In our recent episode of The Camera Life Podcast (episode 51), Justin, Jim, and Greg from team Lucky Straps chatted with award-winning landscape and aerial photographer Mieke Boynton (@miekeboyntonphotography).
Watch the episode on Youtube, listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Mieke and her partner, Matt Palmer, are co-owners of the Alpine Light Gallery in Bright, Victoria. Mieke’s creative journey began growing up in the Porepunkah and Bright area and spending time in the forest near the family home. Mieke’s love of nature and art proved to influence her journey steadily. During her time as an educator in the Kimberley region. Mieke was astounded by the landscapes and felt compelled to photograph everything she saw. She remained in the area for nearly a decade, working her full-time gig while making the most of landscape photography.
It’s fair to say that Mieke’s photography is highly acclaimed and, through her focus and dedication, has received an astounding number of awards over the years. Some of the recent standout awards include Australian Landscape Photographer of the Year - 2024 NZIPP Iris Award, Official Australian Team Selection - Team Australia - 2024 World Photographic Cup, and countless Gold Awards - Australian Photographic Prize. Mieke joined the Australian Photographic Society in 2011 and became involved in the Distinctions system for the Fédération Internationale de l'Art Photographique (FIAP). She is also an accredited New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography (NZIPP) member. Mieke is also a professional judge for the Professional Photography Awards. As a side note, I was at a recent gallery exhibition at the Melbourne Camera Club for International Women’s Day, and sure enough, there was one of Mieke’s striking images in the collection. Mieke attributes much of her growth to persistently entering her images into competitions to gain critique and feedback and develop her craft further.
“I enjoy assisting others on their photographic journey, and regularly meet online with photographers who are at all stages of mastery to offer both mentoring and critique. It is also an honour to be a photographic judge, and it has been a great pleasure to judge competitions in Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Germany, and France.”
Alpine Light opened in 2021 shortly after the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the extensive lockdowns Victoria faced during that time. Mieke chose to return to Bright to open a photographic gallery. Mieke and Matt met through their joint ventures with the AIPP and joined forces to create and run the gallery. Through their partnership, Mieke and Matt offer a wide range of photography workshops, tours, and online support (especially during Covid). The gallery supports both photographers’ landscape work of the region, Australia, and images from their international travels. Having grown up in a family business, Mieke applied her knowledge, skills, and experiences to curate the best collection of images from the pair's extensive collections.
“There is nothing I enjoy more than heading away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and connecting with Nature. Sunrise is my favourite time of day for many reasons. There's more of a likelihood that I'll see some spectacular colours in the sky, or there might be fog, and I often get to experience it all to myself - it's like an epic show put on just for me! I also enjoy sunsets - especially at the beach when the sky is reflected in the wet sand. Night photography fills me with wonder - especially if there's a lightning storm, or the Milky Way, or a chance to see Lady Aurora dancing…”
If you’re unfamiliar with The Camera Life Podcast, be sure to take a look at our YouTube channel for the latest episodes and, of course, our back catalogue of weekly shows. Our shows are also available on popular audio podcast platforms. If you like what you see, please give us a thumbs up, subscribe to The Camera Life, and click on the bell icon to receive notifications of upcoming shows. We host two shows a week, the first being every Thursday at 9am AEDT (Australia), where we interview guests like John. The second show, The Random Photography Show, airs every Monday at 7:30 pm AEDT. The Random Photography show is a little random, a little loose, and a lot of fun! Be sure to check them out.
Find Mieke Here:
- https://www.miekeboynton.com/
- https://www.instagram.com/miekeboyntonphotography/
- https://alpinelight.com.au/
The Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OCREQfRcA0
