about
Leslie Alsheimer is a freelance documentary photographer and photo editor whose clients include humanitarian aid, development agencies, and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) worldwide.
Leslie is most known for her deeper perspective photographic essays addressing the global human condition. Spanning editorial, travel, fine art and documentary genres, her professional and personal work celebrates the beauty and splendor that can be found in humanity —regardless of circumstance. With images, she creates metaphors that honor the richness of life that accompany the enduring human spirit; celebrating life, play, family, culture and community through the joy, pain and love of everyday living. (See Artist Statement for more details.)
Leslie’s work has been honored with numerous awards including a Fellowship in Africa as well as international recognition from National Geographic , UNICEF, NPR, National Geographic Traveler, Social Documentary Network, PhotoPhilanthropy, FotoWeek DC, CENTER, LUCIE, and MSH. Her images have appeared in the Corcoran Gallery of Art, as well as numerous publications including National Geographic Book "Stunning Photographs," National Geographic Traveler, Black & White Magazine, PDN, The Washington Insider, and featured in Photolucida's Critical Mass Top 50. (See Awards for more details.)
In addition to Internationally published and award winning imagery, Leslie is also the author of Black and White in Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom with Focal Press/ Elsevier. Leslie's books have been published in four languages and widely used for curriculum in photography programs including the International Center of Photography (ICP) as well her own private workshops. (See Workshops for more details.)
Leslie is available for assignments locally, nationally and internationally. Please Contact her directly for rates and availability.
Other Random Notes ABOUT Leslie, she...
• loves skiing powder and steep double black diamond terrain
• worked as a whitewater rafting guide on the Rio Grande River in New Mexico
• has a Master's degree in Social Work with a specialization in multi-cultural practice
• only pretended to eat the Cuy (guinea pig) in Peru
• got sick eating cow tongue hamburgers in Spain
• managed the goat stew in Uganda without a problem
• has whitewater kayaked the Grand Canyon and on the White Nile in Uganda
• survived a glacier calving and subsequent tsunami rafting on the Alsek River in Alaska
• hikes and skies Kachina Peak (elevation 12,481) and the Highline Ridge every ski season in Taos
• would like to change the world or at least be part of the solution and make a difference in some way
• keeps experiencing another "Best Day Ever" thanks to spending time on the Nile River with Hendri Coetzee
• can peel a banana with her toes
• attended no fewer than 8 different schools prior to graduating from high school
• first job was at a vinyl record store
• wrecked her brand new wind surfing board on Cochiti Lake attempting to sail 30mph winds
• got 13 stitches in her face kayaking the Rio Grande
• got a black eye surfing in Mexico
• has attempted to surf Rancho Santana, Popoyo and San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua; Rio Nexpa, Ticla, Sayulita, and Pescadero in Mexico and Tamarindo, Nosara, and the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica but still can't call herself a surfer
• was a vegetarian for 10 years and one day wanted a hamburger and ate it
• worked as a political activist in high school canvassing door to door and marching for many issues important to her in Washington, DC
• worked as a Counselor on a Crises Intervention and Suicide Hotline
• wrecked on a scooter/moped 4 times, only once when she was driving, and only that same once without a leg scar
• calls the Grand Canyon the "quit your job trip" because getting another job is much easier than getting an invitation for a trip through the Canyon. Leslie has been 5 times, and once as a National Geographic photographic assistant
• is never going back to her old school (Annandale) thanks to Steely Dan
• is addicted to good coffee
• calls the phase of her morning before coffee "pre-columbian"
• roasted her own Blue Mountain coffee beans in the hills of Negril, Jamaica
• loves to dance
• loves to dress up in costume, especially retro one piece ski suits
• rode on the roof of a safari car in Uganda photographing a female lion on the hunt after being told by the driver she could if she wanted to because "If you die, you die. American lawsuits do not apply in Africa"
• studied abroad in Salamanca, Spain and obtained a second major in Spanish for her undergraduate studies
• wishes she could play an instrument
• worked as a counselor in juvenile corrections and in a gang diversion program for almost a decade
• started a program skiing and rafting for high risk youth
• learned more from her "high risk" teens than she could have possibly taught them
• taught darkroom photography
• directed and published a book of photography and writings by high risk youth for a gang diversion program
• loves to travel
• loves laughter
• loves adventure and making new friends
• can still do kartwheels
• is inspired by people who are changing the world
• and would love to help with your efforts making a difference in the world no matter how small!