今日吃瓜

IF photographer had to use one word to describe his male aesthetic, it would be the 鈥榣arrikin鈥�.

It is also the title of his new series of coffee table books: Larrikin has just hit the shelves in Australian stores, and its follow up Larrikin Yakka is due to be released in March.

鈥淗e鈥檚 the incarnation of everything I find wonderful about sensitive masculinity,鈥� he tells Star Observer.

鈥淭hat Aussie, free-spirited, cheeky, naughty anti-authoritarian guy that is really sexy but doesn鈥檛 necessarily know it. He exudes sexiness but he鈥檚 not self conscious about his beauty.鈥�

One thing Freeman rejects though is the recent concept of 鈥榤asc鈥� that has appeared in gay identity politics. Although he doesn鈥檛 participate in 鈥渢hat world鈥�, Freeman says he is aware of things like 鈥榤asc4masc鈥� but feels as though the gay community turns everything into caricatures.

鈥淪ome of the gay guys I shoot would probably identify as masc, but for them it might just mean they look manly according to the fashion, and are not overtly camp in mannerisms. It doesn鈥檛 mean that they are comfortable in their own skins. I鈥檓 working in a two dimensional art form, creating my own ideal so I don鈥檛 have to be too concerned about any of this; my aesthetic and what I鈥檝e always been attracted to as a gay man is personal. 聽

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 a John Wayne man at all but a very complex masculinity. There鈥檚 a mental aspect – a vulnerability yet a self-assuredness. What makes a strong man is not just about being brawny and fighting, but it鈥檚 definitely about the crossover between what we like to call feminine and masculine traits.鈥�

When asked if being 鈥榟ung鈥� is a requirement of becoming one of his models, Freeman gives an empathetic no. In fact, he reveals one thing he does regret is creating the impression that everybody is well-endowed.

鈥淚 really fucking love it if a guy, and it happens, isn鈥檛 self-conscious about their appendage, or how it will appear, and doesn鈥檛 require you to enlarge it,鈥� he says.

鈥淚 would much prefer having a wider variety. But if you鈥檙e getting someone to volunteer to be in a nude book, and they鈥檙e worried about how they鈥檒l look, in a world where the male appendage has been relegated to such a status, you want them to be proud of the shots and how they鈥檙e looking.

鈥淭o a certain extent you have to make the guys happy. Of course, a lot of people you wouldn鈥檛 enlarge because they鈥檙e already ridiculous (in size) but if someone wants to look different to how they appear in real life, then I have to.鈥�

So how does Freeman create the illusion that every model has that 鈥榣ook鈥�? He says through digital magic using Adobe Photoshop. Fluffing is not listed in his job description.

鈥淚 think people have this real misconception of a shoot, where I鈥檓 just relaxedly staring at a sexy guy for hours,鈥� he says.

鈥淭here鈥檚 dirt, spiders, potentially snakes. We鈥檙e all sweaty cause it鈥檚 hot and they鈥檝e got shit all over them, and they鈥檙e lying on some rusted metal, or doing something equally uncomfortable, being bossed around. There鈥檚 nothing sexy about it from all points of view.鈥�

Taking a look at Freeman鈥檚 book store on his website, which features the 14 books he has released over the past 12 years, one would think he is constantly working.

But Freeman says, like all artistic people, his creativity and motivation ebbs and flows.

After a five-month holiday in 2015, Freeman returned to Australia with a number of new photoshoots under his belt. Despite having enough content for three books, he didn鈥檛 find the motivation to start putting one together until 2016.

鈥淚 felt a little trapped in a corner about what I was doing, or what it was for,鈥� he reveals.

鈥淲hat else can I do with the male nude that I haven鈥檛 done?鈥�

But when a fellow photographer suggested he should do a Kickstarter to cover costs, he got a wave of enthusiasm.

It only took about three weeks to put the Kickstarter together, and the reaction from fans took him by surprise, with 903 people pledging $163,429 to the project. Freeman puts it down to involving his fans in the process, which made it feel more personal for them.

It鈥檚 strange to think with all his success that Freeman didn鈥檛 originally want to be a photographer, and didn鈥檛 start considering it as a viable career until his 30s.

After graduating from university with a Bachelors of Arts in History and Literature, his sights became set on becoming an actor. But a lack of confidence stood in his way.

鈥淚 realised I was almost going to be 30 being a nobody with just a few theatre roles but not making a living out of it.鈥�

A guy he had been in love with at university had showed him how to process photos, and he picked up tips from photographers during modelling jobs. After buying a quality camera to take to Bali for a holiday trip, Freeman started taking headshots of friends and realised it would be a good way to make money.

Before too long he started getting commissioned work, and eventually started submitting to big name magazines like Black and White and Blue.

The original idea of putting together his own books was inspired by the 鈥渁ppalling鈥� rates coffee table publications were paying for editorial work at the time. They would barely cover the cost of film and processing.

鈥淵our dream while working on coffee table publications is that you鈥檇 put one out that you control and edit,鈥� he says.

He approached a couple of publishers, but they wanted the lion鈥檚 share of the profit.

鈥淵ou think, 鈥榳ell I鈥檓 doing all this work and you鈥檙e taking 95 per cent of the retail price鈥�. It鈥檚 insulting.鈥�

Freeman also wanted to get away from the 鈥渟lick and non-organic鈥� male photography that appears in the majority of publications. He felt detached from it, like there was a lot about the male physique that wasn鈥檛 being answered for. Self-publishing gave him that freedom.

As he worked on his style and evolved as a photographer, Freeman found solace in the work of photographers like Bruce Weber. In particular, he cites Weber鈥檚 1991 book Bear Pond as a major inspiration.

鈥淗e presented the utopia of three naked boys cavorting around this natural environment. The photos created a lifestyle that wasn鈥檛 accessible to you,鈥� Freeman says.

鈥淓ven though Bruce prefers a slightly younger male to me, I applied my own voice to what I thought men could be which is a combination of things but somehow marrying the visceral qualities of masculinity with a haphazard nonchalance about those looks that was kind of what what I found magical about men when I was closeted in Tasmania.

鈥淪traight guys who were really sweet and sensitive and didn鈥檛 know how attractive they were but were kind of vulnerable as well.鈥�

During a visit to New York, Freeman 鈥渇orced himself鈥� on a distributor who agreed to take a risk on his first title. With the financial backing of an ex-partner, he was able to finally achieve his dream of releasing his own book.

It wasn鈥檛 an instant success.

But Freeman was happy.

鈥淚 had a book out, it was mine and it was what I wanted. Financially it probably just broke even,鈥� he says.

鈥淚 did ok, but not enough to put another book out straight away.鈥�

Now 14-book deep in a successful photography and publishing career, Freeman admits he still sometimes questions the style choices he made a decade ago.

鈥淚鈥檓 hugely self-critical,鈥� he says.

鈥淲hen I look back further (than my most recent book), I think 鈥榳hy did I even make that decision? There must be a reason but I can鈥檛 see that now鈥�. I would make completely different photo choices.

鈥淲eirdly when you haven鈥檛 looked at a book in years, you鈥檙e like 鈥榦h, this is rather good鈥�. You can look at it like a new thing that鈥檚 not yours. Also, taste levels and photo aesthetics change.鈥�

In terms of his evolving style, Freeman says he is less inclined to be as 鈥渃onfronting鈥� with his work and is more interested in using environments. He is also shooting in a much simpler, more organic way with a lot of natural light.

鈥淏ondi was trying to be more confronting about the body and yes, a man has a fucking penis – I鈥檓 not going to recoil or be ashamed about that – because I think there鈥檚 so much shame about the male body,鈥� he says.

鈥淏ut now that controversy isn鈥檛 in my work. You see so much male photography of guys put in really sterile 鈥榞lamourous鈥� environments but I think male beauty can look so much more beautiful when you juxtapose it with a desolate or decrepit rawness. For me, this accentuates the boyish beauty in their face versus the masculinity in their body.鈥�

Freeman says he finds his current style the most authentic way of shooting and isn鈥檛 bored of it yet. He also thinks people don鈥檛 necessarily like it when he branches out.

When his two-part Heroic series was released, it wasn鈥檛 as popular as his other work.

鈥淎 different market begs me to do another Heroic book but it isn鈥檛 a commercial viability,鈥� he says.

鈥淭he problem with doing these sorts of books is you have to sell a critical mass to pay for it. If I was selling prints at amazing prices, I would release a tome of my work exactly how I wanted it to look.鈥�

When it comes to his reputation, Freeman admits he is rarely exposed to the general public鈥檚 opinion. Most of the feedback he receives is from people writing to him, who 鈥榞et鈥� or love what he does.

鈥淥ccasionally, I get wind of slight disparagement by happenstance,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd, being of an artistic nature, this will always sting more than all the positive reinforcement.鈥�

At a housewarming party he was invited to, Freeman was introduced to a French man who, when realising who he was, said 鈥極h you鈥檙e the one who takes the tacky photographs of naked men鈥�.

When Freeman bumped into him a few months later at The Beresford, he worked up the courage to discuss it.

鈥溾�楬e was like, 鈥業 was off my face that night, I鈥檓 so embarrassed, I hadn鈥檛 even seen your work鈥�. I was brooding over this for a year, and it was all for nothing,鈥� Freeman says with a laugh.

鈥淚 wish I did that with praise.鈥�

Freeman is still based in Rose Bay, which is the same suburb he stayed in when he first moved up from Tasmania, enticed by the 鈥渉uge gay world鈥� in Sydney he had read about.

The now openly-gay photographer didn鈥檛 come out to his Catholic family until his 30s, so he found comfort in the freedom the move awarded him.

However, one thing Freeman does regret is not coming out to his mother before she died when he was 29.

鈥淎lways in my head I thought my dad would die first and I would tell my mum,鈥� he says.

鈥淚 felt such guilt when my mother died – I鈥檇 been lying to her all those years. When I flew back to Hobart and first viewed her at the funeral place, I was hysterical with grief and they had to drag me off the body to leave.鈥�

Freeman was incredibly close to his mother until he was about 12, but they fell out over religion.

鈥淚 think I was angry because I felt my homosexuality when I was about five or six and knew what I was,鈥� he says.

鈥淎round puberty I started getting angry that I was stuck with it and I blamed my parents for everything that I was feeling.鈥�

Nowadays Freeman is a lot more comfortable with his sexuality, but admits his career leaves little room for romance – mostly by choice. He finds himself less productive work-wise when he鈥檚 in love.

鈥淚 usually hit the two-year mark and get bored,鈥� he says.

鈥淚n the last ten years I鈥檝e probably only had a seven month relationship and a bunch of affairs around the world. But this has been the most productive I鈥檝e been in my life.

鈥淭he last long-term relationship I broke up because I remember saying, 鈥業 haven鈥檛 really done anything with my life I鈥檓 happy with. I鈥檓 not getting any younger and I need to focus on it鈥�.鈥�

But he admits to still being a hopeless romantic at heart.

鈥淚 still get overly engrossed. If I get infatuated with somebody, it becomes all.鈥�

For more information about his work, you can visit