Black History Month: Want to know who the figure was that inspired my career?....

As a young man who loved photography, I didn't have many photographic heroes to look up to. In fact, the first person who drew my attention to photography wasn't a photographer but the subject of an image. That man was Muhammad Ali.

This single image of Muhammad Ali standing over the stricken Sonny Liston in 1965, gesturing for him to get up and fight, was the catalyst for my photographic career and everything that has followed with my journey into image-making.

The photograph had so much majesty, drama, tension, and intrigue; it almost looked like a still from a Hollywood blockbuster film. It captured my imagination.

Let's go back to the beginning. This story starts with my favourite teacher, Mr. Mackay. He used this image as part of our history lesson on the Black civil rights movement of the sixties. Ali was someone, alongside other notable figures of the time, whose name came up in the struggle for Black justice.

If I were to have one historic hero, it wouldn't be a photographer; it would be Ali himself. He was more than just a boxer; he was an activist, too. I could go on forever about Ali because, for me, he was the greatest sportsman and one of the greatest men who ever lived.

Photo taken by Neil Leifer in 1965

Ali Vs Liston their 2nd fight in 1965

This photograph, taken by the great American sports photographer Neil Leifer, has stayed in my consciousness since the day I first saw it. It led me into the story of Ali—his life and fights. This was the second of their two bouts, and its backstory reads like a Hollywood film.

But when it came to having photographic mentors or heroes, two white photographers stood out for me in the early stages of my career: Richard Avedon and Irving Penn. Both these photographers brought a sense of magic to their work—that's how it seemed to me. If I could ever master a camera and produce photography like these two men... well.

Even when I purchased my first camera—which I still have today, a Nikon FM 35mm film camera—I’d never imagined that I would be sitting here nearly fifty years on, still working as a professional photographer. There weren't any Black photographers around in my time, and for many years, I couldn't name one Black photographer. I came across one or two Black photographers while working in London when I started out, but they came and went.

I then came across another photo of Muhammad Ali. These were gently posed images of Ali standing next to a stairwell at Lord's Cricket Ground in 1966. These images intrigued me and made me want to find out more. I love this series of photographs, so when I discovered that a Black photographer took them, I was overjoyed and definitely needed to know more.

Gordon Parks, London 1966

This is when I discovered the work of photographer Gordon Parks. Life magazine sent him to capture Ali's trip to London. His photojournalistic eye for storytelling, mixed with his own fashion flair, captures Ali in moments that show the boxer sharply dressed and deep in thought. These images portray him as a sensitive and focused man. Ultimately, this helped shift public opinion about Ali and raised his profile again.

Photo by Gordon Parks

Photo by Gordon Parks

Gordon Parks was the first Black staff photographer at Life magazine, and his work stands out as a testament to the 20th century. From the 1930s right up to his death in 2006, he was able to produce work that captured so much of that century's history—a grand statement, I know—but when you look at his work and understand the astonishing variety and skill of this one man, it's just amazing how and what he photographed. And remember, he worked under segregation, discrimination, and racial prejudice. From 1948 to 1961, he was a fashion photographer for Vogue, Glamour, and Life magazines. In addition to fashion photos, he also shot photographic essays for Life and Ebony. Beyond his photography work, Parks was a music composer, author, and filmmaker. He made 11 films, including Shaft, Shaft’s Big Score, and the semi-autobiographical work The Learning Tree.

Photo by Gordon Parks

But for me, it's his work within the Black community that really excels. His portraits and documentary work of Black life—the struggles and the hardships, but also the camaraderie and sometimes the joyous togetherness of a persecuted people—is a document of a world many have never, and hopefully won't ever, experience again. It's real, it's honest, and it's telling, and it has steered me on to produce my own brand of photography in my own style and way, never forgetting how fortunate I am to be working in a profession that allows me a platform to visually voice my experiences and perspectives.

I'm pleased to say that the Gordon Parks Foundation was established to encourage and support young photographers in their progress and exhibition of work.

#BlackHistoryMonth #LinkedInNewsUK #Blackphotographer

John Ferguson is an award-winning photojournalist, editorial, lifestyle and portrait photographer based in Suffolk and London. You can see a major respective of John's work on display at "An Eye of Life" exhibition at the Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich until April 2025

https://ipswich.cimuseums.org.uk/exhibitions/an-eye-for-life/

https://www.johnfergusonphoto.com/

Drop him a DM if you would like to discuss a photographic project or campaign with him.