User:Craig Jason Lebo

Craig Jason Lebo (born January 6, 1983) is the award winning photographer that holds two of the most prestigious honors granted by the International Society of Photography. He is the youngest photographer to ever capture the Photographer of the Year award, and he is the only photographer to win 3 catagories in one year. His piece titled "Coffee, tea and patience" won him the Photographer of the Year award along with the Achievment in the Arts award. His piece titled "Transition of Power" won him the Black and White Photo of the Year award.

"Coffee, tea and patience" features a nude, bald female crouching in a corner, her face hidden from view. The picture was bleached, then streaked with coffee and tea applied in drops and layers. The effect took over a week to complete.

"Transition of Power" features an accustic guitar ablaze in a snow covered woods setting.

Both images were praised by the Board of Directors for the International Society of Photography, and published in the magazine Photojournalism Digest along with a two page article about the photographer. Fellow photographer Steven Miseale (National Geographic) praised the work as being "Raw, viseral, emotional and mostly spiritual. (Lebo's) work reflects the idealism of young artists. It's bold and naive, and it's done flawlessly."

The publicity surrounding the accomplishment was not wasted. Craig entered talks with movie producer Michael Bay to direct a remake of the 1980's horror film Poltergiest through Bay's company Platinum Dunes, a company set up for first time directors that also produced the remakes of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Amityville Horror. A finalized project was submitted, with Lebo to helm the film as director, but Stephen Spielburg (the holder of the copywrite to the film) opted to have an established director remake the movie shot for shot, as opposed to changing the story, as Lebo intended to do.

Craig was also honored by XY by being named "The 6th most famous person you've never heard of". The artical documented his rise to local fame in his home state of Pennsylvania by working for local bands by photographing shows, managing the bands rise to national attention and even directing music videos. Some of the bands listed were Poptart Monkeys, Panacea, 8th, Panic Division and Gravity Hill. Also highlighted in the artical was Craig's work with the campaign of Robert Casey, Jr. in the gobatorial race in Pa. Craig directed several television commercials for Casey as well as working as a media consultant.

Craig has also photographed internationally acclaimed bands Silverchair and Sigur Ros, along with being the staff photographer for the double billed Radiohead/Bjork concert in Central Park, NYC.

"Status means absolutely nothing to me," Craig said in the XY interview. "I do what I'm passioniate about, if I make money or garner praise, okay. If not, I'm still doing what I love. I've had enough failures to cancel out and bury the successes.  That's not the point.  I look at everything and ask myself 'Does this project have passion?  Does it have heart?'  If the answer's yes, I do it, reguardless what will or won't be said about it."

Craig is currently working on an adaptation of Christopher Rice's novel A Density of Souls. He still lives in Pennsylvania.