Michael Freeman

The latest title from the bestselling author strives to present shadows on equal terms to light. Niall Hampton finds out more

- Niall Hampton

Imagine having sold three million books about photography – for context, a typical monograph by a photographer will sell in the high hundreds, mostly purchased by other photographers. Michael Freeman’s books, in contrast, have seldom been out of print, no doubt due to his ability to write about photography in a clear and engaging way. Freeman’s latest book, Michael Freeman On… Light & Shadow, argues that shadows should not be considered the poor relation to light – it’s time that shadows were embraced on the same terms as light, he says. Given the inherent cognitive bias of the word photography, which means ‘painting with light’, this could be a challenge. But it’s certainly not one that would faze Michael Freeman…

From Chapter 7, Style. An elderly Japanese worker in a traditional tea factory, whose face is lit only by reflections from his shirt.

Having studied geography and anthropology at university, what was your route into photography, and why were you interested in photography as a medium?