About the Artist

It takes a special talent to create photography that captivates our interest, evokes our emotions and transcends our normal view of the world. This is the world of John Leifer.

As a young sports photographer for the Kansas City Royals baseball team, John Leifer found that precision and timing were key – that millisecond when the bat strikes a 95 mile per hour fastball, or the sliding tag at home plate in the bottom of the ninth. These experiences helped John develop a critical sense of timing that would carry over into many different venues of photography.

During his days with the Royals, John also served as a freelance photojournalist for local newspapers and magazines, including The Kansas City Star and Kansas City Magazine. But as the years moved on, so did John’s interests. Although he enjoyed seeing his work in print, he soon realized that his true love and satisfaction would be found in creating photographic art.

At the tender age of 23, Leifer made the move from photography to art. His early artistic works garnered significant local attention, resulting in numerous shows at area galleries. He even received an invitation from the prestigious Manhattan gallery, Images, to do a one-man exhibit, which earned him critical acclaim.

Over the past two decades, Leifer has continued to amass a major collection of work ranging from stunning landscapes to poignant, photojournalistic portraits. His pursuit of photographic art has taken him from the fjords of New Zealand to the streets of Chicago. His passion for creating captivating imagery remains as intense today as it was when he first picked up a 35mm camera back in 1970. It is a passion that is now on display in major galleries, private collections and on his Web site.