Paul Ferguson: Portrait of a Killer

Kris of Chicago had the shock of a lifetime discovering his model Paul Ferguson had been arrested for the murder of actor Ramon Novarro.

Paul Ferguson
Portrait of a Killer
Photo courtesy Kris of Chgo.
Above: Paul Ferguson (at age 18) from Chicago, is considered by many to be a sweet, gentle appearing boy. But several years after this pho- to was taken he was in Hollywood with his younger brother Tom and on a recommendation from their cousin they went to visit the home of actor Ramon Navarro. Believing he had considerable money hidden in the house (which he did not), they beat him unmercifully in a futile effort to force him to reveal the hiding place. Mr. Navarro died. The two bro- thers received life terms.
How often do you brush shoulders with a psychopath willing and cap- able to snuff out your life? Do you avoid the conditions which would make you vulnerable? Can you always trust your judgment?
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Paul Ferguson would have faded into total anonymity as another tired hustler who posed for nude pictures if he and his younger brother Tom hadn’t, on October 30, 1969, tortured and murdered silent screen idol Ramon Novarro who had starred as the original Ben Hur.
Paul Ferguson was convicted and is now serving a life sentence for the murder.

Models come in all varieties. Some become famous, others in- famous. A number of years after PAUL FERGUSON (below) was photographed by Kris studios, he was tried and convicted for the killing of Ramon Navarro. More typical is LARRY MADDEN (right) who was met while he was hitchhiking back to campus where he was enjoying the rewards and responsibilities of an athletic scholarship (Photo by The Hunter).

(aside from the natural tendency to overreact to that person’s importance) is that often we confuse our groin reaction with our professional position. A wise photographer keeps a firm control on his lust in professional situations using it only to help him accomplish his ends and letting it come into play only as he becomes certain that it will help the work he is doing and will bring positive responses from the subject.
In the area of psyching-out the prospect, it is always helpful to know as much as possible about the prospective model as possible before you actually approach him to work for you. Ideally this includes, in addition to the physical facts, historical data, present circumstances, as well as intuitive impressions. Often much of this is not possible. But when it is, use it. A pro- fessional always goes to work well prepared. This includes the interview as well as the actual photography. What a person is and who a person is has a great deal to do with how you ap proach him.

On those occasions when you must act (approach) without adequate preparations, a few moments of careful, ob- jective study for intuitive, gut reaction can often be most help- ful in a successful interview. When it comes to the actual interview, there are no two