Melbourne, Feb.20 : The photographer responsible for taking nude snaps of Lara Bingle, the girlfriend of Australian captain in waiting Michael Clarke, for the German edition of GQ magazine, has hit back at allegations that the Sydney-based model is a victim in the topless sensation.

Gavin O'Neill, one of Australia's most successful nude photographers who has shot celebrities including Penelope Cruz and Megan Gale, was quoted by news.com.au, as saying that he was sick of feeling like "a dirty old man" over the series of pictures he claims Bingle and her family love.

Almost two years after they were taken, the saucy shots of the bikini babe have again been splashed over GQ's website due to their immense popularity with male readers.

But while Bingle has been painted as the victim in a sleazy expose that just won't disappear, O'Neill says the images are beautiful and tasteful - an opinion shared by the Cronulla model's management at International Quarterback.

Bingle and O'Neill have maintained a close professional relationship since the nude shoot, working together on several commercial projects.

"Everybody has this perception that Lara is embarrassed by the pictures, but she's not ashamed at all - she loves these pictures," O'Neill told the Daily Telegraph's Confidential.

"I spoke to her about it today and she really doesn't understand why people would think 'poor Lara'. She and her family have no issue with the images at all."

"Everything is good - it's definitely not 'poor Lara'," a spokeswoman from Bingle's management said yesterday.

ANI