Stephen Ferry was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. His father, David Ferry, is a respected poet and translator, and his mother, Anne Ferry was a scholar of English literature. At the age of 12, Stephen began to hang around the Ferranti - Dege camera store and lab, where he learned to develop and print.

Since the late 1980s, Stephen has traveled to dozens of countries, covering social and political change, human rights, and the environment. He has worked extensively in Eastern Europe, Northern Africa, and the Middle East, while always returning to the subjects that he finds important, whether or not they are in the headlines.

A fluent Spanish speaker, Stephen has developed an understanding of Latin American culture, society and politics from over 20 years of covering the region. He currently is based in Bogotá and is finishing VIOLENTOLOGY: A MANUAL OF THE COLOMBIAN CONFLICT, to be published by Umbrage Editions in March, 2012.

Stephen's work has received numerous prizes and honors in the World Press, Picture of the Year and Best of Photojournalism contests. He has received grants and fellowships from the National Geographic Expeditions Council, the Ambassador's