Conversations on Whadjuk Noongar Boodjar: A yarn with photographer Cole Baxter

Madeleine Lombardi and Cole Baxter

Journalist and radio broadcaster, Madeleine Lombardi shares a candid discussion with Noongar photographer Cole Baxter. Together, they discuss First Nation activism in photography, music and legacy from storytelling.

Listeners are advised that there is discussion and mention of First Nations people who are deceased.

Interview Transcript

Madeleine: First and foremost, let's start with the foundation of your photography work. And for those who aren't familiar with Cole, you focus on portraiture, general documentation and in particular, First Nation activism. So, I want to start by asking you what made you first pick up a camera and how did you develop your style in photography?

Cole: That's pretty deadly. I like the way you summed all that up. That sounded great. [laughs]

My name's Cole Baxter. I'm a Noongar man, my family on my mum's side, Farmer. And I've come from Katanning way. So, like Wiilman and Koreng Country. Was born on Whadjuk Noongar Country here, which is where I've laid my foundation. My work is edified by the community that is here, [by the] Noongars and other blackfellas that live here.

To go back to your question that spawned it, I, years ago, was trying really hard to get signed as a model. It was really difficult and I got burnt out, but I still really loved that realm. And this is ages ago, I'm talking about 2014, 2015. So I wanted to figure out a way to stay in there. And I had always liked taking photos. I just didn't have a skill set or it wasn't a practice or anything. I guess I leaned into parts of my life that I could take photos of, as well as it just happened to be the time where I got an okay-ish camera as a gift. And then very slowly, I'd say for the next three, four years, it just very naturally became something that I was better at, better at taking photos. Maybe I was just doing more interesting things in life. So, when that's occurring, you've just got more inspiration, I guess, and enjoyable things around you to wanna take photos of.

And then I would say about three years ago, I was working at the time at the Centre for Aboriginal Studies at Curtin University. And it was academic student engagement; it had nothing to do with photography, the work that I was doing. But just really being in a super positive space with lots of deadly people around me doing lots of really great stuff. It just kept enhancing that thing that I was talking about, where what was around me was incredible stuff – excellence, lots of Aboriginal excellence, lots of people just wanting to uplift the people around them as well, which makes you want to do good. So when you're doing good, it's automatically lifting everyone else up and then vice versa. And it's just such a reciprocal way to live.

And then I would say when 2020 hit and finally, the BLM George Floyd stuff happened over in the States, it made this very strange mirror for people in Australia to look at themselves. And somehow from this thing that happened on the other side of the world, it contextualised all this racism that is so inherent and the similarities that are happening here, that even though it took that for them to be like, ‘Oh wow, racism's bad. Lots of black people get vilified by the police.’ And there's so much structural inequality in these systems that are set up to favour white supremacist ideologies whilst at the same time pushing down culture.

And you know, the black folks that live here, you know, the Indigenous folks that live here, it just really made it where people's eyes totally opened super wide and were like loving the photos that I were taking, which I'd already been doing for a few years now. But people just wanting to see blackfellas, wanting to see Noongars, wanting to see all of these photo shoots that I was doing here. And because my drive was centred in, ‘Is this something that is gonna benefit other Noongars, other blackfellas here?’ It just made it so easy for me to work, get work, people to support it, to love it, opportunities to rise. And I've just been blessed really since then with opportunities, and it's made it really easy to have a flourishing profession out of it. So I really can't be more lucky.

Madeleine: And I think when looking through your Instagram feed and your photography in general, as you were saying, you get a very personal outlook on yourself, Cole, and kind of your work, who you surround yourself with in your environment, as you were talking about as well. Your photography is powerful, and I love so many of the images that you are sharing. In particular, your political activist and mixed media posts on First Nation content, which you were just talking about just then. Can you talk us through some of the stories behind your work and how you capture such influential images in your storytelling?

Cole: I think, again, it goes back to being pretty lucky that there are lots of other really deadly folks in their own lanes, doing things that are easily capturable. And for me, when I go to social movement, political events that are live, I am using the scene to frame a portrait. So, a lot of the images that I take in those environments are subframed by the thousands of people walking the streets. But what's in focus is the face of an older Noongar person who has got a wealth of lived experiences. And that character is so palpable when you look at their face. And yeah, I take that photo and it's what I'm hunting for, what I'm searching for.

And I think as well with the style of photography, I guess, to go maybe to the practice of what I do, when I do go to these events that I'm talking about, I might take a 1,000 photos. And then from that 1,000, there could be ten great ones. So that's just 1%. And then from there, there's maybe one amazing one. And that's where I guess I focus my energy on and are really proud to share that. And I guess in a way, I hope that I can have that somewhat represent me as well as tell someone else's story in a way where it's not just an aesthetically pleasing photo, but it is a photo capturing an essence of them, that they are happy for the world to see them in that manner.