Freeman, Michael 1945-

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FREEMAN, Michael 1945-

PERSONAL:

Born 1945. Education: Oxford University, M.A.

ADDRESSES:

Office—4 Callcott St., London W8 7SU, England.

CAREER:

Photographer and writer. Photographer for Smithsonian magazine, c. 1980—.

WRITINGS:

The 35mm Handbook: A Complete Course from Basic Techniques to Professional, Courage Books (Philadelphia, PA), 1980.

Applications, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1980.

Space Traveller's Handbook: Every Man's Comprehensive Manual to Space Flight, Sovereign Books, 1980.

The Complete Book of Wildlife and Nature Photography, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1981.

The Manual of Indoor Photography, Ziff-Davis (New York, NY), 1981.

The Manual of Outdoor Photography, Ziff-Davis (New York, NY), 1981.

Photo School: A Complete Photographic Course, with over 100 Projects, Amphoto (New York, NY), 1982.

The Complete Guide to Photographic Techniques and Materials, Book Sales, 1983.

How to Take Great Nature and Wildlife Photos, HP Books (Tucson, AZ), 1983.

The Wildlife and Nature Photographer's Field Guide, Writer's Digest Books (Cincinnati, OH), 1984.

Salem House Concise Guide to Photography: The Professional Manual for the Amateur Photographer, Salem House (Salem, MA), 1985.

Instant Film Photography: A Creative Handbook for Polaroid, Instant Film, and Convertible Cameras, Salem House (Salem, MA), 1985.

The Encyclopedia of Advanced Photography, Book Sales, 1986.

Achieving Photographic Style, Book Sales, 1987.

(Photographer, with Luca Invernizzi Tettoni) John Hoskin, A Guide to Thailand, Asia Books (Bangkok, Thailand), 1987.

(Photographer) June Sprigg and David Larkin, Shaker—Life, Work, and Art, Stewart, Tabori & Chang (New York, NY), 1987.

(Photographer) Editors of Time-Life Books, Southeast Asia, Time-Life Books (Alexandria, VA), 1987.

(Photographer) John Hoskin, A Buyer's Guide to Thai Gems and Jewellery, Asia Books (Bangkok, Thailand), 1988.

Cameras and Lenses: Choosing Equipment to Suit the Task, Amphoto (New York, NY), 1988.

The Medium-Format Manual: A Comprehensive Guide to Selecting and Using Roll-Film Cameras and Equipment, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1988.

Light: Working with Found and Photographic Lighting, Amphoto (New York, NY), 1988.

Image: Designing Effective Pictures, Amphoto (New York, NY), 1988.

Film: Making the Most of Films and Filters, Amphoto (New York, NY), 1988.

A Golden Souvenir of the Hilltribes of Thailand, Asia Books (Bangkok, Thailand), 1989.

How to Take and Develop Black and White Photos, Chartwell House, 1989.

(Photographer, with Paul Rocheleau) Ramona Lampell, Millard Lampell, and David Larkin, O' Appalachia: Artists of the Southern Mountains, Stewart, Tabori & Chang (New York, NY), 1989.

(Photographer) Henry Weincek, The Smithsonian Guide to Historic America: Virginia and the Capital Region, Stewart, Tabori & Chang (New York, NY), 1989.

(With Sian Evans and Mimi Lipton) In the Oriental Style: A Sourcebook of Decoration and Design, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1990.

(With Roger Warner) Angkor: The Hidden Glories, edited and designed by David Larkin, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1990.

The Photographer's Studio Manual, Amphoto (New York, NY), 1991.

(Photographer with Peter Johnson) Lorenza De'Medici Stuchhi, Tuscany the Beautiful Cookbook, Collins (San Francisco, CA), 1992.

(Photographer) Smitthi Siribhadra and Elizabeth Moore, Palaces of the Gods: Khmer Art and Architecture in Thailand, River Books (Bangkok, Thailand), 1992.

(Photographer) Nancy Harbert, New Mexico, Compass American Guide (Oakland, CA), 1992.

The New 35mm Handbook, Running Press, 1993.

Amphoto Guide to Photography/The Essentials of Successful Photography … from Cameras to Image, Amphoto (New York, NY), 1993.

(Photographer, with Peter Johnson) Richard Olney and Jacques Gantie, Provence the Beautiful Cookbook: Authentic Recipes from the Regions of Provence, Collins (San Francisco, CA), 1993.

(Photographer) Frank Lloyd Wright: The Masterworks, edited by David Larkin and Bruce B. Pfeiffer, Rizzoli International Publications (New York, NY), 1993.

(Photographer) Naengnoi Suksri, Places of Bangkok: Royal Residences of the Chakri Dynasti, Thames & Hudson (London, England), 1996.

(Photographer) Elizabeth Moore, Philip Stott, and Suriyavudh Sukhasvasti, Ancient Capitals of Thailand, Thames & Hudson (London, England), 1996.

Phimai = Prasat Phiman, River Books (Bangkok, Thailand), 1997.

Prasat Phnom Rung & Muang Tam = Prasat Phanom Rung law Mu'aug Tam, River Books (Bangkok, Thailand), 1998.

(Photographer) Naengnoi Suksri, The Grand Palace, River Books (Bangkok, Thailand), 1998.

(Photographer) Michiko Rico Nosé, Japan Modern: New Ideas for Contemporary Living, Tuttle (North Clarendon, VT), 2000.

(Photographer) Alistair Shearer, The Spirit of Asia: Journeys to the Sacred Places of the East, Thames & Hudson (London, England), 2000.

(Photographer) Claude Jacques, Angkor: Cities and Temples, translation from the French by Michael White, River Books (Bangkok, Thailand), 1997.

The Complete Guide to Digital Photography, Silver Pixel Press (Rochester, NY), 2001.

(Photographer) Nicholas Bornoff, Things Japanese, Tuttle (North Clarendon, VT), 2002.

(Photographer) Ruethai Chaichongrak, The Thai House: History and Evolution, River Books (Bangkok, Thailand), 2002.

(Photographer) Sharon Leece, China Style, Tuttle (North Clarendon, VT), 2002.

(Photographer) Michael J. Fay, Golf, As It Was in the Beginning: The Legendary British Open Courses, Universe (New York, NY), 2002.

Portrait Photography, Lark Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Digital Photography: Special Effects, Amphoto (New York, NY), 2003.

Digital Photography Expert: Light and Lighting, Lark Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Close-Up Photography, Lark Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Nature and Landscape Photography, Lark Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Contributor to Geo, Time, and Life.

SIDELIGHTS:

World-renowned British photographer Michael Freeman has worked extensively with the Smithsonian magazine and authored and taken the photographs for numerous books. He has also collaborated as a photographer for books by other writers. On his Home Page, Freeman commented, "I do a lot of books. They are a publishing format I understand well, they allow me to explore a subject in depth, and when this is something about which I know sufficient, I write also." One of his earliest works was Space Traveller's Handbook: Every Man's Comprehensive Manual to Space Flight. Edith S. Crockett and Ellis Mount, writing in Library Journal, commented that more than half the page area is "devote[d] to color photographs or drawings." Within a few years Freeman wrote the first of a number of texts devoted to assisting amateur photographers with both the science and the art of photo taking. The 35mm Handbook: A Complete Course from Basic Techniques to Professional Applications was one such book. A reviewer inChoice called The 35mm Handbook "an extensive resource" including "exquisite diagrams, drawings … black-and-white and color photographs."

Established as a contributor to such magazines as Geo and Smithsonian, Freeman also wrote "pocket guides" for photography. A reviewer in Publishers Weekly called The Manual of Indoor Photography "a pocket … reference library." The same reviewer described The Manual of Outdoor Photography's "compact, field guide format" both "handy" and "comforting." Jack Neubart, a reviewer in Popular Photography, considered both books a wealth of information that included "a good deal of practical advice, numerous tables and charts, and a generous helping of illustrations."

Freeman quickly followed the two manuals with The Complete Book of Wildlife and Nature Photography. Popular Photography critic Jack Neubart considered the text "thoroughly illustrated" and "highly readable." Joseph Drazan highly recommended the book in Library Journal, calling it "absolutely superb" with an ambitious collection of 400 photos. Freeman's book The Wildlife and Nature Photographer's Field Guide was another well-received work on the art and design of photography. Library Journal contributor J. R. Mosier admired how the "text is illustrated with photographs and well-integrated, very clear line drawings." A reviewer for Publishers Weekly called the book a "sturdily designed pocket manual" that is likely to become "a long-term reference work of repeated usefulness in the field." C. J. Stratmann, writing in the British Book News, called the book "exceptionally well illustrated" with an "appeal to all photographers interested in animal and nature photography."

Another "ambitious work" by Freeman, according to Booklist writer John Alderson, was Achieving Photographic Style. Alderson commended Freeman for attempting to "tackle the elusive subject of style with … vigor and sophistication." Turning his attention to interior photography, Freeman wrote the book The Photographer's Studio Manual. Another Booklist contributor, John Brosnahan, called the book "well illustrated." Freeman's book Instant Film Photography: A Creative Handbook for Polaroid, Instant Film and Convertible Cameras was an "unique and useful volume," according to John Alderson, writing in Booklist. Striving to write a book on "taking pictures" rather than on the "study of equipment," Freeman produced the book Salem House Concise Guide to Photography. Loren Bliss, a reviewer for Art Direction, commented that Freeman accomplished what he had set out to do and that that is the book's "great strength and uniqueness."

Freeman's numerous collaborative works include a book with Henry Weincek called The Smithsonian Guide to Historic America: Virginia and the Capital Region, which was part of a twelve-volume series. Library Journal contributor Norma Allenbach recommended the book for "both reference and travel collection." She called each volume "a jewel." Freeman also contributed the photographs to Provence the Beautiful Cookbook and Tuscany the Beautiful Cookbook. Judith C. Sutton, writing in Library Journal, called the photography "vivid." In a review of Tuscany the Beautiful Cookbook, a Publishers Weekly contributor noted that, due to Freeman's photography, "looking is almost as good as eating." Freeman also collaborated on Frank Lloyd Wright: The Masterworks, which explores the architect's most admired buildings. Playboy contributor Digby Diehl called the book "beautifully designed … and photographed."

Perhaps the book that best captures Freeman's penchant for photography, text, and collaboration was Angkor: The Hidden Glories. Michael Freeman and Roger Warner were the first Western photojournalist team to be allowed access to Angkor Wat in two decades. Genevieve Stuttaford, a reviewer for Publishers Weekly, called the result of photographer-writer Freeman's visit to the ancient sacred site "an invaluable, breathtakingly beautiful record" of Angkor Wat. Library Journal contributor Barbara Hoffert noted the significance of Freeman and Warner being given "complete freedom" to photograph "one of the world's largest religious structures."

Freeman also collaborated with Alistair Shearer, who wrote the text, to produce The Spirit of Asia: Journeys to the Sacred Places of the East. The large-format coffee-table book focuses on nearly forty shrines, temples, monuments, tombs, cities, and mountains found throughout Asia. Freeman took the photographs of thirty-six different spaces for the 2002 publication China Style, by Barbara Jacobs, a book about contemporary Chinese commercial and domestic interiors. As for his books instructing both amateur and professional photographers, Freeman delved into high-tech digital photography with such publications as The Complete Guide to Digital Photography; Digital Photography: Special Effects; and Digital Photography Expert: Light and Lighting. Writing in School Library Journal, Donna Head noted that Digital Photography: Special Effects "will challenge beginners and inspire students already manipulating digital images." Another review in the School Library Journal called the guide a "valuable overview of the field."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Art Direction, February, 1986, Loren Bliss, review of Salem House Concise Guide to Photography, p. 88.

Booklist, May 15, 1985, John Alderson, review of Achieving Photographic Style, p. 1286; February 15, 1986, John Alderson, review of Instant Film Photography: A Creative Handbook for Polaroid, Instant Film and Convertible Cameras, pp. 936-937; March 1, 2002, Barbara Jacobs, review of China Style, p. 1077.

British Book News, June, 1984, C. J. Stratmann, review of The Wildlife and Nature Photographer's Field Guide, p. 361.

Choice, September, 1981, review of The 35mm Handbook: A Complete Course from Basic Techniques to Professional Applications, p. 62.

Geographical, December, 2000, review of The Spirit of Asia: Journeys to the Sacred Places of the East, p. 99.

Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, June, 2001, Hiram W. Woodward, Jr., review of Angkor: Cities and Temples, p. 249.

Kliatt, spring, 1984, review of How to Take Great Nature and Wildlife Photographs, pp. 62-63.

Library Journal, March 1, 1980, Edith S. Crockett and Ellis Mount, review of Space Traveller's Handbook: Every Man's Comprehensive Manual to Space Flight, p. 516; May 15, 1981, reviews of The Manual of Indoor Photography and The Manual of Outdoor Photography, p. 59; February 1, 1982, Joseph Drazan, review of The Complete Book of Wildlife and Nature Photography, p. 252; April 20, 1984, review of The Wildlife and Nature Photographer's Field Guide, p. 79; July, 1984, J. R. Mosier, review of The Wildlife and Nature Photographer's Field Guide, p. 1318; March 1, 1989, Norma Allenbach, review of The Smithsonian Guide to Historic America: Virginia and the Capital Region, p. 82; September 15, 1990, Barbara Hoffert, review of Angkor: The Hidden Glories, p. 52; September 15, 1993, Judith C. Sutton, review of Provence the Beautiful Cookbook: Authentic Recipes from the. Regions of Provence, p. 98l; December, 2000, Harold M. Otness, review of The Spirit of Asia, p. 168; January, 2002, Gayle A. Williamson, review of China Style, p. 100.

Los Angeles Times Book Review, November 25, 1990, Kenneth Turan, "One Man's Obsessions," review of Angkor: The Hidden Glories, p. 10.

Photo District News, January, 1992, Mark Lapin, "Compass American Guides: New Series to Cover 50 States," p. 58.

Playboy, January, 1991, Digby Diehl, review of Angkor: The Hidden Glories, p. 29; January, 1994, Digby Diehl, review of Frank Lloyd Wright: The Masterworks, p. 41.

Popular Photography, February, 1982, Jack Neubart, reviews of The Manual of Outdoor Photography and The Manual of Indoor Photography, pp. 16, 190; August, 1982, Jack Neubart, review of The Complete Book of Wildlife and Nature Photography, p. 149.

Publishers Weekly, September 21, 1990, Genevieve Stuttaford, review of Angkor: The Hidden Glories, p. 62; July 20, 1992, review of Tuscany the Beautiful Cookbook, p. 241; August 30, 1993, review of Provence the Beautiful Cookbook, p. 91; October 25, 1993, review of Frank Lloyd Wright, p. 51; September 25, 2000, review of The Spirit of Asia, p. 55.

School Library Journal, July, 2003, Donna Head, review of Digital Photography: Special Effects, p. 153; April, 2004, review of Digital Photography: Special Effects, section S, p. 62.