This article from Issue 1 of Freedom. If you haven’t seen the mag (what are you thinking???) check out these images from Jeremy Ferris and then read on to see how he came to such awesomeness!
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Recently on a trip to Fiji I bumped into Jeremy Ferris one super chilled, dude. Flipping open his laptop I noticed some incredible photos of beautiful women (haha no not those sort of women) with large fish, in surreal underwarter worlds… What’s this got to do with kiting you say? Nothing! But how cool are they?!
I had to get a piece of this guys brain so this is a little info on Jeremys mission…
How did you get into photography?
I pretty much started with surfing photography, and kiting too as that’s what I was into personally – it started my passion. Right at the beginning of kiting too so it was super exciting and fresh. Was cool to see some of my mates get sponsored and go well in the sport. I picked up the camera more and more as I realised I was a shit surfer compared to these guys so yeh that kicked it all off. I enjoyed taking photos though so I still got my stoke, and got to travel with my mates which is the best.
Do you still photograph kiting and surfing?
No not really, there’s a lot of guys doing that now who are really good. It’s something you have to be 100% committed too like Stu Gibson who has made a massive career out of it. I guess I didn’t have the time that you need to get into something 100% like that. I guess it wasn’t my calling.
What I started getting into around then was lighting – it fascinated me, so I got into shooting fashion in Milan for a while playing with very constructive lighting. One thing lead to another; being into the ocean and loving lighting, it wasn’t long before I was shooting models underwater. I started out in pools etc and before I knew it we were working in the ocean. I love the freeform and unpredictability of working in the ocean and that’s where the animals came from its just another element to combine. I shot some whales in the Phillipines one year and everyone went nuts over them and I thought ‘I’m on to something here’.
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So that was the birth of my addiction, I’ve been shooting these all over the world and am now on a mission to finish the series. I’d say I’m about two thirds done now, I’m next looking at shooting in the winter season which will be a whole new group of animals.
Pretty mind blowing shots Ferris cant wait to see more.
Thanks mate I’m hoping to do an exhibition when I’m finished.
To check out Jeremy’s work so far and follow his movements around the world check out: www.facebook.com/TheUnderwaterProject