Anecdotes

Peter Jackson hired Lesnie for his Lord of the Rings trilogy after seeing his work on Babe (1995), the Australian film about a plucky pig.

Christopher Lee described him and Freddie Young as the two best cinematographers he had ever worked with.

(1999-2001) Working in New Zealand as cinematographer for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

He began his career as a camera assistant on the low-budget horror film "Patrick" in 1978, while he was still a student at the Australian Film Television and Radio School. He later worked as a freelance cameraman for ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). In the 1980s, he shot music videos for performers including INXS, UB40, and Mental As Anything.

Member of the Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS) since 1989, and the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) since 2005.

Lived in Sydney, Australia.