Lev Tsimring’s passion for photography originates in Russia where he spent the first 32 years of his life. Since 1992 he is based in San Diego, USA. In his “day life” he studies nonlinear phenomena and pattern formation in physics and biology at the University of California, San Diego. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a co-director of the BioCircuits Institute at UCSD. In his art, he studies “patterns of life” with his camera. Until the advent of the digital era, he was working mostly in traditional 35 mm color and black-and-white technique printing in his own darkroom. Today he is shooting both color and B/W with a digital camera and makes his own limited edition prints. His artistic interests range from abstract photography to still life, portrait, and landscape, but in the last few years he is more and more attracted to street photography in which he enjoys capturing fleeting moments of beauty, humor, and love in everyday life. Lev travels extensively throughout the world, and through his photography he tries to understand and communicate the spirit of the place and the people. Lev’s photography has been exhibited internationally and has won a number of prestigious awards. In 2005, Lev Tsimring published a collection of his photos in a coffee-table book “Through my eyes” (DEKOM, 2005). In 2015, Lev Tsimring’s second photography book, “Parallels” was published by En Ville. In 2017, along with two writers and another photographer, he co-authored “DTLA/37: Downtown Los Angeles in Thirty-seven Stories”, a book about the vibrant, dynamic landscape of contemporary Downtown Los Angeles.

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Exhibitions

• Augist 12 – October 24, 2022 My image of bacterial patterns was was part of a group exhibition “Art of Science” at the San Diego Natural History Museum 
• May 2 – July 10, 2021 Perspective Earth, four-person exhibition with Michael Orenich, Terry Allen, and Kurt Lightfoot. Front Porch Gallery, Carlsbad, California.
• August 27 – November 24, 2019 Six-Word Story, Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, California. 
• October 3 – 22, 2018 Street Photography, two-person show with Janine Free. Gallery 21, Balboa Park, San Diego
• May 15 – 29, 2016 Juried exhibition “Petal Pushers”, LJAA Gallery, La Jolla, California. Juror: Patrick Mason. 3rd prize
• March 20 – May 5, 2016 The Six-Word Story, Juried group exhibition. Front Porch Gallery, Carlsbad, California. Jurors: Julie Waverling, Steven Nossan
• March 1 – June 7, 2016 Invitational exhibition “Eye connect”, Gotthelf Gallery, La Jolla JCC, California
• December 12, 2015 Parallels, a solo exhibition and book presentation at the MiMoDa Studio, Los Angeles, California
• October 24, 2015. Parallels, The official book opening at the La Jolla Public Library
• August 1 – October 27, 2013 Faces of Japan, a solo exhibition at the Japanese Friendship Garden, Balboa Park, San Diego
• November 1, 2012 – January 31, 2013 Pets and the City/Eating Out, solo exhibition. Wired Cafe Le Bistro, San Diego, California
• Augist 3 – 30, 2012 21st Annual Juried Show, Athenaeum, La Jolla, California. Honorable mention
• July 18 – 30, 2012 Point of View, group exhibition. Gallery 21, Balboa park, San Diego, California
• Januay 29 – March 11, 2012 The soul of light, Invitational group exhibition. Front Porch Gallery, Carlsbad, California
• September 18 – October 14, 2011 2nd Annual Southern California All-Media Black and White juried exhibition, LJAA Gallery, La Jolla, California; 2nd prize
• September 15 – October 10, 2010 1st Annual Southern California All-Media Black and White juried exhibition, LJAA Gallery, La Jolla, California; 1st prize
• July 7 – 19, 2010 Point of View, group exhibition. Gallery 21, San Diego
• September – December, 2009 Human Earth, solo exhibition. Elijah’s Restaurant, La Jolla, California
• July 21 – August 3, 2009 Point of View, group exhibition. Gallery 21, San Diego
• June 27 – September 13, 2009 Best of Nature, juried photography exhibition. Ordover Gallery at the San Diego Natural History Museum, Balboa Park, San Diego, California
• March 9 – June 13, 2009 Juried Photography & Digital Art Exhibit, Bonita museum, Bonita, California. Two photos juried in, one received Honorable mention
• April 19, 2009 Human Earth, solo exhibition. House of Pacific Relations, San Diego
• Januay 24 – March 15, 2009 Seeing through light, Invitational group exhibition. Front Porch Gallery, Carlsbad, California
• September 3-15, 2008 Point of View, group exhibition. Gallery 21, San Diego
• January 5 – February 11, 2008 Juried art show, La Jolla Athenaeum Library, La Jolla, California, one image selected.
• January 2 – January 26, 2008 Juried art show, Poway Center for the Performing Arts, Poway, California; 1st prize
• January 1 – January 31, 2008 La Jolla Art Association member show, Village Gallery, La Jolla, California
• October 1, 2007 – January 31, 2008 solo exhibition. Wired Cafe Le Bistro, San Diego, California
• June 25 – July 8, 2007 Transformations, group show. La Jolla Art Association. Village Gallery, La Jolla, California.
• May 10 – June 20, 2007 solo exhibition. Wired Cafe Le Bistro , San Diego, California
• February 12-March 4, 2007 New member show. La Jolla Art Association. Village Gallery, La Jolla, California.
• January 20-March 11, 2007 Seeing through Light, juried photography exhibition, Front Porch Gallery, Carlsbad, California; four images selected, 1st prize.
  article in Today’s Local News and San Diego Union Tribune
  article in Panorama (weekly Russian newspaper)
  
• January 3-21, 2007 For the love of art, group show, Village Gallery, La Jolla, California
• November 13 – 26, 2006 Dimensions, juried art exhibition. Village Gallery, La Jolla Art Association, La Jolla, California; 1st prize.
• May 25 – June 10, 2006 The other America, solo exhibition. Russian Museum of Photography. Nizhni Novgorod, Russia. Exhibition webpage (in Russian)
• November 20 – December 31, 2005 solo exhibition. Wired Cafe Le Bistro, San Diego, USA

Awards and publications

• An image of bacterial patterns received the 1st prize at UCSD competition “Art of Science” (August 2022)
• Article and a cover in “Los Angeles Downtown News” about our new book “DTLA/37”  (January 15, 2018)
• Article in Russian newspaper “Kstati” about “Parallels” presentation in Palo Alto, October 2016.
• Photo And twelve apostles received a Honorable Mention at the 2016 Black and White Spider Awards’ Silhouette category
• 6 images from my series “Dogs and the City” were published in the book “Seeing in Sixes” (LensWork, 2016)
• A portfolio of 16 photos from “Parallels” series was published in LensWork magazine, #126, Sept-Oct, 2016.
• Photo “Surfing into the Night” was used as a cover for the San Diego Union-Tribune story on the 100th anniversary of Scripps Pier, August 2, 2016
• Lev Tsimring’s book “Parallels” has been published by Los Angeles-based En Ville publishing company. October 2015
• Photo My own little sun received a Honorable Mention at the 2013 Photography Masters Cup Color Awards in Silhouette category
• Photo Sorceress received a Honorable Mention at the 2012 Worldwide Photography Gala Awards’ Portrait Award competition judged by Steve McCurry
• Photo Prometheus and the accompanying tutorial published in the book “Photo Inspiration: Secrets Behind Stunning Images” 2012
• Two images, teuquoB and Acsension received official nominations at the 7th Black and White Spider Awards, 2012
• Two images, Bruegel’s winter in Minnesota and First lesson received official nominations at the 6th Black and White Spider Awards 2011
• Photo Nikita received 2nd prize in Worldwide Photography Gala Awards’ 2nd Black and White Competition (2011) in category “Children”
• Five images included in the “Official selection” of the PX3 – Prix de la Photographie Paris 2011. One of them, Journey, received a Honorable Mention.
• Photo Shanghai skyline received a Honorable Mention at the Worldwide Photography Gala Awards’s 2010 Pollux Awards and was also published in “2012 People & Planet Diary” as one of the winners of People & Planet International photo competition
• A series of street images was published in the special issue “Fotografia Urbana” of the Portuguese photographic magazine “DP Arte Fotografica” in March 2011, pp.72-75
• Photo-essay Lacrosse, the Universe received a Honorable Mention at the “International Photography Awards” in 2009.