Stephen Ferry has worked for almost 30 years as a photojournalist, collaborating with
publications such as The New York Times, GEO, The New Yorker and National Geographic. He has also worked extensively as a visual investigator with Human Rights Watch.
Stephen´s work engages issues of human rights, cultural survival and the representation of history. As a fluent Spanish speaker, Stephen has developed an understanding of Latin American culture, society and politics over 20 years of covering the region. His first book, I Am Rich Potosí (Monacelli Press, 1999) looks at the historic consequences of Spanish colonialism and silver mining on the native peoples of the Andes. In 2012, he published Violentology: A Manual of the Colombian Conflict (Umbrage) in English and Spanish, a product of more than ten years of documentation of armed conflict and human rights in Colombia.
Violentology debunks the common view of the Colombian conflict as a drug war,
revealing the deep historical and social roots of the conflict. This work was
supported by grants from the Alicia Patterson Foundation, The Fund for
Investigative Journalism, The Knight International Press Fellowship and The Open
Society Foundation. Violentology was awarded the first Tim Hetherington Prize,
given by the World Press Photo Foundation and Human Rights Watch for the longterm
coverage of human rights issues. The book was also named Best Photography Book of 2012 by several international juries.
In formal terms, Stephen Ferry´s work emphasises the material aspects of photography with a notable interest in texture. His books and exhibitions communicate through the
sense of touch as well as sight. While thoroughly versed in digital processes, his
heart remains with silver-gelatin photography and film grain.
Stephen Ferry is currently preparing La Batea, Impresiones hechas en Colombia (Tragaluz, 2015) a book about artisanal gold work in Colombia.
