{"id":28467,"date":"2026-03-31T12:17:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/?p=28467"},"modified":"2026-03-31T12:18:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:18:28","slug":"finding-healing-and-purpose-beyond-the-lens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/finding-healing-and-purpose-beyond-the-lens\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding healing and purpose beyond the lens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As a young boy, Harman Singh Heer would sit quietly in the back of a safari vehicle, watching the African wilderness unfold before him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up in Nairobi, Kenya, early morning safaris with his dad were a highlight of his week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the morning air still and golden light melting across the savanna, herds of elephants and towers of giraffes moved through the grasslands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watching these animals in their natural habitats, moving at their own pace, left Harman in a state of wonder. He came to understand that this place and its flora and fauna, were something to be respected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no greater peace than being out in the African wilderness with no one else around,\u201d Harman said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just you and these wild animals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was in these quiet moments that something began to take hold. Not just a love for wildlife, but a deeper sense of connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"curtin<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A young Harman capturing a leopard while on safari with his family in Kenya. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when his dad passed away in 2013, that world shifted. The places were familiar, yet the feeling of being there was different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the midst of that grief, Harman still returned to what he knew \u2013 the wilderness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this time he saw it through a different lens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Picking up a camera, Harman found a way to preserve precious memories, and in doing so, discovered a powerful outlet for healing and connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy dad loved leopards,\u201d Harman says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, capturing these photos connects me back to him.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Harman said each image became a quiet act of remembrance. A way of keeping both memory and meaning alive in a world where so much is fleeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Harman, capturing leopards has been a way for him to connect with his Dad.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On one of their final safari trips together, a photographer \u2013 who would later become Harman\u2019s mentor \u2013 captured some of the last images of Harman and his family with his father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, they were simply photos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years later, when those images found their way back, they became something far more significant \u2013 a tangible fragment of a moment they could never return to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What began as a chance meeting, unfolded into a mentorship grounded in patience, curiosity and time in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every Sunday, the two would return to Nairobi National Park. Long days of waiting and quiet observation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t about chasing the perfect shot. It was about learning to see and notice the small shifts, the subtle movements, the moments most people would miss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Capturing once-in-a-lifetime photos often requires patience and quite observation.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, photography became more than a skill. It became a constant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years later, that patience would be tested elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deep in the dense, rain-soaked forests of South India, Harman and his mum set out in search of one of the rarest animals in the world, the elusive black leopard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drive after drive, there was nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rain fell steadily. The forest closed in. And slowly, doubt began to creep in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe almost gave up,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But something told him to keep going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then, just as the light began to fade, there he was, perched quietly in a tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"black<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Harman captured one of the rarest animals in the world, the black leopard, in South India.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A moment so rare, so fleeting, it could have been missed entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life eventually led Harman far from the landscapes that shaped him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving to Perth, he spent six years at Curtin completing a BA in International Relations and Affairs and a Masters in Professional Writing and Publishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At his February graduation, Harman shared an important message with his peers: \u201cDon\u2019t wait for clarity or certainty before you move forward; step beyond what feels comfortable. Trust that growth often begins where certainty ends,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the future, Harman hopes to combine his love for writing with his passion for photography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy next step is a coffee table book,\u201d he said. \u201cBut my all-time dream is to work on a project with National Geographic.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Harman also hopes to continue his safari business, Mzuri Safaris<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Co-founded in 2023 with his friend, Nili Gudhka, Mzuri was designed to bring Africa\u2019s wilderness closer to people around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen guests cry at the sight of their first elephant or leopard,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor me, giving people that sort of experience is incredibly uplifting.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"leopard<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Harman’s most favourite photo, a lioness in the sunset.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Harman, photography has always been more than making ends meet. It\u2019s been a way of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever thought that I need to make a living out of this because photography has just always been pure passion and joy,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His biggest piece of advice for those wanting to follow their passion?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust do it. Many people will sit on a passion they want to pursue and will be too scared to jump on it,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHonestly, there will never be a right time \u2013 you have to decide if this is something you really want to pursue and then do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n \n\n

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