About the Artist
Artist Statement
Between the real and unearthly, my work seeks not to escape reality, but to demonstrate how it may be shaped beyond what we have grown accustomed to.
Infused with symbolism and allegory, each artwork is crafted to reveal the unseen via a visual medium. Discernible yet otherworldly environments, are inhabited by subjects who are often more involved with their internal states than their surroundings. A clean yet intricate aesthetic, overlays imagery that is underpinned by psychological and philosophical themes.
Each piece begins with annotated sketches, which outline its purpose and the aesthetics that will transport it. The work takes time, the least of which is spent capturing the scene in camera. Hand made elements and natural materials collaborate, extending the work into the realm of magical realism.
While pieces may appear to contain darkness or melancholy, each holds light and hopeful messaging at its core. The work’s ambition is to act as a vehicle for personal reflection—igniting vision for transformation, growth and purpose in those who may be seeking it.
Leigh Schneider, 2023 (Photo: Thomas Oscar Miles)
Biography
Leigh Schneider is a New Zealand artist, working in the medium of photography. Born in 1986, she grew up between a small town in farmland Waikato, New Zealand and remote desert in the Outback of Queensland, Australia.
Her interest in photography started at the age of sixteen, when she won a regional competition for analogue portraiture. Leigh initially studied psychology before moving into Computer Graphic Design, gaining her degree and working in the field for a decade. In 2017, after a house robbery resulted in the loss of all her work, she decided to reinvest the insurance payout into her first full-frame digital camera. From there, she began to self-teach Fine Art Photography and fell in love with the process and possibilities of the digital medium.
Leigh worked commercially as a Fine Art Photographer and Art Director before moving into the Fine Art world. Her educational and professional background as a whole informs her artistic practice, leading her to create work that communicates an intentional message via layered symbolism.
Since making her artist debut in 2022, Leigh's work has been awarded, published, exhibited and collected internationally. She is the Professional Grand Prize Winner of the 2025 International Fine Art Photography Awards and has been a finalist multiple times in the prestigious Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize and IPA International Photo Awards amoung others. Her pieces have been added to collections across Australasia, Europe and the United States.
Leigh also works as the arts facilitator over one of the largest mental health services in New Zealand. Her identity focussed therapeutic program has been accessed by hundreds in the mental health system, guiding authentic and purpose driven artwork creation. Her work as an educator and speaker encourages the same.
Leigh is based between New Zealand and Germany with her husband.
Exhibitions
2025
"If It's Not Baroque, Don't Fix It," Group Exhibition. Poetic Tiger Gallery - Boise, United States (Online)
'Time Has Wings,' Solo Exhibition. Quirky Fox Gallery - Hāwera, New Zealand
2024
'Good vs Evil,' Group Exhibition. Nanny Goat Gallery - Petaluma, San Francisco Bay, United States
'Ephemeral,' Group Exhibition. Nanny Goat Gallery - Petaluma, San Francisco Bay, United States
'Time Has Wings,' Solo Exhibition. Curio Art Gallery - Lisbon, Portugal
'Beyond the Shadows,' Solo Exhibition. Taunus Foto Gallery - Bad Homburg, Germany
2023
'Haunted,' Group Exhibition. Curio Art Gallery - Lisbon, Portugal (Online)
'Beyond the Shadows,' Solo Exhibition. Inktastic Art Gallery - Frankfurt, Germany
'Beyond the Shadows,' Solo Exhibition. Quirky Fox Gallery - Hāwera, New Zealand
2022
'Mini Mix & Match,' Group Exhibition. Quirky Fox Gallery - Hāwera, New Zealand
'Deep Waters,' Group Exhibition. Quirky Fox Gallery - Hāwera, New Zealand
Awards
2025
Fine Art Photography Awards 2024/2025, (11th Edition). Series 'Time Has Wings.' Category: Fine Art Professional, Overall Grand Prize Winner
Fine Art Photography Awards 2025, (11th Edition). Series 'Time Has Wings.' Category: Fine Art Professional, Conceptual, 1st place winner
IPA International Photo Awards 2025, Series 'Time Has Wings.' Category: Professional Fine Art Other, Honorable Mention
IPA International Photo Awards 2025, Series 'Time Has Wings.' Category: Professional Fine Art Other, Finalist
2024
IPA International Photo Awards 2024, 'Memento mori.' Category: Professional Fine Art Still Life, Finalist
Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize 2024, 'Formation.' Category: Photography, Finalist
2022
Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize 2022, 'A Wing and a Prayer.' Category: Photography, Finalist
2021
Fine Art Photography Awards 2021/2022, (8th Edition). Series 'Messengers.' Category: Fine Art Professional, Finalist
2019
Infinite Color Competition 2019, "Grace." First Place Winner
'Formation,' from Series 'Time Has Wings,' Fine Art Photography Awards Overall Professional Grand Prize Winner, 2025
Select Publications & Press
2025
Shotpedia (04/11/2025), "Leigh Schneider Time Has Wings – A Critical Reflection on FAPA’s Fine Art Photographer of the Year." Online Article
2024
Digital Photo Magazin (Issue 12/2024), "Mehr als Fotos. (More than Photos)." Pages 90-97, Print Editorial Publication
PetaPixel (25/08/2024), "How You Can Create Purposefully With Conceptual Fine Art Photography." Online Article
Frankfurter Neue Presse (30/01/2024), "Mit Motten bringt sie das Unsichtbare ans Licht." Page 8, Newspaper Article
2023
Shotkit (23/07/2023) "Inside my Camera Bag." Online Article
HALBE Rahmen (07/2023) "Leigh Schneider begeistert mit „Beyond the Shadows“ Frankfurt am Main." Online Article
Fstoppers (06/05/2023) "Understanding Fine Art Photography with Leigh Schneider." Online Article
Beautiful Bizarre Magazine (11/02/2023) "Leigh Schneider’s Debut Solo Exhibition ‘Beyond The Shadows’ at Quirky Fox." Online Article
Cambridge News (09/03/2023) "Artist Raises Awareness." Page 13, Newspaper Article
New Zealand Herald, Stratford Press (03/02/2023) "Artist and South Taranaki art gallery join forces to help Lifeline Aotearoa." Newspaper Article
2022
Beautiful Bizarre Magazine (2022) "Exclusive Interview, Stealthily Optimistic: The Photography of Leigh Schneider." Online Interview
Beautiful Bizarre Magazine (2022) "Join the Tribe." (Issue 38), Page 130, Print Publication
Vogue Italia, Photovogue (2019-2022) "Grace," "Out of Hiding," "Parasite of Change." Online Publication
Editorial Interview with Digital Photo Magazin, 2024