Michael Haluwana’s fascination with a camera started as a child. His father, a navy master diver, had a camera which used film and Michael was always allowed to shoot the last five frames of each roll. He would hunt around the house looking for that camera hoping the number of shots had hit the magic point so he could take his photos.
“I got five shots to make the best I could,” says the Perth-based photographer of his early work which sparked a life-long love. “It was such a precious thing. Sometimes I waited months to get those five shots.”
Decades later, after a brief detour into computer engineering, Michael has become an award-winning cinematographer, videographer and photographer who has worked with National Geographic, BBC and Sir David Attenborough.
Opening at the WA Museum Boola Bardip on 11 December, Walking with Colour: Cinematic Nature is Michael’s first exhibition and shows off the breathtaking colours of nature.
Image: Golden Lagoon © Michael Haluwana, Aeroture
Using vibrant projections and mesmerising multimedia installations you’ll dive deep to swim with whales, look skywards at the Northern Lights, watch WA change with the seasons and see rugged ranges and coastlines. There’s also a chance to find out about the timing and patience it takes to capture wildlife from behind the lens.
“One morning I might be walking up to an active volcano and the next I’m filming killer whales. It’s always changing and challenging because you can’t ask the subject to do what you want.
“I always wished I could talk to animals but I feel like I have a very strong connection to them. I love that connection through the lens when they look right at you in that split second you have to take the photo.
“When I get the shot, I’m just so happy. But also, I can’t get too excited because you must focus immediately, to look for the next shot.”
After doing his first dive at 10, being underwater remains one of Michael’s favourite places in the world, while on land the Australian thorny devil lizard fascinates him.
The photographer says part of the bigger message in his work is a genuine love and appreciation for nature which he hopes convinces people of its wonder and the need to look after and preserve it.
Header image: © Michael Haluwana, Aeroture
Walking with Colour: Cinematic Nature is at the WA Museum Boola Bardip from 11 December 2021– 30 January 2022.
