Ferris was born in 1948 in Hastings, England, where he grew up. He studied at Hastings College of Art, and focused on Pre-Raphaelite painting. This inspired his psychedelic photography style. After school, Ferris signed up as a steward on a P&O liner that went to Australia via India. After returning to England, he served two years with the Royal Air Force for his National Service as an aerial photographer. During this period he became friends with a fellow conscriptee who was a member of a Liverpool "Mersey Beat" group, and he was introduced for the first time to this type of music. He was invited back to Liverpool to see a new group – The Beatles – who were appearing at the Cavern Club and was introduced to them there. From that point, he was hooked on "Beat" music from which The Beatles took their name. After his military service, Ferris emigrated to Vancouver, Canada working as an assistant there to master photographer Harry Nygard. From Nygard, Karl learned the skills of composition, form and texture. He also began an involvement in the "Beatnik" lifestyle and began hanging out in coffee bars, listening to poetry readings and the progressive jazz of such artists as Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy and Ornette Coleman. He photographed his first music subjects at these gatherings for local newspapers and magazines. He also began to take fashion shots of girlfriends and models, building up a respectable portfolio. Nygard told him that he had a real talent in this area, but to further expand his portfolio, he should return to London where the "Mod" fashion scene was creating new opportunities in the world of arts, music and fashion. In 1964 Karl returned to England and the "Happening" Beat scene. Ferris received commissioned work as a fashion and cover photographer for teen magazines19, Honey,Petticoat, She and later for Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Burda, French Mode and Marie Claire. These commissions brought him to such locations as Paris, Cannes, Munich, Ibiza and Morocco. When he wasn't working he would join into the "Scene", and after meeting Denmark's top "Superstar" model of the time, Karl was introduced to a Pop group called "The King Bees" who invited him to sing cover versions of Rolling Stones songs with them, and so he began touring in and around Copenhagen with this group. He eventually returned to England for a "fashion shoot" offer with Vogue. In 1966, The Beatles had just released "Rubber Soul" and Karl had the chance to meet up with their official photographer, Robert Freeman, who encouraged Ferris to experiment with different styles of images – which he promptly did – and created his unique psychedelic style. That summer on a trip to the Spanish island of Ibiza he discovered and began shooting the innovative psychedelic fashion work of designers Simon Posthuma and Marijke Koger – aka The Fool – and these photos were eventually printed in the fashion section of The Sunday Times. This was the first time such psychedelic photography and fashions had been seen anywhere. He and The Fool were then invited to come to London to shoot some more "Psychedelic" fashion features for other magazines, working from a shared studio in a former private dance theatre. There, they created "Art Happenings" with self played psychedelic music with Fashion shows, Freeform Dancing and Action painting, with Liquid Light and Photo slide projections superimposed on the performers by Karl Ferris who also shot music and fashion photos there. These Event parties became the talk of the Music and Art scene at the time and famous current Pop Stars and Artists would drop by and join in the action, "Drop In and Drop Out" was the common solgan used. Even the Beatles heard about the "Happenings" and came by and joined in. Also, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, The Cream, Donovan, T Rex, Mick Jagger, Grahman Nash, Graham Bond and artists Nigel Weymouth, Hapshas and the Coloured Coat, Peter Max and David Hockney dropped by. In 1967 Simon Posthuma and Marijke Koger with their colleges Josje Leger and Barry Finch aka "The Fool" were commissioned by The Beatles to paint their - "Apple Boutique" mural covering the entire building outside and in. Also they created a Psychedelic Fashion line that was to be sold inside the store, and Karl was there to photograph it all. and he was invited to do a stage "Liquid light show" for Pink Floyd, which is believed to be one of the first ever done in England.
Jimi Hendrix
Ferris was introduced to singer/guitarist Jimi Hendrix in 1967 through musician/producer Chas Chandler, who had "discovered" Hendrix. Hendrix then asked Ferris to be his photographer and to re-shoot the cover for the UK version of his album "Are You Experienced" – which he was unhappy with – for the US market. His images then appeared on all three US "Experience" album covers released during Hendrix's short life – "Are You Experienced?", "Axis Bold As Love", "Electric Ladyland" and the Japanese "Smash Hits"...In the year 2000, Karl's Hampstead Studio 1968 shot of "The Jimi Hendrix Experience" was used as the Cover of the multi disc, purple velvet "Rolls Royce" Box Set. Ferris went on to create the album cover images for Donovan's "A Gift from a Flower to a Garden" and the "Hurdy Gurdy Donovan" EP and for The Hollies' Evolution. He was also instrumental in creating their overall looks for the shoots, which then became their recognized public images. During the years 1967–69, Ferris was one of the preferred photographers to the British rock elite, shooting also many publicity photos for them. He was called "The Icon with the Nikon" by the musicians and Press back then. In 1968, Ferris accompanied Donovan on his US tour and was commissioned by Look to shoot a feature article on Donovan, after which he was retained as a 'Stringer' in Europe to shoot images for music articles there. In 1969, Karl's Donovan psychedelic shots were featured in an article in Twen, the famous German art magazine.
1970s–2000
Ferris left London with his pregnant wife Anke in 1970 and went to live in Ibiza to bring up their son Lorien. Joni Mitchell visited Ferris in Ibiza in 1970 on the recommendation of Graham Nash and was photographed by Ferris. Ferris continued shooting fashion and glamour photographs for magazines in Europe and the USA. In 1980, Ferris received a commission from Playboy Magazine to photograph "Welcome Back Kotter" star Melonie Haller for a "Celebrity Pictorial" in the famous Bo Derek issue.
