About
John Free was a social documentary/street photographer who lived in Los Angeles. His photographic essays ranged from railroad tramps in California to street life in New York, Paris, and London and around the world. His other bodies of work include automobile abstracts and still lifes.
John inspired photographers of all ages and skill levels for many years through teaching sold-out classes and workshops that carry on the tradition, values and discipline of “street photography”: full frame, candid, available light. He taught year-round in Los Angeles, and around the country and the world, including New York, Paris, London and India. Part stand-up and part evangelist, he spoke from the heart to inspire new generations of photographers through his workshops, YouTube videos, classes, and his blog. He was also involved with several non-profit organizations teaching inner-city kids the excitement and power they can get from being dedicated photographers.
John’s work has been featured in numerous publications from U.S. News and World Report and Newsweek to Photographic Magazine to Smithsonian and The Sun. He was among the international photojournalists selected to take part in the project that resulted in the book 24 Hours in the Life of Los Angeles. John's work has been featured in a wide range of exhibitions, including the California Museum of Science and Industry, Los Angeles, Laguna Festival of Art, Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena and the Bagier Gallery in Ojai, California. In 2021 he published "End of the Line: Railroad Tramps of the Los Angeles Freight Yards."
John died in March, 2024