Los Angeles Artist Uses Space-Age Technology To Show Flowers In A Different Light

Online, February 2, 2011 (Newswire.com) - A Los Angeles photographer has developed a technique to create extremely detailed images of flowers. Using technology used by NASA on Mars, David Leaser's innovative Nightflowers collection shows large scale botanicals with such detail you can literally see the pollen glistening on the stamens.

The images have attracted the attention of Architectural Digest, and they will be introduced at their 10th Anniversary Home Design Show on March 17 in New York City.

To capture the intense detail of these flowers, Leaser literally had to create a new process. "Traditional camera equipment just didn't work," Leaser said. "The images just weren't sharp enough to enlarge to these sizes, which measure about four feet across." So, after months of trial and error, he developed a process using sophisticated imaging techniques, including technology from NASA's missions to Mars. Some are calling it the dettagli process because of the incredible detail in the images. "When you see these large canvases, you literally get a bees-eye view into the flower. You will see things you normally wouldn't even notice, like the tiny hairs on an orchid," Leaser said.

John Mendelsohn, reviewer of contemporary art for ArtNet, writes, "Art has always asked us to pay attention to the world in all its darkness and in all its outrageous beauty. David Leaser's Nightflowers, a series of striking photographs, confronts us with nature at its most flamboyant. In his images, this photographer creates fantastic, contemporary signs from nature's own high style. They are highly detailed visual records and an artist's vision of how he apprehends reality."

The inspiration for this innovation began in the depths of the Amazon. "I was in the Ecuadorean Amazon shooting landscapes but found myself drawn to the small flowers on the floor of the rainforest. You can see complete ecosystems in these flowers if you look closely enough. When I came back to Los Angeles, I spent months experimenting with technology until I was able to recreate these highly detailed views.

"I am extremely honored to have been selected by the jury for inclusion in the Architectural Digest show," Leaser said. "I've been working on Nightflowers for more than three years, and it will be exciting to introduce this collection at such an important event."

David Leaser has authored four books, including two photographic monographs. Leaser's Tropical Gardens of Hawaii and Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs have received critical acclaim; the latter was also featured at the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego. For more information on David Leaser, visit http://davidleaser.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/DavidLeaserFineArt

About the Architectural Digest Home Design Show
David Leaser's Nightflowers collection will premier in Booth M163 at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show. The show runs March 17 - 20. Admission is complimentary for design professionals. General admission is $25. The show will take place on Pier 94, 12th Avenue at 55th Street, New York City. For more information, visit http://www.archdigesthomeshow.com or call (800) 677-6278.

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For information and photographs, contact Denise Leaser at (805) 280-9914 or visit http://davidleaser.com/ to download text and high resolution images.