The inspiration for photographer Holly Lynton’s Bare Handed series began in her own backyard, triggered by the sight of a bird caught in raspberry bush netting. The encounter prompted Lynton to reflect on the complex human relationship with the natural world: how to secure necessary resources while acting as responsible stewards of the environment. Unlike projects focused solely on the environmental toll of industrial agriculture, Lynton sought out individuals who maintained a respectful, symbiotic connection with nature, even when working in precarious or high-stakes environments. It made me think of the problem humans have interacting with the natural world. How do we navigate obtaining food and the other things we need while still being good stewards of the land. Tried to work in tandem with it, but who might be in a fearful or dangerous situation, i wanted to find people who took a respectful approach.
For this specific series, Lynton collaborated with Les, a beekeeper she encountered after consulting a director at an Albuquerque, New Mexico, exhibition space. Previous attempts to document beekeepers using full protective suits felt too detached, resembling astronauts rather than participants. With Les, Lynton spent three days observing his process. On the final day, accompanied by Les’s apprentice, Amber, a pivotal moment occurred. Les held the colony’s queen in a cage, and at his request, Amber moved the queen into his hand, effectively drawing the entire colony to him. The rest of the colony will swarm, wherever the queen is.
Standing with his hands covered in bees, Les turned to Lynton and asked if he should place them on his face. Lynton agreed, capturing the surreal scene as he closed his eyes. The bees avoided his hair and beard, clustering instead on his skin. Afterward, Les noted that he could hear nothing but the buzzing. Lynton observed that the work often felt like a choreographed dance, requiring patience to capture the right gesture. Les avoided gloves throughout the process, explaining that he needed tactile sensitivity to avoid crushing the insects and that the intense heat made protective suits impractical. Afterwards, he said: “You know, I couldn’t hear anything but the buzzing. According to he, He needed to be able to feel them so he didn’t crush them, and that it was too hot to wear a suit.
Lynton used a medium-format analogue camera during the shoot. Even while looking through the lens, she felt bees landing on her own hands. Although she initially tried wearing a protective veil, she found it inhibited her focus and eventually discarded it. Following Les’s advice to move slowly, she managed to avoid stings. The project later expanded to include other subjects, such as wolf trainers and Oklahoma catfish noodlers—individuals who catch large fish weighing up to 45kg with their bare hands—reinforcing her focus on the spiritual and meditative nature of their expertise.
Born in 1972 in Boulder, Colorado, Lynton views photography as a medium for creating ambiguous, multilayered narratives. She consciously avoids traditional documentary styles, aiming instead for imagery that evokes myth and cultural memory. While the image of Les does not reference a specific story, his choice to remain exposed evokes the spirit of Greek mythology. She suggests he embodies the essence of an Odyssey character who elects to experience the world directly rather than shielding himself. The first couple involved straightforward documentary pictures of him tending his hives.
Looking back at her career, Lynton identifies high points as moments where all technical and compositional elements align to create an image that transcends the immediate scene, eliciting wonder and mystery. Her work has been showcased at institutions like the Nelson-Atkins Museum and Bristol Cathedral, and her book, Bare Handed, was published by L’Artiere. She encourages fellow photographers to prioritize curiosity over artifice, suggesting that they should not fear changing the direction of their work or reframing their objectives, as the creative journey is ultimately more significant than the final goal.
