Professional photographer Lorri Freedman has developed and perfected her art in the darkroom over the years. As technology advanced, he embraced it as a paintbrush, using digital tools to add beauty and depth to his work.
The North Naples resident, known for his vivid, colorful images of wildlife and nature, finds inspiration everywhere – from the Naples Zoo and Kowiachobee Animal Preserve to the bald eagles that live on Woodcrest Drive, sunsets at Naples Pier, beaches and architecture. His unique photographs appear in homes and offices throughout the region; most recently at Meridian Bank in Bonita Springs, where a large mural of the beach anchors the lobby.
The southwest Florida-inspired design was the vision of Wayne Griest, Meridian Bank’s vice president of commercial lending. He asked Naples artist Tracy McAdams to select local artists to create a piece that would connect the bank with the community.
“He was painting a sunset on the wall, and he kept using the word ‘virtue,'” says McAdams.
He chose Freedman to take the appropriate place, ensuring that the red from the bank’s logo was included in the image. Freedman used HDR, or high definition photography – multiple exposures combined together – to produce “the best possible contrast” of colors and lighting. McAdams also asked Naples sculptor Steve Nagy to design a mural of palm trees and sea oats carved from walnut veneer, which gives the beach a three-dimensional effect.
“When you walk into the bank, you’ll see it immediately, with the tree and the sunset and the chairs,” Freedman says of creating an image designed to relax customers and invite them to linger. The sunlight enhances the sunset, making it look like it’s diving into the ocean. It will give the feeling of being on the beach.
Freedman has received numerous awards, including two Monochrome Awards for wildlife photography and creativity; Two International Aperture Awards for abstract photography; and recognition from the Windland Smith Rice International Nature’s Best Photography Awards for his weather portrait, “Force of Nature.” His work has appeared in and on the covers of magazines, including Nature’s Best Photography, National Wildlife Photozone and locally Portfolio, Gulfshore Life, Spotlight, Happenings and Experience Southwest Florida.
His interest in photography began in Brooklyn at the age of 8, when his grandmother gave him a Kodak Instamatic. He carried it around, taking pictures until he finally put it aside. Years later, his older sister persuaded him to skip school one day to visit the darkroom of the high school.
“That’s when I fell in love with photography,” says Freedman. “When he put the paper in the liquid and came out with a picture, it just happened to me.”
Her husband, Mark, later gave her a Canon AE-1, and the couple traveled extensively, taking in their destinations around the world. After the birth of their daughter, Freedman gave up photography to focus on family. As his daughter grew up, he returned to his craft, which turned into a professional career that lasted more than three decades, keeping pace with the evolution of the digital photography industry and advanced editing tools.
Known for her meticulous process, Lorri Freedman combines precision photography with the latest digital production, favoring flat results for clarity while sharing her experience in teaching and private learning.
When digital photography emerged, Freedman excelled at a professional Nikon camera, reading the manual cover to cover. He also dabbled in Photoshop and now teaches photographers and designers through his blog and secret tutorials.
The couple’s home in Saturnia Lakes is like an art gallery, with Freedman’s pictures of zebras, parrots, elephants, buildings and even a dramatic view of Al Capone’s prison cell displayed throughout his Lorri Freedman Photography LLC studio. His work appears on fabric, metal and glass.
“I like a flat finish because sometimes the light gets in the way,” he says. “I always try to talk to clients about a flat look.
He enjoys the creative process, from capturing an inspiring moment to defining the finished piece. His goal is simple: to inspire others to see the world through his eyes.
He said that time and patience are essential – as well as a deep understanding of nature. While photographing the plover and their friend, the birds suddenly dispersed and fell silent.
“I said to my friend, ‘You know, that happened in New York when a big bird of prey flew by,'” Freedman recalled. Moments later, the hawk swooped down, grabbed the tern and landed nearby. I didn’t have to concentrate or do anything. It just happened.
Mixing in the environment is the key to capturing real moments. While photographing birds on the beach, he resisted the urge to get close. He says: “I took photos of them when they passed by me. “They acted as if I wasn’t there because I wasn’t moving.
“The camera has always been my paintbrush to touch the beauty around me, whether it’s nature, architecture or people,” Freedman says.
To view Freedman’s work and blog, visit lorrifreedman.com.
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