CameraPro On The Couch with Ken Duncan

Ken Duncan is a world-renowned Australian landscape photographer often hailed as the pioneer of Limited Edition Photographic Art in Australia. His epic panoramas celebrate Australia’s diverse landscapes and remote, rugged beauty. Across the course of his illustrious career, Ken has completed assignments for National Geographic, The New York Times and Rolling Stone magazine and won a slew of national and international industry awards as well as being granted the Medal of The Order of Australia (OAM) for his services to landscape photography, publishing and the arts. Recently, Ken joined us at our Brisbane store for an On The Couch chat and live Q&A, where he shared how he came to be where he is now in his career, his passion for printing and collecting, and some tips for creating epic landscape photography.

Ken’s interest in photography was first piqued while looking at some black-and-white photos his dad had taken in the 1940s while working as a missionary in the Kimberly region. Ken was struck by the capacity of the image to tell the story of that particular time in his parent’s lives. Despite his father’s photography skills, Ken found him infuriatingly slow at taking photos, so one day, he just grabbed his dad’s camera in exasperation. Before long, he had his own camera and a fast-developing hobby. 

Ken ventured into the photography industry from school, working in sales, image processing, and technical positions and shooting commercially with large studios. Despite progressing well and making good money, he felt a disconnect. Deeply embedded within the industry, he could see he wasn’t alone; many other photographers weren't pursuing the genres of photography they were genuinely interested in. Ken couldn’t help thinking there had to be a market in Australia for photographers to create and sell the art they actually wanted to make. 

Enter the 'Widelux' - a swing-lens film camera that captures panoramic stills with a 140-degree view, similar to what the human eye sees. Ken loaned one from work to take on a surf trip to Bali. He was transfixed and energised, falling in love with photography all over again. For Ken, the Widelux offered the perfect format to photograph Australia. So only three months out from receiving long service leave, Ken said goodbye to his job security and joined his father on a return trip to the Kimberleys.

"I've realised in life, sometimes you've got to go right to the edge before you get the breakthrough, and often people give up too early"

He has since traveled the Australian continent extensively and spent substantial time abroad seeking out stunning scenery to capture in his signature panoramic style. A master at capturing wide-angle images of vast scapes, from the outback to the coast, Ken explains that the key to photographing breathtaking vistas is not to use a wide-angle lens. The distortion perspective that occurs with wide-angle lenses makes background elements appear much smaller and further away than they actually are. Instead, Ken recommends opting for a standard focal length lens, such as a 50mm, which will deliver a more natural view with balanced proportions. Set your camera on a tripod with a panoramic head and rotate the camera to take two or more photos covering the area you wish to capture. Then recreate the expansive scene by stitching the frames with editing software.

Image taken by Ken Duncan

"Photography lets people know what we've got to protect, and it's photographers who've been at the forefront of conversation."

With a fierce commitment to promoting photography as fine art, Ken encourages all photography enthusiasts to print their work using archival-quality inks and paper. In a time when people are capturing more photos than ever, too few images make it to print form. For Ken, the print is the full realisation of the photograph; it preserves all the tiny details and subtleties of colour. Some of Ken’s image files are three gigs after stitching multiple frames together. He has stitched up to 72 images into one photo to recreate mind-blowing detail, and simply outputting it on social media would be such a low-level way for people to view it. So he urges other photographers to shoot to print.

Ken also believes that any photographers aspiring to sell prints of their work must invest in the printed art of those photographers they revere. He argues that if photographers want photography to be taken seriously as a collectible art, they, too, should be collectors. A collector himself, Ken has been curating pieces for over 40 years and hopes to have a gallery one day where he can exhibit the work of the master photographers he holds in the highest regard.

In recent years, Ken has become a LUMIX Ambassador for Panasonic Australia - quite a statement for a photographer who has used as many cameras as he has. Ken recalls it was while working in Africa that he noticed people shooting with small hybrid cameras and zoom lenses that were a fraction of the size of his gear. Made by Panasonic and Leica, he was astounded by the quality of images coming out of such small kits. He approached Panasonic at a trade show back in Australia and commended them on the quality of their new cameras. They asked him if he’d be interested in testing some of their products, and he agreed.

"I used different cameras from different times for different things, but I always carry my little Lumix in a bum bag because you never know what can happen. I could shoot a limited edition print with that thing or anything - you should always have a camera with you."

Image taken by Ken Duncan

Ken has accumulated an extensive body of work in the 40+ years since leaving the retail and commercial sectors. You could easily lose hours browsing his website's tremendous collection of iconic imagery. There’s the occasional black and white, but most are a symphony of vibrant colour. All of them, however, share striking depth and detail. In addition to his Limited Edition Prints, Ken has published dozens of exquisite photo books since his first in 1987. In many of his publications, Ken delights readers with engaging commentary and detailed technical information about each of his photos. Admirers of his work can also enjoy his images in many other forms, including cushion covers, tea towels, coasters, mugs, puzzles, posters, and greeting cards. 

"The only thing blocking the light is often your shadow."

A master in the photography industry, it’s undeniable that Ken’s work has been instrumental in helping the medium to be recognized as an art form in Australia.

To learn more about Ken and his love of Photography, Check out the entire conversation here.