Former firefighter turns to artistic photography

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"Suddenly the Rain Stopped and the Clouds Parted," a photograph of the Shrine of the Bab in Haifa, Israel, in 2007, taken by Ken Duszynski

Updated: March 3, 2012 11:26AM

Kenneth Paul Duszynski, once a burly, hands-on Deerfield Bannockburn Fire Protection District firefighter, is now a photographer with a far more delicate touch.

His photographic skills have not only won him a camera bag full of awards, but a different lifestyle.

Duszynski grew up in Norridge attending James Giles elementary school and Ridgewood High School.

He tried working in a bank, but that wasn’t a fit. He then embarked on a career of cabinet making for a high-end remodeling company, enrolling at a number of different colleges.

Then one day, Duszynski visited a physician because of cold symptoms. He was prescribed penicillin. He experienced a severe allergic reaction that almost ended his life.

Norwood Park Fire Protection District paramedics resuscitated him. He hasn’t been the same since.

“I had a near death experience that changed my entire life. I don’t know where I went in those moments, but I didn’t want to come back,” Duszynski said.

“When I died, I became aware that beyond this physical life there is an existence,” he said. “Where I went was so beautiful that my fear is not going back to that place. And that changed my life.”

Duszynski spent so much time thinking about his experience that he consulted a psychologist. The psychologist suggested that Duszynski might be concerned, because he had not yet paid his debt to society.

“I was pretty macho until then. In fact, the term ‘red neck’ comes to mind. But I literally had the fear of God in me and went through a metamorphosis,” Duszynski said.

He joined the Deerfield Bannockburn Fire Protection District in 1980 to become a firefighter and paramedic, work he loved.

However, after about five years on the job, he suffered two back injuries that ended his career.

“I tried to look at the bright side of things, but I was devastated. I began weeping like a baby at home when my pager went off and I couldn’t go,” Duszynski said.

So Duszynski had to embark upon another career change. He enjoyed photography as a hobby and wondered if he could do that professionally.

“I’m not sophisticated and I’m not very educated. I’m just a firefighter/paramedic who broke his back in the line of duty. I’m not even articulate, but I love art, and I love creating it,” he said.

He studied the classical artists, analyzing their works to see if they could help him learn lighting, color and composition. Then he added some Photoshop touches to his work to eliminate distractions.

“I wanted every subject that I shot to have impact. I wanted them to look really dramatic so they would jump off the page,” he said.

Duszynski, who became a member of the Bahá’í faith, decided to restore a faded black and white image of `Abdu’l-Bahá, a central figure in the religion, and digitally enhance it with color.

The results were so good that the improved image was sanctioned by representatives of the faith.

“Photos of`Abdu’l-Bahá are so precious that they need to be done accurately so that their integrity is preserved,” said Martha Schweitz, who works in the office of review at the Bahá’í National Center in Evanston, where the National Spiritual Assembly has its administrative offices.

“His work is meticulous and detailed. He really wants to preserve the integrity of the photos as accurately as possible. And he has an artistic eye,” Schweitz said.

Ellen Price, assistant director of the U.S. Bahá’í National Center’s office of communications, noted that many people who see Duszynski’s photos say that looking at them is like being there.

“The colors and realistic qualities he brings to his photographs are exceptional,” she said.

Duszynski first entered professional competitions in 2004 to determine if his contemporaries would accept his style. He won a number of prestigious awards. Locally, the Photographic Society of America awarded him distinction in every competition he entered, including “Photo of the Year” honors. Duszynski was elected president of the Chicagoland Professional Photographers Association during the second year he was a member.

He retired from professional competitions in 2007 after becoming the only recipient of the Richard Paul Award in the 40 year history of the CPPA. He also received two of the three James A. McDonald Awards presented in their 40-year history.

“There are a lot better photographers than I am,” Duszynski said. “But I’ve been blessed.”