By Catherine Cranston
Julian Kingma is an award-winning Australian photographer whose new book The Power of Choice focuses on the human side of voluntary assisted dying in Australia.
Over two years Kingma photographed people and their families navigating voluntary assisted dying, now legal in all states except the Northern Territory, to tell their stories and to show their strength and dignity during end-of-life care.
Photographed entirely using black and white film, using a mix of medium format and 8×10 inch Ilford FP4 negative, The Power of Choice steps into a deeply personal and private space that is seldom seen.
Kingma said choosing film over digital for this book allows him to really be present with what he was doing. To slow down and be more considered.
“The tactile process of doing it. It feels like, you know, it feels more meaningful,” he said.
From his career beginning at The Herald newspaper in 1988, Kingma has photographed many well-known figures from musicians Missy Higgins and Paul Kelly to international stars Ben Kingsley and Samuel L Jackson. His portraits of NRL star Billy Slater and ballet dancer Steven Heathcote, along with nine other images, are also part of the permanent collection at the National Portrait Gallery.
You can explore his work here.
Kingma, who prefers not to over-plan his images, thrives with the added pressure of time constraints in some of his work.
“More often than not, I’m surprised at where my images take me,” he said. “Even though I’m totally uncomfortable at the time, it always ends up being a better way to work.”
The faces and fame may differ, but whether for personal or commercial work, the most important thing with Kingma’s portrait subjects is trust. As he says, above all else this is the most important thing in connecting to your subject.
“The biggest skill is not the camera itself, it’s actually talking to these people and getting them to trust you and to lower the anxiety in the room and sort of talking them through what you potentially might want to do, but also giving them a bit of control so that that way there’s trust and there’s a trust that’s formed. And if I was to ever say to anyone what is more important, it’s trust.”
He has some advice for photographers early in their careers.
“If you’re interested in something you’re gonna do good work,” he said, adding. “People will always recognise if it’s meaningful and heartfelt, it’s gonna be what sort of puts you above the next person.”
Julian Kingma is in conversation with Andrew Denton and Ashley Hay on The Power of Choice for the Sydney Writer’s Festival at Carriageworks, Eveleigh on May 23 at 4pm. More information and ticket purchases are available here.
Featured image: Acclaimed photographer Julian Kingma turns his lens on assisted dying in The Power of Choice. Photos: NewSouth Books/Sydney Writers Festival
