Bio

In Leslie’s earlier years she received a BFA in Fine Art Photography from USF and shortly afterwards attended graduate school in the same major. Shortly thereafter, she opened a studio in New York City, shooting for Allied Chemical, Sylvania, Ortho, and others.

 Five years later moved back to Miami and opened a large studio, photographing covers, packages, POP, advertisements, editorials and more for many world known clients. Clients included: Entenmann’s, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Boboli, Thomas English Muffins, Pollo Tropical, Bacardi, Kraft Foods, Nuestra Gente Magazine, Aurafin and OroAmerica, CD Peacock, SA Peck, Sears, Omni magazine, Bride magazine, Baby Times Magazine, Blockbuster, and others too numerous to mention here.

Factoid: Leslie was the first woman admitted into the South-Florida Chapter of ASMP. And, also she was the first person to be accepted upon first review of her portfolio.  Several women photographers later thanked her for paving the way!

1974  BFA Fine Arts, Photography, University of South Florida

1974-75  Graduate School Fine Art Photography, USF

1970-75   Exhibited in various Fine Art student and graduate student exhibitions U.S.F. Exhibited in Grove House, Miami, FL, and several galleries in group exhibits in Tampa, FL

1973  Exhibited in group exhibition, “Various Small Tampa Houses” at the Tampa Bay Civic Center.

1972  Turnberry Arts juried festival First Place Award, Ceramics

1972  Winter Park Art Show juried 3rd place ceramics

1972  Exhibited at ceramics at Wayzata, Minnesota gallery

1974  Feature Article and spread of work in “Petersen’s Photographic Magazine”

1974 Five Photos placed in collection in Florida State Senator Stone’s collection

1975 10 photos purchased for collection of Southeast Banks

1976 Exhibited in the group exhibition; Professional Women Artists of Florida”

1979-85 Photographed for well know artists, (Red Grooms, Frank Stella, Jacques Lipschitz, Alex Katz, and many others for Metropolitan Museum of Art, Guggenheim, Marlborough Gallery, Odyssia, Droll, Kolbert-Salander, O’Reilly), and others in  New York City

1983  Opened a large studio on Park Ave. So, and began commercial   studio shooting large format for Sylvania, Ortho, ONMI Magazine, Bloomingdale’s, “Bride”, Allied Chemical and JC Penney.             

1986   Moved to Miami, opened a studio, and began commercial and  editorial work. Also exhibited in a two person show at Las Olas Photo Gallery.

1989 Featured in “10 Top South Florida Photographers” showcase in   “South Florida” Magazine

1990  Photographs displayed at Miami Art Museum, from “Picture South Florida”. Also featured in an ASMP group project; Large format

1986-90 Various covers for “South Florida” Magazine, “New Miami  Magazine”, “Nuestra Gente”, “Baby Times”, “Bride”, “Omni”, and many others

1987-06 Photographed for numerous international magazine covers, commercial ads and editorial spreads. Commercial billboards, POP, national and international ads for Entenmanns, Sears,                      Kraft Foods, Knorr, Create Magazine Covers, Snuggles, Tampico, Goya Foods, Boboli, SA Peck-Chicago, CD Peacock-Chicago, Thomas’s English Muffins, Jimmy Dean’s Sausages, Aurafin, Auragem, OroAmerica, Kays’/Sterling, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Celebrity, ATT&T and manyothers, too numerous to mention.

2008 Returned to heritage as a fine arts photographer. Exhibited          large format “Prodigy Series” at Onessimo Gallery in Palm   Beach, FL. Began work on “Miami, Another Reality” Exhibited print at AIPAD show in New York at Michael Shapiro Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2008  Group show B&W Landscapes, Michael Joseph Gallery Ft.Ld. New Orleans Photo Alliance “Desire” Exhibition “Mail Order Bride” and “Favorite Colors”  juror: Mayumi Lake of Chicago Art Institute

2009  February: Rayco Plastic Camera Show San Francisco, CA

2009  Photograph “Shorty’s” placed in Dade Heritage Trust, Miami, FL

2009 May, Nominee “People” Category, “Sympathetic Man”, International Color Awards, Photography Master’s Cup

2009  “Contemplating The Event” in slideshow In “Forever Hold Your Peace,” juror: Sylvia Plachy at New Orleans Photo Alliance, slideshow exhibition.

2009  June, “Mail Order Bride” is placed at UNICEF, United Nations. In the words of Executive Director, Ann Venemon, “UNICEF will use this work to raise awareness of issues that have an impact on children,” such as early marriage & abuse”.

Daniel Azoulay's Group Exhibition on July 11, 2009.

2009 Images place in Special Collections Archives

2009 Won three honorable mentions in the Lucie Awards in Los Angeleles (I just found out )

2009 Exhibiting in IPC competition juried by curator of Coral Srings Museum Art, Barbara O'Keefe (This just happened as well)

AS THE PASSERS-BY HUSTLED QUICKLY BY THE BODY LAYING FACE-DOWN IN THE ALLEY,  WITHOUT EVEN A GLANCE, ONLY ONE MAN DARED LOOK…”THE SYMPATHETIC MAN.”

“Little Stories”

Often I see life as a series of little vignettes that detail a story.  In “Little Stories” they can be viewed similar to a condensed film clip. I have always observed the world that way. It is one very long continuum, with different characters, and objects replacing the last.