International award-winning photographer Paul Freeman grew up in Tasmania and moved to Sydney after finishing University. In 1996 he wrote the best-selling biography of Australian out gay footballer Ian Roberts, (Ian Roberts: Finding Out, Random House, 1997).
He began his professional photographic career in the mid nineteen nineties when his sensational and often controversial art nude portraits of sports stars and actors began appearing in the sophisticated photography publications Black And White, Sport and Blue, and continued to do so over the next decade.
His photos of Olympians are featured in the books The Sydney Dream (2000), The Athen’s Dream (2004), and Sportbook (2003), published by Studio Magazines. Sponsored by Olympus in 2003, his ad campaign for them won silver at Cannes and the gold Clio at advertising awards in 2004.
His first self-published photography book Bondi Classic, a collection of portraits of Olympians, sports stars, actors and models, was distributed worldwide in 2003 and won widespread critical acclaim. Bondi Urban (2005), Bondi Work (2006) and Bondi Road(2007), followed. He has been regularly exhibited in galleries around Australia in solo shows:
Body Of Work, Taylor Square , Sydney, 1997and group shows:
Olympiad, Byron Mapp Gallery, Sydney, 2000
Michael Klim , Chifley Towers, Sydney, & Melbourne Aquatic Centre, 2001,
Water And Sport , The Australian Maritime Museum, 2002,
25th Anniversary Exhibition, The Australian Centre For Photography, Sydney, 2001,Paul’s photography career was featured in New York Times art critic Robert Hughes’ documentary series about Australia, Beyond The Fatal Shore, ( A BBC /NBC co-production), and on Australia’s ABC Sunday Arts program.
Australian National Portrait Prize Exhibition, Art Gallery Of New South Wales, 2004.
Outback is the first in his new series of books featuring photographs taken throughout Australia. It is the fifth collection of his photography to be published.
