Renowned botanical photographer David Leaser took first place in two categories in the Moscow International Foto Awards ’14 Competition. Leaser’s “Art in Nature” series was awarded first place in the Nature: Flowers category, and he was the grand champion of the Nature category against 10 other Nature classifications.
David’s “Art in Nature” series is a collection featuring eight images of exotic botanical images. His work was selected out of thousands of submissions from around the world to win first place competition. Using innovative space-age technology with a new technique called “focus stacking,” Leaser creates richly detailed images of botanicals in a way they have never been seen before. His “bee’s eye” close-ups highlight details traditional photography has been unable to capture until now, showing almost a microscopic view of a flower’s most intricate details.
“I developed my technique by combing technology from NASA and Nikon. I compress dozens of layers of photos together for each image and then enlarge them enormously. The technique show details that were not possible just a few years ago – you will see details you normally would not even notice, like the tiny hairs on an orchid. I truly believe it will forever change the way you look at nature,” David said.
David Leaser has been recognized as one of the world’s leading botanical photographers, known for dramatic, exquisitely detailed close-ups of plants and flowers. His work has been praised by the art and photographic communities and has been featured by ABC News and in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Architectural Digest, Sunset Magazine and Nikon World. He was awarded a Silver Medal in the International Photography Awards, and his “Tiger’s Eye” was the only photograph juried for the prestigious London Art Biennale. The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in Los Angeles developed an artist series around Leaser’s work and selected 11 of his images for their permanent collection.
Architectural Digest says David’s images “glow with eye-popping color and pattern,” and Ann Landi, contributing editor for ARTNews, says, “David’s work seduces us as only an unforgettable work of art can, to look and look again.” David has written four botanical books, including two acclaimed photographic essays. He is a featured lecturer at botanical gardens and museums on fine art photography.
The Moscow International Foto Awards is a photography competition with a mission to recognize, reward and expose talented photographers from around the world and introduce them to the creative community in Russia. The competition is managed by the Lucie Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring master photographers, discovering and cultivating emerging talent and promoting the appreciation of photography worldwide. David Leaser’s work will be exhibited at Moscow galleries, and four images from his winning series will be on display at the Art San Diego Show in San Diego Nov. 6-9, 2014.
The Art San Diego Show showcases the best in contemporary art and is committed to promoting San Diego’s art scene. The show features the world’s leading contemporary art galleries as well as solo artists, Art Labs and Launch Pad Artists.
The Art San Diego 2014 Show will take place Nov. 6-9, 2014 at Balboa Park Activity Center in San Diego. See http://art-sandiego.com/ for more details. To see Leaser’s collection, visit Booth 305, or visit http://davidleaser.com for more information.