Ferrell was born March 26, 1936 and was raised in the Dallas area, graduating from Arlington State College. He competed in the steer wrestling in high school, college, and in the RCA.
He began his rodeo photography in 1961. Known as “Flashbulb”, he traveled nationwide, patterning his photography career after the great rodeo photographer DeVere Helfrich. He was selected as the official photographer of the NFR in 1967 and stayed on in that capacity until 1973.
In 1974, he broke his neck in a steer wrestling accident and retired from the arena. With 25-years-old negatives, he has computerized and brought old photos back to life and enjoys traveling the reunion circuit and showing his goods.
