Landscape nominee

[deer park]
On this lonely mountain I see no one,
Yet I hear the echo of voices.
Rays of sunlight enter into the deep forest,
Shining once more upon green moss.
- Wang Wei

“InfrareDreams” is a heartfelt and fervent tribute to the hidden essence of Mother Nature, drawing inspiration from the brevity of Wang Wei's poems. All my life I’ve had vivid dreams, the majority of them being in and surrounded by nature. It could be a spontaneous free fall down a gushing waterfall that suddenly wakes me from a deep slumber or standing on the precipice of high above bluffs overwhelmed by the brooding, stormy waves just on the horizon.

Through the lens of a Leica Q2 camera with custom infrared treatment on Adobe Lightroom, these images unveil the hidden wonders of our natural world, igniting the senses and unveiling what often escapes our notice. They invite us to develop a profound appreciation for the ordinary flora and fauna in our everyday surroundings. These images aim to kindle not just a deeper love for nature but also a realization of our fleeting and ephemeral connection with it, encouraging us to cherish it more deeply.

Tommy Lei (1988) is a lens-based artist and fine art photographer whose journey from Hong Kong to America has been a captivating odyssey. Rooted in two worlds, his passion lies in revealing beauty in the shadows and ordinary. Photography, for him, is a meditative practice, weaving tranquility, symmetry, and equilibrium into each frame, like ink in a shui-mo Chinese painting—a tribute to his roots and heritage.

With a multitude of fine art exhibitions under his belt, Tommy Lei’s body of work has been recognized and lauded by Aesthetica Art Prize, Neutral Density Awards as well as Monovisions Photography Awards.

Tommy's captivating prints and original works are collected worldwide, including in Canada, France, and South Korea. A majority of his collectors are women who occupy high-power positions across non-profit organizations, media, technology, and literature — most notably, Celeste Ng, who authored Little Fires Everywhere — a riveting novel turned hit Hulu television show.

His work has been featured in respected publications such as Architectural Digest, Domino, Chairish, and Saatchi Art. 

A Cornell University alumnus in the social sciences and humanities, he is currently a proud member of the Pasadena Society of Artists and a photographer ambassador for Canson Infinity.