(https://www.max-ferguson.co.uk/about)

Max came to the university to speak us about his career and how he got to the position that he is in now. I found the talk very inspiring as Max spoke so honestly about how he got to the point that he is at now. Some of this hit home as he was talking to us about the struggles that he has gone through within the industry. He mentioned how he had started a magazine whilst he was at University, and that is the magazine that he is editor of now with a small group of his friends. I found this really interesting and influential because he said how he had left University a few years ago now but how he is still tirelessly working on the magazine which they have made so successful. 

Splash & Grab, the magazine that Ferguson is the editor of is a really successful magazine. I was really interested in how it got to the point that it is at now, which Ferguson explained to us in the guest lecture. He spoke about how it is a young photography magazine with the objective to promote new global photography. The team are ‘committed to publishing non-exploitative contemporary photography’. Ferguson spoke about how he felt like he was going to get nowhere when he started out as a photographer but with that in mind, he thought about starting this to be able to things his own way and on his own terms. I wanted to know a bit more about the magazine after hearing Ferguson speak about it so passionately so I looked it up online after the lecture. 

‘Our second issue investigates how the next generation of photographers are shifting the way that we look at images. As well as how they are adapting to changing spheres.’ All of these magazines concentrate on a different platform and issue in photography. I feel as though this is really important to address because there are a lot of creatives coming in to the industry and so highlighting these matters is giving them a voice for if and when things go wrong. This is also highlighting the younger generations of creatives within the field as well. 

Having Ferguson come in and speak to us was really helpful because he has recently come into the industry and actually got his name out there. I think that hearing from a younger photographer and creative in the industry is something that we all need to hear, especially as it won’t be long until we are in this position. I have recently subscribed to the publication as I am really interested in seeing the outcomes of each one, especially because I am so interested in layouts and type in relation to image. I will be using Splash & Grab for inspiration for my future works.