Mike Bowers Photographer: My Photo Essays

Telling stories through my images is at the heart of what I set out to do. I’ve had the privilege of sharing the beauty and the heartache in conveying these back to readers in Australia. Images are honest. They don't lie, I think that’s what I like most about my work. Finding and showing the truth. Please enjoy a handful of some of the ones dearest to me.

Bougainville - the long shadows of an ugly civil war

Bougainville Republican Army platoon commander Rommy Joel in no man’s land on the coast road between Kieta and Arawa in Central Bougainville.

25 April 1997. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

When I visited Bougainville for the first time in 1996, the conflict had already been raging for eight years, flaring up and settling down, breaking into factions, cruelty and atrocities, only to flare up again. It turns out my assignment was more dangerous than I knew at the time. I will be forever grateful that Republican Army platoon commander Rommy Joel, kept me alive all those years ago.

Winning the 2025 Michael Gordon Fellowship allowed me to fulfil my long-held wish of going back to Bougainville, where the photos I had taken earned a Walkley nomination.

READ: A dreadlocked rebel soldier kept me alive in Bougainville 28 years ago. Reuniting with him was an emotional experience →

Tsunami in Bandah Aceh Indonesia

In 2005-6 I was sent to Bandah Aceh in Indonesia after the wave devastated the city on Boxing day 2004. More than 160,00 people died in the Northern Sumatran provice. It was difficult to show in one photograph the utter devastation and widespread death, I learnt how to stitch photographs together and took multiple exposures to make panoramic images of the disaster. The Sydney Morning Herald ran the photographs across two pages and they were effective in showing the destructive power of the wave.

Black summer bushfires

The 2019-2020 bushfire season extended from late winter right up until 1st February. Across that time, I was constantly getting caught on the wrong side of roadblocks, having to sleep in the car and dicing with getting close enough to make the photographs good and too close for comfort. The final fire of that season was just outside Bredbo on the Monaro Highway. Along with other members of the media, we had to down tools and assist in the fighting of the fire that was threatening to engulf Tallabrook Lodge

This is a photograph of myself on trapped down Sussex Inlet road on New Years Eve 2019.

Fire approaches Tallabrook lodge a property along the Bumbalong Road North of Bredbo.

Saturday 1st February 2020. Guardian Australia.

Firefighters battle the North Black Range, Palerang fire North of Braidwood this afternoon.

Friday 6th December 2019. Guardian Australia.

A kangaroo races to get away from the fire front at the North Black Range, Palerang fire South of Braidwood this afternoon.

Sunday 1st December 2019. Guardian Australia.

Fire consumes a stable on Tallabrook lodge a property along the Bumbalong Road North of Bredbo.

Saturday 1st February 2020. Guardian Australia.

The intensity of the fire turned night to day as the Fire approaches Tallabrook lodge a property along the Bumbalong Road North of Bredbo.

Saturday 1st February 2020. Guardian Australia.

The intensity of the fire turned night to day as the fire front reaches Ti Trees and explodes in a fireball as the Fire approaches Tallabrook lodge a property along the Bumbalong Road North of Bredbo.

Saturday 1st February 2020. Guardian Australia.

The fire closes in on the property from all sides as spot fires ignite a 360 degree fire front as Fire approaches from the south at Tallabrook lodge a property along the Bumbalong Road North of Bredbo.

Saturday 1st February 2020. Guardian Australia.

Flames burst out of the state forest crowning through the top of the trees and cross the princes highway at the Sussex inlet intersection south of Nowra this afternoon.

Tuesday 31st December 2019. Guardian Australia.

The Bushfire turned night to day as Flames burn two tires that mark a driveway on the Sussex Inlet road a few kilomteres from the princes highway intersection south of Nowra this afternoon.

Tuesday 31st December 2019. Guardian Australia.

Burnt road sign at the Lake Conjola intersection on a closed Princes Highway with no traffic south of Nowra this morning.

Wednesday 1st January 2020. Guardian Australia.

Holidaymakers spent an uncomfortable night on the side of the Princes Highway at a roadblock at Milton.

Wednesday 1st January 2020. Guardian Australia.

Bateman’s Bay bridge obscured by fire smoke this morning.

Wednesday 1st January 2020. Guardian Australia.

The traffic was heavy and visibility low on the Bateman’s Bay Bridge this morning.

Wednesday 1st January 2020. Guardian Australia.

A kangaroo in the ruins of a burnt home in Gannet Place Batemans Bay this morning.

Wednesday 1st January 2020. Guardian Australia.

Day turns to night along the Yauok Road North of the town of Adaminaby as the fire front approaches.

Saturday 4th January 2020. Guardian Australia.

Thick smoke blankets the Monaro high plains west of Cooma this morning .

Sunday 5th January 2020. Guardian Australia.

Horsley Park RFS Crew. The captain of Horsley Park Darren Nation watches the fire front advance towards Potato Point on NSW South Coast.

Thursday 23rd January 2020. Guardian Australia.

Horsley Park RFS Crew extinguish a fire in a garage which was well alight when they arrived on a property near Potato Point on NSW South Coast.

Thursday 23rd January 2020. Guardian Australia.

Horsley Park RFS Crew. Horsley Park fire fighter Daniel Knox defends a property near Potato Point on NSW South Coast.

Thursday 23rd January 2020. Guardian Australia.

Horsley Park RFS Crew. Horsley Park fire fighter Daniel Knox defends a property near Potato Point on NSW South Coast.

Thursday 23rd January 2020. Guardian Australia.

Horsley Park RFS Crew. Horsley Park fire fighter Daniel Knox defends a property near Potato Point on NSW South Coast.

Thursday 23rd January 2020. Guardian Australia.

Horsley Park RFS Crew. Horsley Park RFS crew defend a property near Potato Point on NSW South Coast.

Thursday 23rd January 2020. Guardian Australia.

Clear Range Fire. The sun sets on the Clear Range Fire west of Michelago, NSW.

Friday 31st January 2020. Guardian Australia.

A spot fire takes hold west of Bredbo from the Clear Range Fire along the Bumbalong Road as the fire breaks out of the Namadgi National Park and threatens farms and homes north of Bredbo.

Saturday 1st February 2020. Guardian Australia.

Laurence Cowie fights fire on Tallabrook lodge a property along the Bumbalong Road North of Bredbo.

Saturday 1st February 2020. Guardian Australia.

Laurence Cowie fights fire on Tallabrook lodge a property along the Bumbalong Road North of Bredbo.

Saturday 1st February 2020. Guardian Australia.

A break in the smoke reveals a glimpse of the pyrocumulus cloud aulubove the fire as the fire explodes into a clump of ti-treew along the Bumbalong Road North of Bredbo.

Saturday 1st February 2020. Guardian Australia.

Laurence Cowie watches as fire approaches Tallabrook lodge a property along the Bumbalong Road North of Bredbo.

Saturday 1st February 2020. Guardian Australia.

Fire approaches Tallabrook lodge a property along the Bumbalong Road North of Bredbo.

Saturday 1st February 2020. Guardian Australia.

A horse paces nervously around the home paddock as a spot fire takes hold west of Bredbo from the Clear Range Fire along the Bumbalong Road.

Saturday 1st February 2020. Guardian Australia.

Locals evacuate as what started as a spot fire takes hold west of Bredbo from the Clear Range Fire along the Bumbalong Road.

Saturday 1st February 2020. Guardian Australia.

A break in the pyro-cumulus cloud as the Namadgi fire turns day to night and a spot fire takes hold west of Bredbo from the Clear Range Fire along the Bumbalong Road.

Saturday 1st February 2020. Guardian Australia.

Horsley Park RFS Crew. The captain of Horsley Park Darren Nation amd firefighter a Daniel Knox defend a property near Potato Point on NSW South Coast.

Thursday 23rd January 2020. Guardian Australia.

RFS crews conduct a backburn along Jones Road at the North Black Range, Palerang fire North of Braidwood this afternoon.

Tuesday 10th December 2019. Guardian Australia.

Horsley Park RFS Crew. The captain of Horsley Park Darren Nation defends a property near Potato Point on NSW South Coast.

Thursday 23rd January 2020. Guardian Australia.

Horsley Park RFS Crew. Back burning operation on a property near Potato Point on NSW South Coast.

Thursday 23rd January 2020. Guardian Australia.

Horsley Park RFS Crew. RFS firefighter Daniel Knox defends a property near Potato Point on NSW South Coast.

Thursday 23rd January 2020. Guardian Australia.

Horsley Park RFS Fire fighter Daniel Knox extinguishes a fire in a garage which was well alight when they arrived on a property near Potato Point on NSW South Coast.

Thursday 23rd January 2020. Guardian Australia

Horsley Park RFS Crew. The Horsley Park RFS crew extinguish a fire in a garage on a property near Potato Point on NSW South Coast.

Thursday 23rd January 2020. Guardian Australia.

4.30pm day turns to night along the Yauok Road North of the town of Adaminaby as the fire front approaches.

Saturday 4th January 2020. Guardian Australia.

Cars wind their way along the coast road past forests still bearing the black scars of the summer fires now fringed with a beard of new green growth on the South Coast of NSW near Malua Bay.

Tuesday 15th September 2020. Guardian Australia. Story by Kieran Pender.

Bateman’s Bay bridge obscured by fire smoke this morning.

Wednesday 1st January 2020. Guardian Australia.

Flames impacting properties along the Sussex inlet road, south of Nowra this evening.

Tuesday 31st December 2019. Guardian Australia.

Night from Day-Peter Nicol watches the approaching fire from the front of his property along the Sussex inlet road south of Nowra this afternoon.

Tuesday 31st December 2019. Guardian Australia.

Helena with her son Gabriel on the verandah of their burnt house in station street Balmoral, the Green Wattle Creek fire swept through their village on Saturday afternoon.

Monday 23rd December 2019. Guardian Australia.

Welcome rains start to fall as RFS crews fight a fire at the Green Wattle Creek fire near Bargo NSW tonight as it starts to rain.

21st December 2019. Guardian Australia.

RFS crews fight a fire at the Green Wattle Creek fire near Bargo NSW tonight as it starts to rain.

21st December 2019. Guardian Australia.

RFS crews put out spot fires ahead of the main fire front at the North Black Range, Palerang fire South of Braidwood this morning.

Sunday 1st December 2019. Guardian Australia.

The North Black Ridge, Palerang fire shot from the Captains Fkat-Braidwood road 24kms South of Braidwood.

Late Friday 29th November 2019. Guardian Australia.

Fire burns down the stables on Tallabrook lodge a property along the Bumbalong Road North of Bredbo.

Saturday 1st February 2020. Guardian Australia.

Steels Creek Victoria after the Black Saturday Bushfires on Saturday 7th February 2009. One hundred and seventy-three people tragically lost their lives, 414 were injured, more than a million wild and domesticated animals were lost and 450,000 hectares of land were burned.