Happy National Pollinator Week! Pollinator Week is an annual celebration in support of pollinator health that was initiated and is managed by Pollinator Partnership. It’s a time to raise awareness of pollinators and their importance however you like…and we love to raise awareness through photography, of course! Pollinators are critical to our ecosystem's success - plus they are extremely fun to photograph! Photographing such tiny creatures that can fly around quickly offers endless challenges as well as many opportunities for creativity. Whether you’re leaning towards grabbing the Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G lens and getting close up on those details or picking up the Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master and capturing insects in flight - chances are you’ll have a lot of fun. Check out these pollinator photographers to follow on Instagram. As you celebrate our pollinators through photography, be sure to tag photos taken with your Sony cameras and lenses with #BeAlpha for a chance to be featured. And don’t forget to follow @sonyalpha for your daily dose of photography inspiration.

Pollinators are an essential part of the ecosystem. See how these creatives get their cameras in tight and up close to photograph them.

Jose Madrigal – @jmad_images

Jose Madrigal focuses his photography on pollinators and dragonflies. He is well-known for capturing insects in flight - quite a challenge! But if you scroll through his Instagram feed, you’ll see that he’s got it down to a science. We love the image below of a leafcutter bee. Madrigal captured it perfectly sharp, even though you can clearly see the bee is in flight and the composition with the flower tells an interesting story - the viewer knows what is about to happen. He captured this image with ​​the Sony Alpha 7R III and Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master lens with the Sony 1.4X Teleconverter. 

Hannah Mather – @​​hannahshoneycomb

Alpha Female+ grant winner Hannah Mather is a pollinator photographer and a beekeeper. The grant supported her project known as “The Pollinator Project'' where she created a photo and video project that showed the unique life and behavior of several pollinator species. Mather shot stills, video and high-speed slow motion to give us a glimpse into the overlooked parts of nature that are all around us and help more people to slow down and to see that there is nature worth protecting right in our own backyards. If you’re interested in bees - her account is a must-follow! She always gives a fresh look at the insects we see everyday but don’t always think about. Learn more about her project HERE. 

Frazer Leal – @frazerlealphotography

Nature photographer and photo guide Frazer Leal spends his life traveling and taking photographs of wildlife. His Instagram account has a variety of wildlife that never cease to amaze and delight. We love the images of monarch butterflies below. Leal took these photos with the Sony Alpha 1, Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II and the Sony 1.4X Teleconverter. Learn more about Leal’s go-to gear HERE.

Sandee Lim – @finding.aim

Sandee Lim describes herself as, “just a nature nerd with a camera capturing the small things in life.” Her passion for the small creatures comes through in her photography. When looking at her images, you can tell she has patience and appreciation for the insects. We love the video clip below showing how a wasp drinks! Lim shot this on her ​​Sony Alpha 6400 with her Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G lens. 

Orenda Randuch – @orenda_orenda

Born in Northern California, Orenda Randuch grew up surrounded by the natural world and an artist community which heavily influenced her photography. She specializes in nature and landscape photography with an artistic flair. We love the series of images below because they give both a scientific and artistic feel to the insects in the image. Randuch often photographs everyday things such as flowers from fresh perspectives. 

Andreas Zydek – @anzy1966

Andreas Zydek is a wildlife, bird and macro photographer based in Germany. His favorite lens to use to photograph insects is the Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G lens and we love seeing the shots he’s capturing with it! His Instagram account is full of highly detailed images - and whether they are images of a bird or a tiny insect, we love seeing it on our feed! Be sure to check out and give Zydek a follow. 

Darryl – @daz_flicks_macro

Darryl, also known as daz_flicks has a special account dedicated to his macro photography work with his Sony Alpha 7 III and Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G. For those of you who can’t get enough of experiencing tiny life through a new perspective - this page is for you! Darryl has some stupendous photographs of flowers and of course, of pollinators! We love this image of a weevil in a flower. The closeness of this macro shot really immerses you and allows you to see details that would be challenging to see with the naked eye!

Miq Dhur – @miq_dhur_naturfotografie

Luxembourg-based photographer Miq Dhur takes quiet, soft garden images. From plants to rabbits to pollinators, her Instagram feed is full of beautiful images that make you feel like you’re sitting in a garden at sunrise. The image below is of a hoverfly. In her caption, she explains [translated], “Hoverflies are completely harmless as they neither bite nor sting. They protect themselves from predators with their often black and yellow stripes on their abdomen. They are true flight artists and with up to 300 wing beats per second they can 'stand' in the air like hummingbirds.” Dhur took this image with the Sony Alpha 7 IV and the Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G lens. 

Sergio Erick – @ser_vivo_fotografia

Sergio Erick specializes in macro photography with his Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G lens and Sony Alpha 6000. His feed shows tiny insects in incredible detail. We love the detail in the image below, being able to see all the little hairs on the insect is wonderful! Follow Erick for more magical macro moments. 

Doug Gimesy – @doug_gimesy

Australia-based photographer Doug Gimesy focuses his work on conservation and animal welfare issues. Specializing in local storytelling, Gimesy photographs Australian wildlife. Among the koala bears, kangaroos, and platypus on his Instagram feed, you’ll see many images of grey-headed flying-foxes. Gimesy has even published a children’s book on this species facing steep population decline. Fimesy refers to these creatures as “night gardeners” as they are important pollinators working after the sun sets. It is delightful to see Gimesy’s flying-foxes video clips and images like the one below. He shot this footage on Sony Alpha 7S III. Give Gimesy a follow to keep seeing the night gardeners on your feed!