Through the Lens

The story

Nestled along the Great Eastern Highway in regional Western Australia stands The Big Camera — a museum housed inside a building shaped like a giant camera. What many mistake for a novelty roadside attraction is, in fact, one of the most significant private photography collections in the Southern Hemisphere. This short documentary explores the life and legacy of The Big Camera Museum of Photography and its founder, Charles “Chic” Wadley, whose lifelong passion for capturing and preserving photographic history has created a one-of-a-kind cultural landmark. Through personal interviews, archival imagery, cinematic visuals, and historical context, the film uncovers how this extraordinary museum came to exist, why it remains vital to regional heritage, and what it tells us about photography’s power to document human experience.