Bondi Work Hardcover – January 1, 2006

Who would have ever predicted that the beginning of the 21 century would be over saturated with glossy, hard cover, expensively produced books on the subject of male physical appeal.UNfortunately,95 percent of the wet-dream books are silly,ridiculously self-conscious, theatrically staged attempts at erotica with pouty male models & eager to cash-in cameraqueers referencing female pinup poses and attitudes more than anything else. Both Betty Page and Marilyn Monroe were queens of the erotic pose, but men should never mimic them. The vast majority of the books also look like it were shot by the same cameracrew and staged by the same stylist. One body type, one facial structure, 2 maybe 3 basic poses. Very mind numbingly unimaginative.But once in a great, long, while, a book of man-pics comes along that successfully creates a sexy, fantasy universe populated by attractive men going about the daily job of just being masculine (in the blue collar sense). Casting the subjects is the most important (after two decades of obvious,gay-icon types they are, naturally, no longer sexy) followed by the unwavering (butch)taste of the photographer.Although the images are staged (as opposed to documentary),there's a ease and a naturalness about the images that's refreshingly attractive. The use of natural light, butch/gritty locations, the relaxed facial expressions (instead of forced seductive cliche' stare-downs) to and the UN-beefcake poses work well. I can only imagine what these books have done for Bondi-eye-candy-tourism in Australia.

Paul Freeman's compositions of nude men in abandoned warehouses and industrial spaces is very well done. The nude figure contrasts with the world of metal and manufacturing nicely. Freeman's title comes from the suburb of Sidney where Paul Freeman located models and also conducts some shoots. The use of both color and black and white photography is employed almost to similar effect since the color photographs have muted skin tones against steel grays and iron rust colors found in industrial settings.The models are young muscular fellows and the book includes men of color as well as white men. Some of the poses imply men dressing or undressing for the work day or taking showers at the end of the work day. Many of the fellows are hairy or dirty which works perfectly well with the theme Freeman establishes in the book.The poses are not pornographic but are more natural relaxed photographs. The layout of the book allows for full page images repeatedly with other pages showing groupings of multiple smaller images. He is an accomplished photographer and the models are beautiful in this industrial setting.

I now own the entire 'Bondi' series and 'Outback' series. Bondi Work is my favourite so far!The men are rugged, muscular, physical 'imperfections' (hardly an appropriate term but I can't think of another) still visible. There are a number of posed shots, but a decent selection where the men seem to interact with themselves, each other, and their environment. They are seen in various states of undress, including full nudes.The men are not stylised or manscaped - they demonstrate the beauty of their entire bodies in its raw and natural state.It doesn't hurt that one of my all time favourite images comes from this book!The book is erotic but not explicitly sexualised, the photos artistic and never pornographic. A PERFECT coffee table book.Just note that it can be hard to get your hands on - I tried other retailers before amazon but they all said they had to order it in from other locations.There are so many photographers around but I must admit that I have a soft spot for Mr Freeman.Another great collection, my favourite to date.

The photography was too dark in this book. One of my least favorites of the 15 books I have so far of his work. There are a few really good photos making this book a keeper in the collection.

I've purchased photo books like this one before, but this is really awesome. All the models look really masculine, even in non-so-masculine positions. Their body seems pretty natural, not the typical all day gym body type. It's a great book for those of you who'd like to start a collection (I already have a good number of these)

This is another in the great line of Bondi books Paul Freeman has released. It's just as perfect as the others in the series. The models are beautiful and allowed to be "real" men which makes the book so much more sensual than any of the other male photography books on the market by other photographers. While I find the Outback series to be my favorite, you can't go wrong with this beautiful series!

wonderful examples of the male figure, subtle but erotic.The black and white photographs adds to the light and shade balance. A nice coffee table book that your guests will enjoy paging through

This is a very underrated Paul Freeman book. The photographs are excellent and for the most part look at least if not more natural that Bondi Classic. The men are beautiful and the settings and surroundings are terrific. This book will eventually surpass other Freeman books in popularity and collectibility because it is so good.

Very nice article. Thank you for everything