Leland Y. Lee
(American, 1918 -2016)
Leland Y. Lee was a renowned architectural photographer who documented the work of many great 20th century architects and designers. His images have appeared in numerous prestigious publications. Lee studied and worked for eight years with the icon of architectural photography, Julius Shulman, prior to venturing out on his own in 1961. In 1968, he was the first to photograph the famous Elrod House, designed by renowned architect John Lautner, overlooking Palm Springs. Lee called this shoot his "single most rewarding experience as an architectural photographer." These photographs were rescued and printed from Lee's fading Ektachrome transparencies and show the house exactly as interior designer Arthur Elrod envisioned when it was first built, at the pinnacle of his career before his accidental death at age 49 in 1974. The Elrod House was immortalized in 1971 as the sophisticated location for the James Bond film, Diamonds are Forever, with Sean Connery.