Mieke Boynton has loved art her whole life. The landscape photographer from Broome, Western Australia, says she was entering colouring competitions at the age of four, and although she's tried her hand at a number of career paths, she has always returned to the visual arts.
Boynton studied art, but did not seriously consider photography as an art form until she moved to the Kimberley region in 2008. “I fell in love with the epic landscapes here,” she says. “I couldn’t believe the vividness of the colours, and didn’t think anyone else would believe them unless I photographed them.”
In 2009, Boynton got her first DSLR. Though lacking the benefit of formal training, she credits the photographers she met through online forums with her skill development. She also participated in landscape photography workshops. Experience of living in remote WA has also been a practical teacher. “Living in the Kimberley has definitely affected the way I shoot landscapes,” she says. “Aboriginal cultures treat the land as though it were aware of our presence, and I share the same attitude.”
This attitude affects what she does when she’s out shooting. “I take time to ‘meet’ each place - to feel the atmosphere, to get a sense of its individuality, and to allow it to ‘speak’ to me,” says Boynton. “Sometimes, this means putting down the camera and actually experiencing the place, rather than trying to document it.” Boynton says it is easier to produce work that elicits an emotional response in viewers if the photographer feels an emotional connection to the landscape in the first place.
Boynton has travelled extensively overseas. In 2014, she was one of 26 photographers worldwide invited by the Indonesian Government to experience ‘International Photography Week’ at various locations around the country. She has also travelled further afield. “I’ve just returned from Norway where I was able to photograph the spectacular Nordlys (Northern Lights),” she says.
In 2015, Boynton was ranked in the Top 101 at the International Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards, and was a finalist for the Kennedy Art Award. During the year, she received four Gold medals for her work, Aurora, in various international exhibitions.
www.miekeboynton.com
