John Casamento has been a professional photographer for more than five decades. He has been on countless photographic assignments covering major news events and involving people from all walks of life—from murderers to prime ministers, Hollywood stars to royalty, people on the street and even a pope. Now, at 83, John still finds time ‘every now and then’ to pick up the camera, but admits that you’re more likely to find him sorting through the thousands of archived photos in his home office. Fellow photographer Fiona Basile took some time with John to reminisce about his professional life and how he’s kept the faith through it all.
John was 12 years old when he first picked up a camera. His father had bought a box brownie for a trip back home to Italy to see his relatives. When his father returned, John began borrowing the camera. His older brother, Peter, had set up a makeshift darkroom in their Northcote family home where they would process films—neither of the boys wanted to wait a week for the photos to come back from the chemist.
Despite his ‘absolutely awful photos’, John persisted and, at 16, was given a four-year cadetship at the Herald and Weekly Times, publishers of the then Herald and Sun-News Pictorial (now merged as the Herald Sun). It was the beginning of a long and rewarding photography career that saw him receive a long list of prestigious national and international press photography awards—he spent 36 years at The Sun and a further 16 years at News Ltd’s Leader newspaper group.
John has been on the scene of police drug raids, dodged flying rocks at angry union protests, crouched at the front of ‘media scrums’ outside court buildings (he’s short) and narrowly escaped a bushfire. Reflecting on the breadth and depth of his photography career, he says there have been many ‘happy stories’, while others have ‘illustrated human frailty in all its forms’.
He recalls one experience that is still with him many years later: ‘It was in the early hours of the morning and there had been a road fatality. The car had been hit from behind and had exploded in flames. The driver, a young woman, was incinerated. The police on duty were waiting for the police photographer to arrive to take the photos for the coronial inquest, and when the photographer hadn’t arrived, I was asked to supply the photographs, which included having to photograph the young woman.’
As he recounts the story, tears well in John’s eyes: ‘I can still see that image,’ he says. ‘It’s an image I can’t forget.’
Fortunately, there have been countless moments of beauty and tenderness, and many ‘amazing opportunities’, which have helped balance the more difficult jobs. In an assignment that he’d ‘never’ in his lifetime have dreamt of doing, John was the official photographer covering Pope John Paul II’s visit to Australia, Bangladesh, Singapore, Fiji, New Zealand and the Seychelles in 1986. In preparation for the Holy Father’s visit, he was also sent to Rome to produce several pictorial features on Pope John Paul II and the Vatican.
During the flight around Australia with the Holy Father, John and chief Vatican photographer Arturo Mari were called up to the Pope’s private compartment to take a photo of him with Cardinal Edward Clancy of Sydney. After doing so, the Pope’s secretary suggested that John sit down next to the Holy Father so he could have his own ‘memento’ photo.
‘As you can imagine, I did what I was told,’ says John. After the photo had been taken, John thought he should say something to the Pope, so he asked: ‘Holy Father, do you have a message that I can pass onto my children?’ The Holy Father thought for a moment, and putting his arms in an embrace gesture, replied: ‘Give them a hug and a kiss from me, and tell them the pope loves them.’ And he repeated these words.
John thanked the Holy Father and quietly went back to his seat at the back of the plane, thinking, ‘That’s not what I wanted him to say! I wanted him to say exactly what we were trying to teach our children: obey your parents, love one another, and say your morning and night prayers!’ John did pass the message on to his family though.
John and his wife, Maria, who have been married for almost 53 years, have four children—Anthony, Joseph, Peter and Bernadette—and seven grandchildren. The Casamento home in Bundoora is home to thousands of printed photographs and newspaper clippings. His office is the biggest storage place for these treasures and is the place you’ll most often find John these days.
When asked about his favourite photos, there are some standouts. The first is a photograph of Pope John Paul II praying before the Blessed Sacrament. While at the Vatican, at the suggestion of the Holy Father’s private secretary, he was invited to photograph the Holy Father during his morning Mass in his private chapel. ‘It was a beautiful, memorable moment,’ says John.
Another favourite is a picture of a lone rower on the Maribyrnong River, in Melbourne’s inner-west. This photograph was voted the most popular picture in the 1966 World Press Photo Contest, held in Amsterdam. John was also voted Australian Press Photographer of the Year in 1977.
But John’s ‘all-time favourite picture’ is that of Olive, a young Aboriginal girl, as she says grace before her school lunch on the Aboriginal settlement of Palm Island off the coast of Queensland. The photo was taken in 1964 when John was invited to the island on a ‘private, pro-bono job’.
‘All three photos are proof that some beautiful, simple photographs are those taken without any communication between photographer and subject,’ said John. ‘They’re recording a moment in history and the picture hasn’t been manipulated. I’ve just captured something as it happens.’
Throughout his career, John has also worked for various religious publications, including The Advocate, The Tribune and Kairos Catholic Journal, and for the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. Despite having officially retired years ago, he still takes on occasional work to help out his youngest son, Peter, who is a professional photographer. Together, they regularly photograph the Ordination Masses that take place at St Patrick’s Cathedral in East Melbourne, as well as taking many of the official photographs for archdiocesan clergy and seminarians.
‘The thing I miss now is not meeting people from all walks of life,’ John says. ‘From the upper class, the lower class, the poor, the criminals—and I’ve met a few of those in my time.’ In John’s mind, everyone was to be treated equally, and as Christ would have treated them. ‘My faith has guided me in everything I do,’ he says. ‘It’s the most important thing in my life—it gives me peace and joy. And treating everyone in a Christian manner has always been important to me.
‘Even for the murderers I met and photographed, I never decided on their guilt or innocence; it was a case of “hate the sin, love the sinner.” The way we treat one another is the way we show God’s love—we don’t need to stand on a soapbox. Ultimately, we’re here to know, worship, and love God.’
John hopes that he can continue to take on smaller, private jobs, which allow him to stay in touch with people’s lives and stories. He recently photographed portraits of Joseph Giansiracusa, a restorer of religious statues and paintings, in his studio in Preston, before he sadly died a few weeks ago. He has also published a book, Never work with animals or children, which features some of his best photos of animals and children from his assignments at The Sun and Herald Sun. The sales of all books are being donated to the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute for ongoing research into children born with serious heart defects. This is a project close to John’s heart, since his own grandson, Noah (21), has recently undergone a heart transplant. ‘I’ve been praying to St Pope John Paul II for many years to ask God to mend Noah’s heart,’ John says.
Looking back over his life, John says he has much to be grateful for: his family, his friends, his professional career and, most importantly, his faith, which has grounded him. He attributes his faith and love of God to the example set by his parents, as well as the Good Samaritan sisters who taught him during primary school, and the Christian Brothers in high school.
He’s seen many changes over the decades, particularly in his own profession—he started with a Speed Graphic 5x4 film camera, ‘just like you see in the Hollywood movies’, and now uses a digital Nikon camera—but what hasn’t changed is his desire to ‘do the best’ he can, and to pray.
‘I’ve had countless blessings all my life, so thanking God comes first. As for asking for more blessings, they begin with my family and myriad requests far too long to list! I’m always praying for my children and grandchildren,’ he says. ‘As for what’s left on the bucket list? That I get to heaven!’
