01/08/2026
Mining has become one of those subjects that I keep finding myself coming back to.
When I first started photographing these places, I was almost entirely drawn in by the colours, textures and the sheer scale of what humans are capable of creating. Years later, I still find them visually fascinating, but the longer I spend documenting them, the more complicated my thoughts become.
These landscapes constantly make me question my own views, how I perceive them, and how I interact with them. They can be incredibly beautiful from above, yet they’re also reminders of just how dramatically we’ve reshaped parts of Western Australia.
The interesting part is that there isn’t a simple answer. Mining has undeniably helped build modern Western Australia and remains woven into everyday life. The phone I’m writing this on, the drone I fly, the camera I carry, the car I drive and countless other things we all use every day only exist because of the resources extracted from places like these.
I don’t photograph these landscapes to celebrate them or criticise them. I photograph them because they’re part of our story. They’re visually extraordinary, environmentally complex, economically important, and they continue to challenge the way I think every time I fly over them.
I suspect that’s why I keep going back. Every visit leaves me with more questions than answers, and perhaps that’s exactly what makes documenting them so fascinating. 👊
