of Close-Up Photography. This is the 1979 publication so can be had for cheap. Mine was a used version from a library. Just like John Shaw’s book, although the book was made during the film era, the techniques are still applicable. This is especially true for me as I use vintage macro lenses. If you’re looking for something newer then check out the 2023 publications (I haven’t read them yet)

Photomacrography – online forum for enthusiasts. There’s a wealth of knowledge shared in forum. I prefer reading to watching youtube videos.
Extreme Macro – this is a great site to grasp the key concepts in macro and ‘extreme’ macro photography

Bees & other beneficial insects: a pocket-book guide by Megan Halcroft. This tiny booklet is very handy and useful to help identify solitary & native bees.
NSW DPI AgGuide for Australian Native Bees – I bought the e-book because there’s interactive contents (i.e. video, sound etc). I think this book is suitable for beginners like me.
The Australian bee genera: An annotated, user friendly key by Tobias Smith
A Guide to Native Bees of Australia by Terry Houston. Note: this is a great resource particularly but perhaps a bit ‘too technical’ for someone like me.

Bee Aware of Your Native Bees (Australia) Facebook Group administered by Megan Halcroft (Dr). If you use facebook, this is a useful group to get some help with identifying bees from the experts and the enjoy bee photos submitted by group members. Additionally, the resource section contains a lot of reading materials.

Native Bees Workshop at UQ taught by Tobias Smith. Keep an eye for the upcoming session if you are in the Brisbane area. I attended the workshop in 2021 and it was really amazing! The best part was being able to see all sorts of Australian native bees under the microscope.