Los Angeles Artist Wins International Photography Award for Space-Age Flower Images

Online, September 1, 2011 (Newswire.com) - A Los Angeles photographer has won the silver medal in the International Photography Awards for his highly detailed photographs of flowers. Using innovative technology, including equipment used by NASA on Mars, David Leaser's innovative Nightflowers collection shows large scale botanical images with such detail you can literally see the pollen glistening on the stamens. To see the collection, visit http://davidleaser.com/gallery.

The International Photography Awards recognized artist David Leaser's photographs, titled "Nightflowers," in the Nature: Flowers category. More than 8,000 submissions from 90 countries competed for the 2011 International Photography Awards, the largest to date.

The awards event will be held at the Lincoln Center in New York on October 24, 2011, before returning to Los Angeles in 2012 in celebration of the 10-year anniversary.

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 panorama technology developed for 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, "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 judges for this award," Leaser said. "I've been working on Nightflowers for more than three years, and I believe they will appeal to a wide audience."

David Leaser's award-winning artwork is on display and available through a select group of galleries. To view the list, please visit: http://davidleaser.com/how-to-buy.

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 International Photography Awards:
The International Photography Awards is a sister-effort of the Lucie Foundation, where the top three winners are announced at the annual Lucie Awards ceremony at the Lincoln Center in New York on October 24, 2011. The Foundation's mission is to honor master photographers, discover new and emerging talent, and promote the appreciation of photography. IPA is dedicated to recognizing contemporary photographers' accomplishments in this specialized and highly visible competition. Visit www.photoawards.com or contact Jade Tran, competition director, at [email protected] for more details.

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For information and photographs, contact Denise at [email protected] or (805) 280-9914. Visit http://davidleaser.com/press-kit to download text and high resolution images.