About MMFA

Michael Milner

FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER/ARTIST

The passion to create is what drives me to get up, even if that means before the sun rises in the bitter cold of the morning to hike long distances to make photographs. I must say I would never consider myself a morning person though. Passion is a powerful motivation that drives one to put aside comfort and ease.  And for me, that has been ever present for over the last 25 years since I picked up a camera to fulfil my dreams in this medium.

The journey to make money from a camera is not easy though, nor to take what you create and put it out to the world for everyone to evaluate – something so deeply personal.  Your own personal vision.  Passion is only the first step in a long chain of skills needed to bring to your desire in the visual arts – to push past all the personal barriers – to turn passion into an income and a career. It requires risk, facing the fear of rejection, and these are very real influences.  But my view is ‘life is a journey’ – it has highs and lows and many other bumps twists and turns along the way which add to the spice of life and keeps things interesting, challenging, and rewarding; especially when success comes and dreams are realised.

You might now be saying, hang on hang on hang on – I thought this was an about you page? And it is. What drives me is I believe the real essence of who I am. Am I defined by my successes? Am I defined by my many failures? While the answer to some extent is yes to both, the who am I question is a hard question to actually answer.  To be honest, I’m not sure yet. I am not sure I have reached a conclusion of who I exactly I am. I know who I want to be and I am travelling down a road I believe will help me reach who I want to be, but I am not there yet. I’m a work in progress you could say. Working on a composition of kindness and compassion for others, and a deep appreciation for this glorious world we have would have to be definitely be at the core. Photography for me is an important part of this journey and provides me hours of exploring who I am and how humanity is connected intimately to the environment and the broader universe we are all apart of. The grand design of this physical existence is so inspiring and full of amazing exploration opportunities, I am only at the beginning of the opportunities that await in the future.

As a kid, school was a chore. As soon as that bell rung I was out the door heading into the bush close to my childhood home to explore the landscape, gullies and hidden hideaways. It wasn’t until later in life that formal education had an impact on me. I attended some night courses to acquire my high school diploma in preparation to attending a university to become an Archaeologist. Infact it was a summer class at a university in Hawaii that spun my focus around and began my photography journey. This required a change in my major but just imagine the putting aside the daily drudgery of a formal major discipline to a more self directed ‘exploration of light’. It was both liberating and exhilarating.

Since those early days some 25 years ago, photography has taken me to many places and has filled a void that was missing for many years in my former life as an engineer.  Where will it take me tomorrow?  I not know. That’s the great power passion has. It can take you to places you never imagined nor anticipated.  I can’t wait for tomorrow!