Miner Mitchell Burns ditches big bucks in the mines to chase his dreams of becoming a photographer

Every time Mitchell Burns put on his hi-vis shirt and went underground for a grueling 12-hour shift in the mines, something inside him died.

Mitchell spent his teenage years in Blackwater, a coal mining town in central Queensland. He never wanted to be a miner, but there wasn’t much to do after school and the money was good.

For 10 long years he worked in the mines, until one day he realized that he had to leave for his own sanity, at least for something else.

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“There were times when I would cry at night or even on the bus ride to work,” she told FEMAIL.

It last struck in May.

Now he travels around Australia handheld in search of the ‘perfect’ shot. His bank balance is much smaller, but she has never been happier.

The 29-year-old, who became interested in photography as a teenager, wants to be the best-known landscape photographer of his generation.

‘I don’t need to be the best photographer in the world, I just want people to think of me and consider my work when they need something for their home.

“The more eyes on me, the better,” he laughs from his family’s home in Mareeba, near Cairns.

And she definitely knows how to grab people’s attention with her social media explosion ever since she started actively working on it.

She now has 385,000 followers on Instagram and more than 1.2 million likes on TikTok.

Last year, Mitchell’s supporters consisted mainly of family, friends and acquaintances.

“Most photographers don’t get in front of the camera, so I decided to do some behind-the-scenes videos on TikTok and it worked,” he said.

“I’ve fine-tuned it a bit, because it’s more about entertainment for people than content for photographers.

“It’s super exciting to see the growth and see how many people want to be here watching my story unfold.”

Mitchell said he feels like a new person since leaving the mines last year.

“It’s like chalk and cheese, I used to be afraid to go back and have low energy all the time,” she said.

He began his ‘retirement’ from the mines with a vacation: He headed to the East Coast, took photos and ‘helped a fellow out with some work’.

He then made it to Victoria, where he stayed much longer than planned after meeting his girlfriend and ‘falling in love’.

The extended stay in Victoria meant that he had more time to photograph some of the local scenery, which is obviously very different to the landscapes he was used to in North Queensland.

One of the photos he took after a November snowstorm in the Victorian Alps is his favorite.

“Actually, it was a dream shot, a wish list shot,” he said.

The shot is of the famous Craig’s Cabin, which is normally impossible to access when it has snowed. But because it was a freak weather event, Mitchell knew he would be able to access the iconic location.

“I had wanted the opportunity for so long that I had a vision in my head. I kept an eye on the weather so I knew as soon as there was any snow in the summer,” she said.

He arrived at the cabin after three days of walking.

“On my last sunrise up there, the cloud parted a bit and gave me beautiful light,” Mitchell said.

His followers seem to enjoy his hard-earned photos, but it’s the videos, which show Mitchell in his skintight khaki Bushman uniform, that get them talking, as well as his cheeky wit and love of the Australian bush.

One of his most popular videos shows him holding his camera above his head as he crosses a river in a tight shirt that shows off his muscles.

“This very attractive watering hole is at a place called Babinda Boulders, about an hour south of Cairns. The rocks have a dark history where 19 people have lost their lives here due to currents and were trapped underwater. Luckily this part of the river is safe so I was able to cross the water to get to where I needed to be,” he wrote alongside the clip.

And his fans lost their minds.

‘This video is not about photography. And I’m not complaining,’ another woman said, calling out to him.

“Even those rocks question their sexual preferences,” said one woman.

A third said they had ‘never wanted to be a backpack’ before seeing the video, but now they are looking at it.

Some people gave him advice: ‘Your shirt added unnecessary weight when wet. I highly recommend removing it next time.

Mitchell said he was surprised by the amount of sexualized comments.

“My inbox is full, it’s actually quite overwhelming, but I barely get a chance to look at them,” she said of the “thirsty” comments and messages she receives.

Though some of her content seems to be aimed at that demographic, especially one where she “milks” a plant in the desert before using its juice as a gel on her hair.

‘He knows exactly what he’s doing,’ wrote one person.

“Her gay following just increased 800 percent,” said another.

“I’m very confused about how I feel about this video, but that’s what I’m here for,” said one woman.

Others joked that they had “twisted their ankles” by reaching the comments section.

Mitchell is currently in the US and plans to film his own TV show next year.

He will allow the film crews to follow him around Australia, where he will try to take pictures in some of the places of his dreams, including isolated areas in the Kimberley.

He says that his family was delighted when he decided to pursue his dream because they could see how unhappy he was.

Mitchell wants to help other people develop the courage to follow their dreams too, because being financially strapped is better than being heartbroken.

“Sales are slow, but I’ve never been happier, that’s how I want to spend my life,” he said.