Lou Freeman©Lou Freeman

Lou Freeman is a photographer, a light stylist, and a director, but most of all, she is an artist. On her infinite canvas, she paints with light, color, and post-design to reveal imagery that blurs the boundary between photorealism and abstract painting. Moving fluidly from simple elegance to high concept, her art pushes the boundaries of photography and bends traditional lighting techniques to reveal the beauty, strength, and sophistication of each person she photographs. Freeman’s ability to inspire and surprise arises from her imaginative conceptualization, deft technical skills, and clear direction as she works with makeup artists and set stylists to create the stage on which she invites subjects to join her in the world of her envisioning. Her captivating imagery connects audiences with iconic companies ranging from Ralph Lauren, the Coca-Cola Company, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Lord & Taylor to Target, Hanes, and Coors Light. Freeman reveals each brand’s essence and reinforces its cultural significance, compelling an emotional investment.

In her interpretation of Americana that epitomizes Ralph Lauren, she takes us below the surface of mere sentimental nostalgia and invites us into the peaceful beauty and rough-hewn elegance of a lifestyle connected to its origins. To express a contemporary city-style vibe, whether in fashion or food, she ramps up the energy, drawing us into the vivid high saturation of an HD world, where we experience the luxe and intensity of millennials on the move. The advertising world has long taken notice, honoring her genre-transcending talent with OBIE and ADDY awards. This stunning range is also reflected on the pages of the world’s leading fashion, lifestyle, and architectural magazines, from Vanity Fair, Glamour, and Harper’s Bazaar Italia to Architectural Digest, Metropolitan Home, and Modern Bride.

Whether reinterpreting steampunk and Victorian fantasy or inventing her own world, her palates are equally diverse and far-reaching. Her landscape is unlimited, happily leading us on a journey into tropical lushness, dipping us in glistening golden glamour, distancing in steely industrial coolness, and abandoning us on a barren beach almost devoid of color contrast. Yet we’re drawn in by her uncanny ability to reveal the light in her subjects’ eyes, whether they’re looking through the lens, staring soul-to-soul, or gazing toward a distant vision, unseen by the viewer. In a groundbreaking move, Playboy Magazine made her the second woman only to shoot for them. Over twelve years, her instinctive sensibilities ensured women had a voice in the work that portrayed them, creating images with an edge of extreme femininity and glamour that intentionally incorporated each woman’s individuality. This skillful insight transformed the genre and launched the evolution of boudoir elegance. High profile entertainment clients such as CeeLo Green, Niki Taylor, and Jamie Foxx and sports greats like Joe Montana, Tiger Woods, and Evander Holyfield seek her out, entrusting their portraiture to her unique on-set styling and skilled post design concept completion. Through her lens, the seeming paradoxes of strength, confidence, and tenderness are often glimpsed, offering subtle insight beyond their public persona revealing authentic and sometimes humorous moments.

Throughout her international career, Freeman has honed her skills and evolved as an artist. Fortunately for aspiring photographers and lighting designers who may otherwise be daunted by a professional of her stature, she likes to share. Recognized as a subject matter expert for Canon and G-Drive storage devices, she is a sought after speaker who generously imparts her knowledge and craft internationally. Freeman has taught classes, led workshops, and delivered presentations at universities and leading industry conferences such as PPA Imaging, APA, PDN PhotoPlus, and the thirty-nine city Look Fabulous tour. Some classes are also easily accessible via online videos and apps for iOS and Android that she designed. 

For more information about Lou Freeman, you can visit her website at www.loufreeman.com. Lou Freeman 

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