Meet Michael Freeman | Photographer and author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael Freeman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, how do you think about risk?
It’s a very fundamental question, especially in a creative industry like photography. The popular, expected answer goes something like “Take risks…get out of the rut…live life on the edge”, because it sounds cool and inspiring. In reality, life and career aren’t that simple, because the risks need to be considered risks, otherwise you’re just rolling dice. I started with one very big risk: I quit my well-paid job in advertising to be a freelance photographer, which had even the directors of the agency concerned for me, not to mention my father. Fortunately I did it in my late 20s with no family to support, so I wasn’t in fact risking any more than my future. Throughout my career as a photographer, I’ve learned that it’s important always to take some measure of risk creatively, trying out new things, in order to keep the creative juices flowing. There’s a constant need in photography to stand out if you’re to remain successful.

Please tell us more about your art. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
It really is not for me to say what, if anything, sets me apart from other photographers. Frankly, there’s too much boasting that goes in in the photography world. If people enjoy my work and if professionals in publishing and advertising commission me, that’s for them to say, not me to shout about. I’ve had a very long career, fifty years in fact, and I’m satisfied I got to do what I wanted to, which was largely documentary reportage but also includes studio and technical work. I simply enjoy making images; there’s a kind of magic to it. Looking at it as objectively as possible, I was very fortunate to find a career (photography) that obsesses me. Making pictures satisfies me on many levels, and I have never even considered it as work. So, that was pure chance, but I helped it along by being very persistent and by using my imagination as much as possible. I never stop. One slightly unexpected turn was that I also enjoyed writing, and as in the early days I was shooting quite a lot for book publishers in London and New York, I began writing ABOUT photography. I still do, and am currently working on a series of five books for my main publisher, Octopus, part of Hachette, titled “Michael Freeman On…” with the first titles being “Michael Freeman On Composition”, “…On Light & Shadow”, “…On Color & Tone”, and “…On Black & White.” In all, I’ve written 70 books about the craft and practice of photography, some translated into 28 languages, and a total of 4 million copies sold worldwide. I’ll admit to being happy with that.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m fortunate to live in the heart of London, which is one of the great cities in the world, and there’s so much to do on every level, from cultural to entertainment to food, quite apart from the sheer interest and spectacle of walking around. Where I live is in Kensington near Notting Hill, in what I call Instagram Village, because all of our houses in the neighbourhood are painted different colours, so there’s a constant flow of tourists taking pictures and photographers doing fashion shoots. On a fine day I’d take my friend for a walk from here across the string of parks (including Hyde park and Green Park) all the way to Westminster, which we could reach in just over an hour, three miles away, all on grass! I don’t know anywhere else in the world where that’s possible. We’d take in just a few of our magnificent museums and galleries (too many to visit in a week), including Tate Modern, the Royal Academy, the Victoria and Albert, and whatever new art gallery shows were on. As for entertainment, take your pick from opera to theatre to music (the Royal Albert Hall is a 20-minute walk from where I live across the park, there’s the Royal Festival Hall, various jazz clubs, rock concerts at the Millennium Dome and in summer in Hyde Park). There’s too much to choose from. Food is a hobby of mine, and London is world-class, from three Michelin stars (Core is a short walk from me) to brasserie style (Dorian is a new favourite, also a short walk) to pop-ups.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Photographers above all need a platform that will show their work prominently, and better still, one that commissions assignments, though this is getting harder and harder to find. I was fortunate in beginning my career when their were magazines that were well-funded by advertising, and i will be forever grateful to one of the finest, the Smithsonian Magazine, who sponsored 40 assignments worldwide over the 30 years I shot for them. Also book publishers, of which the first to take a chance on me was Time-Life. Next, mentors, and for working editorial photographers like me they were often the art directors and picture editors, who shared their knowledge and experience. Notable in my career were Lou Klein of Time-Life, Caroline Despard of the Smithsonian, and David Larkin, an independent book designer.

Website: www.michaelfreemanphoto.com

Instagram: @michaelfreemanphotography

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/michael-freeman-88a8611

Image Credits
©Michael Freeman