Ferg42

Forum username: Ferg42
Real name: Fergus Kennedy
Posts: 362
Active years: 2006—2017
Role: Professional underwater and wildlife photographer/filmmaker
Website: ferguskennedy.com

Biography

Fergus Kennedy (“Ferg42”) was a professional underwater and wildlife photographer and filmmaker who achieved notable recognition both within the Wetpixel community and in the wider photography world. He earned a Highly Commended in the Black and White category at the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition in 2008, and was selected by Canon to shoot a TV commercial and print advertising campaign for the Canon EOS 7D in 2009.

Community Role

Kennedy was an active Wetpixel contributor who shared his professional work openly with the community, seeking and responding to constructive feedback from peers including Drew Wong and Mike Veitch. His posts demonstrated a professional’s willingness to learn publicly, particularly in underwater videography where he would share demo reels and accept detailed color grading critiques.

Notable Achievements

BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year (2008)

Kennedy received a Highly Commended in the Black and White category at the 2008 BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, one of the world’s most prestigious photography awards. He attended the awards ceremony at the Natural History Museum in London, where he met Brian Skerry, Tom Peschak, and Carlos Virgili (who won the B&W category with a jellyfish image). Kennedy shared his experience on Wetpixel, describing the evening’s festivities and the exhibition’s impressive backlit transparency displays (^[1]).

Canon 7D Commercial (2009)

Canon’s advertising agency selected Kennedy to shoot an online commercial and print campaign for the Canon 7D. He spent several days photographing wild horses in the Camargue region of southern France, with access to Canon’s full lens catalog including the 800mm f/5.6. The resulting 9-minute video was published on Canon’s website, his stills appeared in magazine ads and on London billboards, and a 60-second TV spot was edited for the Nat Geo channel in Europe. He also produced a DVD for inclusion in Canon 7D, 50D, and 500D retail boxes, shot in and around Cape Town. The Wetpixel article covering this was written by Alex Mustard (^[2], ^[3]).

Demo Reel and Professional Work

Kennedy shared demo reels featuring underwater footage from locations including Oman, receiving detailed technical feedback from Drew Wong on color grading, clip selection, and image stabilization (^[4]). He also contributed to the Keldan Luna 8 LA-V LED video light review (^[5]).

Other Contributions

• “PADI Divemaster and UK HSE Regs” (33 replies) — Discussion about UK health and safety regulations for dive professionals (^[6])
• Photography Show 2015 — Mentioned in coverage of The Photography Show (^[7])

Timeline

• 2006: Joined Wetpixel forums
• 2008-10: Received Highly Commended at BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year (^[8])
• 2009: Shot Canon 7D commercial in the Camargue and Cape Town DVD (^[9])
• 2009-12: Featured in Wetpixel article about Canon campaign (^[10])
• 2012-12: Shared professional demo reel with Oman footage (^[11])
• 2017: Last active year on Wetpixel forums

Activity Profile

• Peak years: 2008—2013
• Focus areas: Professional underwater/wildlife photography and filmmaking, Canon systems, video production
• 362 posts across Photo/Video Showcase, Shooting Technique, and General Chat forums