The below text is from the Interview published in the Courier newspaper & online on Saturday 28 May 2016 – by Caleb Cluff
Michelle Dunn is a professional photographer and filmmaker working out of her studio MDP in central Ballarat. She discovered her love of the image through travelling at a young age.
“I started travelling quite aimlessly around the world, and I had my camera with me. I used it to document what was going on around me and fell in love with it, says Michelle.
“I settled in London and then Edinburgh and started to take it more seriously.”
Originally from Sydney, Michelle came to Ballarat four-and-a-half years ago. She says that Ballarat picked her to live here, not the other way around. The property that she and her partner found “was pretty amazing, we knew it was the one.”
Michelle says she is often asked about what inspires her photography, and that she finds it difficult to answer that question simply
“It feels like everything but photography,” she says. “I’m inspired by people that I know doing amazing things or who are driven to achieve something that’s in their mind. It makes me think about what I have to do.”
Michelle’s latest work includes a series with young Indigenous people, through a friendship she formed during Leadership Ballarat. Lal Lal was chosen as the backdrop for its significance to Aboriginal people.
“I hadn’t seen many strong images of young Indigenous people around Ballarat. So I wanted to create portraits that tried to reflect a sense of land & history, as well as strength & hope for the future.”
This interview is part of a series called What’s Art Got To Do With It? – conversations with Ballarat Artists.
There is also a video interview which goes along with this article, so click the image to head over & watch it on the Courier website
