Australian photographer and author Ken Duncan took
time out from his busy schedule recently to join me on the phone from his
home north of Sydney.
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| Author & Photographer, Ken Duncan |
Thanks so much for your time today Ken, it’s an honour
to chat with you and I thoroughly enjoyed your new book Life's a Journey - The Adventure Continues.
Did
you read it or just look at the pictures? (laughs all round).
I read every word.
Oh,
(laughs) you must be the first one!
How has it been received?
Really
great. It’s a sequel to an earlier book
called Life’s a Journey. I received a
letter from a farmer who lost crops on the Murray River and the bank foreclosed
on him. He intended to commit suicide
but picked up that earlier book from his coffee table and started to read
it. He told me ‘if Ken can make it, I can make it.’ He got another chance at life
and hearing that makes the hard work all worthwhile.
Your work is instantly recognisable and is displayed
everywhere from corporate offices to private homes. Did you ever believe you would become a
household name in Australian photography?
No, I
never thought of it. It still amazes me
to this day that anyone would even have a clue what I’m doing. My mission has been to bring the beauty of
creation to people’s homes and workplaces. There’s
so much stress, (with work and social pressures) and I think it’s important to
sit back and reflect on the bigger picture from time to time.
For those who may not have read your book yet, how did
you get into the art of photography?
At 16
I went on a camp and learned about black and white photography. I took some photos, came back, processed the
film and watched - mesmerised - as my first image magically appeared in the
tray. I suddenly realised: wow, you can tell a story! This was soon to the detriment of everything
around me and from then on you couldn’t separate me from my camera.
I
then left school, and began working in commercial photography. I was chasing
the dream, you know: money, house, wife and children. I learned that money
didn’t make me happy and I felt there must be more to life than what was
happening.
It
was then that I found out about a panoramic camera and decided to find the meaning
to life. My camera was my diary and I thought
it would only take about 3 months (laughs).
Some of those stories are in the first book: Life's an Adventure: The First Twenty-Five Years, including the story
of a friend who died in my arms. When his
spirit left his body, I really felt that moment. I didn’t believe in a creator at that time so
that was a real turning point in my life.
I found meaning, realising we’re only here on earth for a minimal time. Our bodies are just fertiliser for earth and
the only thing that is eternal is your spirit.
That’s
why I love hanging out with indigenous people because they would find it
mystifying that a person doesn’t believe in the spiritual realm. They expect that.
I really loved the story in your book where you set up
on a beach early in the morning to photograph the sunrise and a woman started
doing Yoga right in the middle of the shot.
You were frustrated and annoyed and decided to move, and then captured the
most amazing photograph of spray from the ocean in which you can see the image
of an angel. That story really spoke to
me because it’s a personal lesson I need to learn, about patience and control.
Yes,
it’s kind of a parable (laughs). God has
a sense of humour and I’m an idiot sometimes.
We all allow this anger thing to rise up when things aren’t the way we
want them. God has a much bigger picture
than we have, and often if we’re willing to let go, and be out of control, then
life becomes very exciting. I have a lot
of encounters in life, and don’t even know why I’m having them.
It’s
the same for me in photography; I’m constantly humbled. Sometimes I might be somewhere thinking: ‘oh, this is boring’, but then I let go and
find out what sort of shot I’m there for.
All of a sudden, this picture - bigger than you could ever imagine -
emerges. We only have small pieces of
the jigsaw and you don’t get the pieces until you’re ready to get them.
I have a question from a Carpe Librum follower and
photographer: do you see the final image
in your head before you snap? Sometimes I see the picture, before I’ve taken
it. One day I’ll just find it there in
front of me; as if I’ve foreseen it. There’s
a certain picture that I still haven’t found, it’s a willow tree in a valley
with a beautiful stream running by. I haven’t seen it yet, but I know I will.
You
need to learn patience. If you don’t
learn patience you’ll end up a patient (jokes).
Photos are gifts given to those people prepared to spend time in a
place, and relate and connect to a place.
Sometimes I might go somewhere and be talking to people and not bothering
with photos, then all of a sudden I see something. Other times I might be there to help someone,
a greater purpose than taking photographs.
I’m
glad I have the job I have, forced to spend time in God’s nature. I have conversations with God, with time to
talk and file things. It’s a time to
reflect.
Don’t
try to force it to grow. It will grow in
its own time if it’s meant to.
Here Ken related a story that is in his new book: Life's a Journey - The Adventure Continues. He wrote a letter to a well-known and wealthy
Australian after he died, went to the other side and said there was nothing
there. Read his book for the complete
story, it’s quite an eye-opener.
Ken, it’s clear that your faith has been a very
important part of your life, is this the first time you’ve shared this
publicly? How have readers and fans of
your work responded to this?
No
it’s not the first time, I mentioned it in Life's an Adventure: The First Twenty-Five Years, and many people have been on the
journey with me for a while. It would be very easy for me to put out another book
of ‘pretty pictures,’ but there are people out there who are hurting and need
hope and there are also things we need to deal with in our nation. I believe I’m there to serve people, not
myself, so I have a bit of a go at politicians etc as well as giving an account
of my life.
We
all have our own troubles, but it’s about what can we do with what we’ve been
given (our gift) to help others.
You certainly tackle the big topics: indigenous
Australians, the environment, global warming…
Yes,
I enjoy spending more time with indigenous people, working with kids and giving
them access to technology we take for granted. Photography is storytelling,
showing people how they can tell their story – and everyone has a story.
I’m
not a natural writer though, I need to sit myself in a room and I’m not allowed
to leave until I’ve done one story (laughs). When I was told that I needed to
write the sequel to the first book, I thought ‘oh, no’ but I really enjoyed it in the end.
It’s good
to have a faith. My job is closely linked to weather and the environment, and
what they’re talking about now is politics; it’s all out of control. While the
debate is going on, people need to look at the documentation that attaches to
global warming or climate change. Bureaucrats
have reams and reams of documentation to read, so they only read the executive
brief.
As
photographers we lost rights in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. It
was 360 pgs long, and in the small print was ‘no commercial activities in National
Parks’ so we lost our rights to take photos. When people use the word
‘environment’ it’s often used to disguise other things. There is clear felling going
on in forests in Tasmania, plastic in the oceans; deal with it now!
If
you breathe the air in Beijing it’s the equivalent of smoking 20 packets of
smokes a day! We know there are alternative energy supplies out there. I’m just trying to stir things up, which
might make me a target. When it’s easier
to take photographs in China than in Australia - the country of the free - that’s
a major warning bell. I believe the new
generation should have same freedom I had.
I didn’t realise that you were the artist behind
Midnight Oil’s iconic album cover from Diesel
or Dust. How did that happen, did
they approach you for that particular photograph, or did they ask you to create
something for their cover?
Oh, I just caught up with Peter Garrett other day. Their manager, Gary, is a friend of mine so I knew about the Oils when I was living in Mona Vale. At age 30 I went walkabout and didn’t keep in touch with anybody, I just went bush. I came back 4 years later, and Gary asked what I’d been up to. I’d been learning about panoramic shots and he said he was doing an album for Midnight Oil called Diesel & Dust and could he look at some of my shots. He saw that one and immediately wanted it.
Oh, I just caught up with Peter Garrett other day. Their manager, Gary, is a friend of mine so I knew about the Oils when I was living in Mona Vale. At age 30 I went walkabout and didn’t keep in touch with anybody, I just went bush. I came back 4 years later, and Gary asked what I’d been up to. I’d been learning about panoramic shots and he said he was doing an album for Midnight Oil called Diesel & Dust and could he look at some of my shots. He saw that one and immediately wanted it.
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| Midnight Oil's album cover Diesel & Dust, featuring Ken Duncan's photograph of Burra Homestead |
The
building from that photograph (Burra Homestead) is an icon of SA, and we’re raising funds to support
its restoration (the roof needs shoring up and the walls need repair). We put out a new print of the cottage to
raise funds and we’ve raised over $3,000 so far.
The
reason I love [tumbled down or abandoned buildings] is that they beckon; they
are full of forgotten dreams. It makes
you wonder: ‘what were the hopes and
dreams of the people who lived there, who were they?’
Midnight
Oil also asked me to do some band shots, and to be honest, I didn’t really know
what I was doing at the time. As a
result, the work was very different, and won a lot of awards.
Where else have your images been used?
They’ve
been used for the Sydney Olympics, by Tourism Australia, QANTAS and others. Movie
makers even use my books for finding locations (laughs). I avoid the obvious and I always look for
hidden treasures. I love shooting in
other parts of the world, but I’m really enjoying Australia, and unfolding the
layers within our own nature.
I don’t
permit the use of my images for anything related to alcohol or cigarettes, or anything
that might be detrimental to people.
Digital or film?
Both. I still shoot film; I shoot digital like I shoot
film. The new generation think my photos
are Photoshopped, but if you get the shot right, you won’t need Photoshop. I come from a film background where exposure
is critical, so I approach digital the same way. You need the histogram in the right
place to give you the best amount of dynamic range. If people learn how to read a histogram
correctly and change their exposure accordingly, then there is very little Photoshop
required.
I
think there should be a separation in photography between photo realism, and
photo illustration. Neither is better than the other and I really admire some people
who are doing photo illustration to create some beautiful pictures. But
personally, I want to wait for the magical moment.
To me, the photograph Sunbaker (1937 black-and-white) by Max Dupain is a timeless
representation of Australia.
I
love that shot too, and I loved Max. He
had a great body of work. However, if I
did now what Max did then, I’d be arrested.
Everything is so commercialised (like the Olympic Games), everything is
‘owned’ and you need different permits for different places. As a result, there won’t be a lot of shots in
the future showing what life was really like.
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| Sunbaker (1937) by Max Dupain |
I
love collecting photography, here are some of the photographers I admire:
Peter Jarver who has done a lot of work with thunder and lightning,
Richard Woldendorp who does amazing
aerial photography
Peter Dombrovskis who did some great work documenting nature and life.
Members of the general public are taking more
photographs than ever now with the use of smart phones. Do you think this
clutters up the ‘sphere’ with low-grade shots or are you happy about this new
trend?
Yes, people
are taking lots more photos, but we need to slow down sometimes and stop the
waterfall, as very little done is being done with them [the photos]. I love Facebook and all these different
things but people need to leave a long-term record.
You
need to sort through your photos, then put some into a book or album so that
when you pass on, you can share the little wisdom that you’ve learned. If you don’t, and you just leave behind a
hard drive full of photos, how will anyone know who you were, or who the other
people are?
I
don’t understand why people don’t have hanging tracks in their house; why stick
holes in your wall? My house has hanging
track all through it, and lighting. I
hang my mate’s work and different people I love and admire. I love putting their pics around, and then
think: ‘I wish I’d taken that’.
You teach as well don’t you?
Yes,
I love teaching photography. When I’m
teaching I don’t want to change a person’s ‘eye’, but give them the craft and
the skills to capture what they see.
New
generations see what’s been done before and then set out to replicate it. I say: ‘find
your own story, your own style’, and stop copying others.
What are you reading at the moment?
I love
reading and I read different things for different purposes. Naturally I love to read the Bible, but I
read many other books as well. I even read
legislation to see what the politicians are up to. Mostly I read for relaxation and love all
genres. I also like all types of music;
you should see my iPod!
After discussing Pillars
of the Earth by Ken Follett, I then ask Ken what's next? Are you working on anything else at the
moment?
I’m
helping my indigenous friends build an enormous cross in the middle of
Australia. We’ve got permission from the Central Lands Council to do it and the
community are doing some paintings to help raise funds. If anyone would like to make a donation, they
can go to
walkawhile.org.au. It is going to cost $1.2M to create a road up Memory
Mountain to erect this cross. The view from the top is absolutely breathtaking;
you’re completely surrounded by the beauty of nature and you can’t see any
signs of humanity.
Reconciliation
is not a policy: it is people learning to walk together, and creative arts is
the best way to go about it.
Anything else you’d like
to mention?
Thanks for allowing me to be who I am, travelling on the journey with
me. Be comfortable with who you are,
then nothing anyone says will be able to shake it, if it is real. I’m always connecting with all sorts of different
people (you’re my style of person) and that’s what makes the world so beautiful
- the differences.
Thank you so much to the talented and wonderful Ken Duncan for your time here today.
