Text by Linda Hayes
Images by Yaron Leshem
The first time Israeli photographer Yaron Leshem saw the historic structure that’s now home to the fine art photography studio he shares with his wife Jenny, he was hooked. “As a child, I was obsessed with birds,” he recalls. “As soon as I got out of the car and started down to the house, two bald eagles were sitting on a tree. For me, it was the deal closer.”
Tucked between Aspen’s Highway 82 and the Roaring Fork River, the light-filled space is beguiling, to say the least. Dubbed Leshem Loft as a nod to the New York City loft where the couple initially lived and worked, it is part of a historic enclave that, over decades past, housed several local artists and was also the home of longtime Anderson Ranch Arts Center Executive Director and studio artist Brad Miller.
To visit is to experience what, over the last four years, has morphed into both a gallery and digital darkroom, where Yaron, also a master printer, works on projects from concept to creative, lighting, composition, photography and high-end digital printing. “It’s a fancy way to say I’m using digital prints to do my work,” he notes with a grin. Printing is done on very high-quality paper imported from Germany. “It’s as important as taking the photograph. It gives you extra control over exactly how things will look.”
When they are not at their Aspen studio, Yaron and Jenny travel the world to shoot, with their schedule taking them routinely to American cities, such as Boston, Miami and Dallas, to international locales like London, Mykonos, Tel Aviv and beyond. “We bebop all over and feel grateful to be able to see things through different eyes,” notes Jenny, who runs the studio. “It’s fascinating, a window into a world of other people.”
Over the past 20 years, Yaron’s photography has morphed into a body of work that pushes the boundaries between dreams and reality and is informed by his environments. His photographic work, including works in progress, ranges from whimsical studio portrait sessions to more exploratory pieces, such as his renowned “The Village,” which is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan.
Upon shooting what he refers to as a commissioned piece of art, Yaron’s process begins with speaking with the individual or individuals, as the case might be, and discussing concepts that may be particularly relevant to them. He scouts for unique places to shoot objects that may be woven into the piece. “In each one, there is something very specific to the person or family,” he shares. “We meet, engage together. It’s a process.”
Singularly, his overall process goes far beyond the norm. “Yaron never takes something literally,” notes Jenny with a smile. “Part of his creativity is taking things that are exciting and meaningful and rather than taking that too literally, infusing it in an interesting dreamlike way into their ultimate art pieces.’’
This concept is particularly evident in work for repeat clients whose lives Yaron chronicles over long periods of time. “People can see how their families grow and evolve,” he says. “When we are younger, we dream about what we look like at the time. As we grow older, our faces change in our dreams. Photography gives you the amazing ability to create two dreams of family, one 20 years ago, one today.”
Of particular note is a concept that is markedly unique in Yaron’s process. He often “stitches” or integrates 500 to 100 images into one piece. “Artists’ brains are different,” explains Jenny. “Yaron works a lot with what’s real and what’s fake and integrates it all into his pieces.”
In one instance, he merges natural tropical plants with a wallpaper pattern depicting fake tropical plants and creates a waterfall that kids are standing under. It’s difficult and time-consuming, to say the least.
“Yaron can shoot for five minutes but later work on an image for five hours.”
Moving beyond portraiture and all that Yaron’s process entails, his never-ending yearning for uniqueness and differentiation has led to yet another singular tactic. “Yaron has a bit of a mad scientist in him,” says Jenny with a laugh, as well as an obvious sense of pride and admiration. “If something doesn’t exist in the market to help him create what he’s looking to create, then he is going to figure out a way to build it. He has built drones from scratch and has also learned to fly them on his own. The complexity of creating art pieces and having the technology to create those pieces adds weight to the work.”