167 - Adam Ferguson
© Adam Ferguson
Adam Ferguson is an Australian freelance photographer. He was born and grew up in regional New South Wales, Australia, before studying photography at the Queensland College of Art, Griffith University. After graduating he travelled from port to port through the Caribbean and Mediterranean as crew on a sailboat to fund the start of his photographic career until, in 2008, he flew to New Delhi on a one-way ticket and spent the next eight years based in Asia.
Adam first gained recognition for his work in 2009 when he embarked on a sustained survey of the US-led war in Afghanistan. Since that time he has worked internationally, contributing to The New York Times Magazine, TIME Magazine and National Geographic, among others. Much of his work focuses on conflict and on civilians caught amidst geopolitical forces. In recent years, it has also concentrated on climate change.
Adam’s portraits of various heads of state have appeared on numerous Time Magazine covers and over the years he has been the recipient of awards from World Press Photo, Pictures of the Year International (POYI), Photo District News, National Portrait Gallery of Australia, and American Photography. His photographs have also been included in several solo and group exhibitions worldwide.
Adam lives in Brooklyn, New York and is currently working on two monographs: a war diary of his time in Afghanistan and a survey of his home country’s sparsely populated interior and its colonial legacy.
On episode 167, Adam discusses, among other things:
His experience of hotel quarantine in Sydney, Australia.
His substack newsletter / blog.
His return to Australia to work on a story there.
Reflections on climate change.
Reflections on Afghanistan in the aftermath of the recent withdrawal.
His idealism and naeivty going in.
A shift towards portraiture.
How he embraced a beginner’s mindset to brush up on his lighting and studio skills.
The Afghans portrait series.
The Bombs They Carried series.
Being the equivalent of a film director.
PTSD, Ayuaushca and a veterens on retreat story.
Referenced:
“Every time I light something, I learn something about lighting...”
This episode of the podcast is sponsored by the Charcoal Book Club - the latest and greatest photobooks, expertly curated and delivered to you door with free shipping and no hassles.
INFORM THE MIND, INSPIRE THE SOUL
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