"God Save the Queen" is a photo series about the beautiful life of bees and how important they are to our ecosystem. It all started out with the idea of personifying the queen bee through fashion -- demonstrating her characteristics through color, texture, and light. With a beautiful model, a romantic summer look, and an apiary filled with thousands upon thousands of bees, the scene was set. We are telling her story through digestible facts in hope of empowering our readership so they can make a difference too. 

Throughout this project we’ve had this amazing opportunity to learn so much more about bees. The honeybee plays an integral role in the environment, responsible for performing one of nature’s most essential processes–pollination. Through their tireless work, these committed creatures pollinate around $15 billion worth of crops in the United States alone, and are also responsible for producing many important products – honey, beeswax, and propolis – that we use in our everyday lives. 
Unfortunately, these diligent workers are facing a grave situation. As a result of numerous factors – from rising global temperatures to a heavy use of insecticides – honeybees are dying at an alarming rate, with losses ranging between 20-40% every year. As important pollinators of many crops, this steep drop in population continues to deeply hurt the agricultural industry. If left unchecked, this decline will ultimately result in higher food prices as well as a significant decrease in the variety of our diets. Everyday foods – coffee, apples, almonds, etc. – will grow scarcer, resulting in large price surges for these foods. 
In order to prevent this from happening, it is our collective responsibility to ensure that honeybees survive. Through nurturing and protecting these animals, we act for the health and prosperity of the future. You can provide help today by donating to the multitude of organizations devoted to the health of the honeybee, such as the American Honey Bee Protection Agency or the Honeybee Conservancy.

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Creative Director + Photographer: Giselle Yeung @giselleyeungphoto @fashionphotousa

Model: Lauren Holshouser @laurenhayley39 @nealhamilagency

MUA: Natalie Barry @nataliebmakeup

Hairstylist: Jeannette Stagg @jeannettestagg

Stylist: Monique Beasley @boldnchic_mb

Videographer + Assistant: Shane Qureshi @spqiah @fashionphotousa

Assistant: HP Dodge @harlandart

Bee Keeper: Shelley Rice @allthingsbeestexas

Bee Keeper Assistants: Hannah Stephens, Shawn Stephens

Article Written by: Jack Yeung

Important resource: Lisa Bridges from Merchant and Market @whoislisabridges