I discovered Paula through Instagram, where I was immediately captivated by her extraordinary photographs of wild bees. The macro photography she specialises in beautifully reveals the incredible details and delicate beauty of these tiny creatures. Her images allow us to see what is often difficult to notice during a walk or when simply watching a bee among the flowers.
I invited Paula to take part in this year’s edition of the Great Exhibition of Bees, wanting to present wild bees through her unique artistic eye. Her photographs can be seen at the Museum Castle in Janowiec, where, together with other artworks, they have been placed among the trees, creating a beautiful dialogue with the surrounding landscape and nature.
Meet Paula Możdżyńska and discover her extraordinary way of seeing wild bees.
Diana Dyba
TOGETHER FOR BEES ❖ ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
„From flowers to wild bees”
Paula Możdżyńska | 8. Sierpnia 2026
My adventure with nature began in a rather classic way – by photographing flowers. Photography brought me a sense of calm that I really needed at the time, and quite unexpectedly, I discovered that this way of spending time outdoors really suited me :).
Over time, however, flowers alone began to feel a little too peaceful and, well… a little boring (apologies to all flower lovers!). More and more often, instead of focusing on the flower itself, I found myself watching what was happening around it and wondering what was actually visiting it.
Who is landing on it?
Who comes for the pollen?
What is all this commotion about?
And it was these simple questions, together with a little curiosity, that marked the beginning of my real adventure with the world of insects.
Rozrożka długoczułka
(Tetralonia malvae)
Porobnica włochatka
(Anthophora plumipes)
Makatka zbójnica (anthidium manicatum)
Suddenly, photography became more than just a way to clear my mind of negative thoughts – it became a tool for discovering and understanding nature. I began to observe insects more closely, trying to identify them, reading about their biology and behaviour, and learning how their lives are connected to the world around them.
The more I learned, the more I began to see. Every place I visited turned out to be a small world filled with intricate connections and relationships that I simply hadn’t noticed before.
Bombus sp.
Kamieniarka kuprówka (Lithurgus cornutus)
At some point, there were simply too many possible directions, and it became difficult to decide which one to follow. The world of insects is almost endless, and even the smallest part of it can completely draw you in.
That was when I discovered Justyna Kierat, author of the blog Żołna na łowach. It was thanks to her that I began looking much more closely at wild bees. I quickly realised that I had found a subject that completely captivated me and brought me an enormous sense of satisfaction.
Before that, the word “bee” was associated mainly with the honey bee – as it probably is for most of us. Well, perhaps we could also add the bumblebee to the mix :).
But the world of wild bees turned out to be incredibly rich. They differ in size, appearance, behaviour, nesting habits and in the plants they depend on. Some species are tiny and easy to overlook, while others can stop me in my tracks from the very first moment and genuinely make my heart beat faster!
Różyca błękitnawa
(Ceratina cyanea)
Porobnica włochatka (Anthophora plumipes)
Pszczolinka ( Andrena sp.)
Kornutka (Eucera sp.)
Photographs by Paula Możdżyńska featured in the Great Exhibition of Bees at the Museum Castle in Janowiec.
The exhibition can be visited until the end of August 2026.
A photograph by Paula Możdżyńska featured on this year’s invitation to the Great Exhibition of Bees, “We Are All Connected,” at the Museum Castle in Janowiec.
What fascinates me most is the realisation that I can discover something new almost anywhere I go. I don’t need to travel to the other side of the world. Sometimes – and, actually, I would say almost always 🙂 – all it takes is a country lane, a roadside bank, a patch of meadow, a garden or an unassuming spot at the edge of a forest. You can walk past the same place hundreds of times, and then one day suddenly notice a species you have never seen before.
One of the things that fascinates me most about bees is their eyes. It was only through photographing them up close that I began to notice just how beautiful they can be, and how much they differ from one species to another. From completely black eyes, to blue ones like those of the skrócinkowiec [Polish species name], the greenish eyes of porobnica chabrówkaand obrostka Morawitza, tiny emeralds belonging to zieleniczki, all the way to the incredible red eyes of koczownice. It is these tiny details that make me more fascinated by them the longer I look.
Bombus sp.
Pszczolinka niebieskawa (Andrena cineraria)
Porobnica chabrówka (Anthophora bimaculata)
Makateczka komonicówka
(Anthidiellum strigatum)
And then I discovered that bees have their very own… cuckoos! There are species that don’t build their own nests, but instead make use of the nests of other bees. For me, this was one of those discoveries that I can only describe as slightly “mind-blowing” – in the best possible way, of course :). And yet another reminder of the incredible things happening right beside us, often without us having the slightest idea.
Mamrzyk skrócinkowiec
(Epeoloides coecutiens)
Koczownica
Since the beginning of this year, I have made a decision that I want to devote most of – well, actually, all of – my attention to wild bees. I want to photograph them, observe them, learn about them and understand them better and better.
This fascination has also started to shape the space around me. I sowed a wildflower mix on my land, while also making an effort to preserve and encourage the native plant species already growing there. I am not interested in having a perfect, sterile lawn. What matters to me is creating a place that is truly alive.
The results have exceeded my expectations. On a really small patch of land, I have managed to create a place with an incredible diversity of life. Many species of bees appear there, along with countless other insects. Each new season shows me just how little is sometimes needed to give nature some space of its own – a little room, the right plants, and above all, a willingness to let things remain a little less perfectly trimmed and orderly.
My dream is to bring this world closer to people through photography. I would like someone looking at one of my photographs to stop for a moment and think:
“I had no idea something like this lived right beside me.”
Because that, to me, is the most beautiful thing about wild bees. They are not an exotic curiosity from some distant corner of the world. They are here. Often just a few metres from our homes – on flowers growing along roadsides, in gardens, meadows and seemingly insignificant patches of land.
This incredibly diverse world exists right beside us. We simply need to start noticing it.
I am still learning how to do that myself. And perhaps that is exactly why this passion has drawn me in so deeply. The more I learn, the more I realise how much there is still left to discover.
I am incredibly grateful to Diana for giving me the opportunity to share my passion and my photographs with you :).
I hope that at least a few of these photographs will make you stop for a moment the next time you are out for a walk, pause beside an ordinary flower and look a little more closely at what is happening around it.
Because perhaps right there – in a small patch of meadow, beside a country road or in your own garden – one of those tiny worlds is waiting for you. A world that has been within reach all along, but that we simply have not yet learned to notice.
And if my photographs inspire even one person to look at wild bees with greater curiosity and affection, that would be the greatest reward I could ask for.
Paula Możdżyńska