An Eye for Life

A retrospective photo exhibition displays some of my favourite images from my 30-year photographic career. The Ipswich and Colchester Museums initiated the Exhibition which runs from July 2024 to April 2025 at the Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich.

The BBC Look East Interview with me about the opening of my Exhibition at Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich. July 2024

 

Black Suffolk Photographic Project

John Ferguson being interviewed by ITN news Anglia about his exciting forthcoming photographic project entitled 'Black Suffolk' which centres around the Afro- Caribbean community and their journey to the Eastern Counties of Suffolk and Norfolk

 
 

 

Commercial

Watch my behind the scenes video from my PR & Press Photo Shoot for Ocado

 
 
A BTS shoot video of commercial photographer John Ferguson working with supermarket delivery company Ocado.

The Launch of Black Britannia Photo Exhibition.

Watch my video taken at the launch of my first Solo portrait exhibition ‘Black Britannia’ which was opened by the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown at London’s City Hall.

 
In 2008 my first solo portrait exhibition was exhibited in London. The project entitled 'Black Britannia, which took around 6 years to complete, with the help of the Daily Mirror newspaper and my great friend Ros Wynne Jones, was launch at London City Hall, Tower Bridge. I photographed 50 black Britons who had excelled in their chosen profession. From Doctors to teachers, politicians, lawyers, supermodels, journalists to sports stars and musicians. It was my personal reply to the then endless negative press and media stories about the black community. From black on black crime, drugs and knife crime, immigration scare stories to just generally bad press. I'd met and photographed hundred's of decent hard working black britons, some of whom had not received the attention there work really deserved, and others not achieving bigger headlines for the great work that they had produced. I was extremely fortunate that No.10 Downing Street took an interest in my project and asked if the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown could help out by launching my exhibition. The exhibition had an extended run due to the prolonged public interest and when on to exhibit in Manchester, Nottingham and Liverpool.
 

Documentary

Watch the Trailer from my trips to the Southern States of America in search of the Forgotten Cowboys

 
 

As a ten-year-old boy playing cowboys with friends at school in England, I was never allowed to be a cowboy; I could only be a Native American Indian. I was told: "Black boys were never cowboys" or "Have you ever seen a black cowboy?" I had to admit that I had never seen a single black cowboy.
The only cowboys we ever saw were your white archetypal squared-jawed, American gunslinging heroes. Think of our screen legends; The Lone Ranger, John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Roy Rogers, Clint Eastwood, right up to The Marlboro Man. The list is endless, but, not one black cowboy amongst them.
Indeed Hollywood played a big part in keeping the cowboy myth alive. In fact where American history and identity has been projected by Hollywood and the mass media, the non-white settlers have largely been left out of the story.
Thirty years later and enjoying watching those same legends with my own children, I have only just learnt the truth; many of the first cowboys were black.
I have now made it my métier to discover these forgotten cowboys. And I have been both surprised and excited to find a thriving African American cowboy community.

 

Advertisting

Watch my Advertising Video shoot for a luxury Sports Car manufacturer

Suffolk Sportscars

 
 
Made in Suffolk. Roger Williams as been building replica and fully restoring Jaguar C Type 1 Sports cars from his workshop in Suffolk for over twenty years, selling these beautiful cars all over the world.