Photographer Ken Duncan with his new book: The Passion: Lessons from the Life of Christ "(H)e gave me this book as a vision - it was very clear on how to do it, what to do - and I sat there for hours writing it down. The whole idea of the book was to see lessons from the life of Christ... as well as using all the imagery from this movie to take people back to that time and then also tell them the story of the Passion but not try and retell the movie because no one will ever be able to retell that story like Mel’s told it...” -Ken Duncan

5th March, 2004

Based on the New South Wales central coast, Ken Duncan, 49, is world renowned for his photography. He’s also a Christian and, as it happens, a friend of Mel Gibson. He spoke with DAVID ADAMS...

Can you tell us a bit about you began in photography?
“I got into photography at a very young age when I was about 16. I did a photography course in black and white and I just fell in love with the concept that you can go and photograph something, capture it and bring it back to show the world. That’s where it started - to the detriment of everything else.”

How did you come to be a Christian?
“When I left school I was told success was about making money, having a fast car, a good job...and having a wife and 2.5 children. So I went off pursuing what I thought success was all about and at a very young age I achieved that - except for the wife and 2.5 children. It wasn’t working for me. I thought 'there’s got to be something more' so I went off on a journey really trying to find the meaning of life with my camera. And through that journey, I ran into Christ...I’ve been through Buddhism, Hinduism, Aboriginal spiritualism, you name it, and praise God I found Jesus through the whole thing.”

How did you come to know Mel Gibson?
“We’ve known each other since school days - we went to different schools but we were dating two girls who were best friends...We’ve remained good friends ever since. At one stage I was the successful businessman and he was the starving actor and then I went and threw everything away and he went off to Hollywood and became famous and I went off bush. It’s been great having him as a friend and I’ve learnt lessons through him and hopefully been able to be there and talk to him and help him when he needs help.”

Was there a significant spiritual event in Mel’s life which sparked the movie?
“The bottom line is that he, like me, knew about the story of Christ. He was brought up with the story of the crucifixion, the whole bit...but there’s a difference between knowing about the story and personalising it for you. The way I became a Christian is I had to run into a brick wall because I was a hard nut. Mel was the same - he was another hard nut and he had to run into his own brick wall....He called out to God and he was very much guided to The Passion and his whole life has been changed.”

What was your involvement with the movie and how did it come about?
“I knew he was doing the movie on The Passion because he told me about it while he was working on the script and what had inspired him to do it. I always thought he would probably ask me to come along and do something because he’d know I’d love a movie like that but it all happened very quickly, much quicker than he thought. He was intending to do another movie, then he just really felt the Lord say 'You’ve got to it now'...So rings me up and says 'I’m really sorry, I forgot to ring you earlier, but I really want you to come and do some stills for me on the movie and just be there’...I prayed about it and I just really thought that I needed to go so I went off and I’m just so glad I did. It was fantastic to be there on set and that’s where the vision for the book came.”

You’re referring to your book - The Passion: Lessons from the Life of Christ - containing images from the film. How did it come about and what is it about?
“I didn’t know what I was doing there - I knew Mel wanted me there and I thought ‘OK, I’ll come’. But I knew God had something. After the first day on set, we had tea together and I went to bed and I couldn’t sleep. I was just wired. I tried taking some sleeping tablets but they didn’t work so I thought ‘Well, Lord what are you trying to say?' And He gave me this book as a vision - it was very clear on how to do it, what to do - and I sat there for hours writing it down. The whole idea of the book was to see lessons from the life of Christ... as well as using all the imagery from this movie to take people back to that time and then also tell them the story of the Passion but not try and retell the movie because no one will ever be able to retell that story like Mel’s told it...”

There has been much talk of the lightning strike on the set and the miraculous escape of Jim Caviezel (the actor who plays Jesus). What was the atmosphere like on the set and were you aware of any other incidents like that?
“It was electric all the time. That was one of many events. The fact that Jim Caviezel is still alive is amazing - it’s amazing he didn’t die of hyperthermia or some of the other things that happened...Everyone was affected. Everyone was taken to a new level; everyone was in a way forced to go beyond their own ability. People could feel that and that’s why everyone was getting challenged...Mel too. I mean he’s really good but even he knew that this movie was beyond his ability. That’s beautiful that he could realise that and when he did, the Lord started to do some really incredible stuff. People think it’s like Mel Gibson’s attempt to convert the world. It’s not, it’s just him telling a story. Mel Gibson is an incredible story-teller and that’s why God chose him to tell this story.”

There’s been claims that the movie is anti-Semitic, that it’s too violent. What’s your reaction to them?
“Let’s hit one of those at a time. I wouldn’t be involved and neither would Mel be involved if it was anti-Jewish because as a Christian we’re grafted to the Jewish vine. So we’re not going to go and cut the vine down and kill ourselves at the same time. But you can’t change the story - that’s what happened...The violence is not that great - it wouldn’t be getting an MA15+ rating if it was really violent, it would be getting an R rating...There is some very graphic themes in there but the thing that gets you more is the emotion between the actors and the ability of the actors. You’re there seeing things through Mary’s eyes; you're there seeing it through Pilate's eyes and you’re seeing it from all sorts of angles, you know. It’s so well shot that you’re really drawn in. There are some graphic sections there but, you know, some of the parts that got me the most was the relationship situations that were happening and the flashbacks. But there has to be the brutality, you have to see that because you have to understand the cost of your salvation...I think we all need to understand the cost.”

In your work, you’re famous for those stunning panoramic photographs of the Australian landscape. How does your being a Christian influence your work as a photographer?
“I’m an average photographer with a great God. Seriously. Even on the movie set, I just said 'Lord, what am I doing here? You’ve got to be kidding. I don’t have a clue what I’m doing'...The hardest part of photography is looking past the I as in ‘Capital I’; looking past what you think should be happening and being in control. It’s fantastic being out of control with Jesus, I love it...God can use people who are out of control. With landscapes, I love going out there in the bush. Every now and then I tend to think I know how big God is but when I get out there He says, ‘A lot bigger son’.”

* This interview has been edited.

Ken's book The Passion: Lessons from the Life of Christ and limited edition prints are available from bookshops and Ken Duncan Galleries around Australia or online at www.kenduncan.com.

Exhibitions are open in Ken's Melbourne, Sydney, Hunter and Matcham galleries from Friday, 27th February to Monday, 12th April 2004. For details on when Ken will be there, see www.kenduncan.com.