Bondi Work

by Paul Freeman

The third in the Sydney photographer's acclaimed best-selling Bondi series of books, "in a market glutted with generic coffee-table tomes of vapid pretty boys, artist Paul Freeman brings a unique point of view to his exemplary collections.., magic combinations that he assembles in his sublime books of photos." (Advocate magazine ) Shot largely on location in sweaty workshops and factory environments, with the focus on the Aussie blue-collar worker, 'Bondi Work' continues, very much to our advantage, Freeman's fascination with capturing what is intrinsic to male beauty. "This book is beautiful. It's so great to see male nudes that are cool and strong and not just pussy." (celebrity photographer Tony Durran) Following close on the heels of 'Bondi Urban', which portrayed lads of a surf and beach culture, Freeman's choice of models, the way he directs them into sharing intimate moments, his trademark use of dramatic lighting to elevate simple compositions, and his use of color, again infuses this work with a painterly romanticism. "Freeman searches for (and definitely finds!) subjects who are quintessentially masculine men. He uses his fellow countrymen (Australia) to show us the virile attitude of the untamed, knows how to make the partially clothed form even more sensuous than the fully nude form, and creates photographs that are well conceived and executed and presented in a superb format. For those looking for the best of the books of male photography, his deserve a place on top of the list!" ( Grady Harper , review December 2005). Freeman styles, designs and publishes his own books, and a rapidly growing appreciative audience quickly bought out the first print run of Bondi Urban, while most of the first run of Bondi Work is pre-sold. All three books in the Bondi series are similar large format, chic, hardbound, color & b/w collectibles, with over 216 pages of photographs reproduced on quality art paper.

216 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2006

About the author

Best known for his series of photographic monographs on the nude male, Paul Freeman's nude portraits of sports stars, Olympians and actors appeared between 1995 and 2005 in Studio Magazines' '(not only) Black And White', '(not only) Sport' and 'Blue', and in their books The Sydney Dream (2000), 'The Athen's Dream' (2004), and 'Sportbook' (2003)
In 1996 Paul wrote the best-selling biography of footballer Ian Roberts, ('Ian Roberts: Finding Out', Random House 1997).
His first monograph, 'Bondi Classic', was published to critical acclaim in 2003, and was followed by 'Bondi Urban' (2005), 'Bondi Work' (2006) and 'Bondi Road' (2007). This best-selling series, which takes its' name from Sydney's most iconic suburban beach, observes the contemporary young Australian urban male at home, at work and at play.
Equally successful has been Paul's Outback series, which uses the Australian bush and its' changing moods to explore Paul's male aesthetic, and to style and weather his subjects, varying thematic focus in each of 'Outback' ( 2008) ,' Outback Currawong Creek' (2009) , 'Outback Brumby' (2010), and 'Outback Bushmen' (2012).' Outback Dusk' has just been released.
His 2011 and 2013 books 'Heroics' and' Heroics II' are an exploration of the neo-classic nude male referencing sculpture and painting in Western European art, and even surrealist film interpretations. This work comments on attitudes to the naked male in public and art by juxtaposing our collective artistic heritage with contemporary reality and male physiques.
Many of Paul's books are available from Amazon.
Paul has made his mark in fashion and advertising, with international awards, from Cannes Lions to Clios, to his name.
He has a university degree in Arts, and studied photography at the Australian Centre For Photography in Sydney.
The New York Times art critic Robert Hughes' featured Paul's work in his 2000 documentary series Australia: Beyond The Fatal Shore.
Please go to paulfreeman.com.au for more information.

Reviews

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot guys at work!
I feel like checking out another handyman romance now, LOL




5 stars, of course!

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Freeman's finest work to date

According to Wikipedia, 'Bondi is an eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia', but to photographer/artist Paul Freeman, Bondi is a resource for the models of his highly successful series of 'Bondi' male photography books. This volume, BONDI WORK' is, for this viewer, the finest of the series. Combining full page bleed color photographs with equally sophisticated black and white images, and interspersing these dramatic compositions with occasional two page spreads of snapshot size images that often create 'stories' simply by their placement on the page, makes for a large scale survey of the amazing Australian models Freeman finds and captures for us.

The theme here is 'work' and the settings are all in the various factories and workplaces in Bondi. The men are buff, but not distortedly so, and are presented both au natural and in elements of work clothing. For the most part these models appear very natural: no body shaving here, no need for oils and accoutrements - these are men in the raw, and enjoying themselves. The work theme matches the characters in this portfolio as these men all appear to be naturally buff from labor in the workplace (as well as the gym).

Freeman includes full frontal (and rear) nudity but only incidentally. This is not a collection of aroused models but rather a collection of men who can arouse the viewer merely by the gifts they possess! This is a fine collection for a very large audience. Not only are the models well chosen and well placed, but the photographs are also very high quality in composition and lighting and choice of setting. Highly recommended.