Adam Ferguson (photographer)

Adam Ferguson is an Australian freelance photographer who lives in New York City. His commissioned work has appeared in New York, Time, Vanity Fair, The New York Times Magazine, New York Times, The New Yorker, Wired, and National Geographic, among others. Ferguson's work focuses on conflict and on civilians caught amidst geopolitical forces. His portraits of various head's of state have appeared on numerous Time covers.

Early life

Ferguson 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 launch of his photographic career.

Career

Ferguson first gained recognition for his work in 2009 when he embarked on a sustained survey of the US-led war in Afghanistan, contributing to The New York Times, Time, and National Geographic. Over the years he has been the recipient of multiple awards from Photo District News, American Photography, World Press Photo, Pictures of the Year International, and the National Portrait Gallery of Australia, amongst others.

Publications

Big Sky. London: Gost, 2024..

Awards and honours

2009 – Selected, Photo District News 30 Emerging Photographers to Watch
2010 – 1st Place Spot News, World Press Photo
2010 – Professional Award, Australian Reportage Photo Festival
2010 – 1st Prize News Picture Story, Pictures of the Year International
2010 – 3rd Prize Spot News, Pictures of the Year International
2010 – Award of Excellence, Pictures of the Year International
2011 – 1st Place News Story Multimedia, Pictures of the Year International
2015 – Pictures of the Year International, News Picture Story Award of Excellence, 'Mount Sinjar, Iraq', for The New York Times
2017 – Pictures of the Year International, Third Place, Issue Reporting Picture Story, "Brexit" for the New York Times
2018 – Pictures of the Year International, 2nd Place, Portrait Series, "They Carried Suicide Bombs" for the New York Times
2018 – LensCulture Portrait Awards, 2nd Place Series, "Boko Haram Strapped Suicide Bombs to Them" for the New York Times
2018 – Photo District News, 1st Place, Photographer of the Year
2018 – Pictures of the Year International, 1st Place, Photographer of the Year
2018 – World Press Photo, 1st Place People Stories, "Boko Haram Strapped Suicide Bombs to Them" for The New York Times

Major exhibitions

Solo

2013 – Iraq's Legacy, Reportage Festival of Documentary Photography, Sydney
2017 – Cortona on the Move International Photography Festival, Italy, "The Afghans"
2017 – Ballarat International Foto Biennale, Australia, "Through the Outback"

Group

2009 – World Press Photo, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2012 – War/Photography Museum of Fine Arts Houston
2015 – National Photographic Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, Australia
2015 – "Emerging" Annenberg Space for Photography, Los Angeles, U.S.
2018 – World Press Photo, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2018 – National Photographic Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, Australia

Collections

Museum of Fine Arts Houston: 1 print