About J. Lawrence Naiman

J. Lawrence Naiman has been taking photographs most of his life, and this year he amazingly won first place in two separate categories - for "A Touch of Class" in the Peninsula Images section, and for "Seductive Carnivore" in the Views Beyond the Peninsula section. Both took advantage of a similar technique, highlighting the fact that "you can often bring out the beauty in a subject by moving in closer and choosing the right angle and lighting."

Click on photo for larger image.

"Seductive Carnivore" depicts a plant (Heliamphora nutans) which he found at California Carnivores, a nursery near Sebastopol housing the world's largest collection of carnivorous plants. Naiman was seduced by the plant, moving his camera closer and closer.

"I was being mesmerized by its overlapping curvaceous leaves and soft colors."
It wasn't until afterward that he realized how sensuous the image truly was, "reminiscent of one of those photos by Richard Avedon of famous semi-nude women with arms covering their chest."

For more information about Naiman, see his biography in the Peninsula Images section.

-- Miriam Boon