Palm Beach native Christopher Pulitzer Leidy channels a life spent by the sea into a thriving, ocean-inspired photography career.
A native of Palm Beach, Florida, Christopher Pulitzer Leidy was practically born loving the beach. Today, Leidy, an avid surfer and grandson of designer Lilly Pulitzer, channels his passion for the sea into his own successful photography business, Leidy Images. Of his evolution as an underwater photographer, Leidy says, “From day one, I have had salt water rushing through my veins. I grew up surfing and fishing off my home coast of Palm Beach, and I was fortunate enough later in life to spend several months out of the year diving and fishing through the southern Bahamas on my grandfather’s boat, the Sea Hunter.”
When Leidy returned from those trips, he brought back “amazing stories of riding whale sharks, diving in schools of sharks, and catching 500-pound blue marlin” to share with friends. “For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to share…tales of my excursions, global travels, and experiences,” he says.
That’s precisely what Leidy accomplishes through his photography, counting singer Jimmy Buffett and New York real estate tycoon Douglas Durst among the high-profile clients who own pieces of Leidy’s imagery, some of which he captured in places like French Polynesia, Panama, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. Leidy says he still loves the Bahamas and shoots there often (“because of color and beautiful whale shark encounters”), as well as in the South Pacific.
Wherever his travels take him, Leidy says his goal is to soak in the sights and experiences each destination affords him and to create a collection of photographs that not only appeals to ocean enthusiasts, but contemporary fine art lovers as well. Apparently, he’s well on his way—Leidy frequently exhibits his work around the U.S., with 2012 exhibits including Christie’s “Green Auction” Bid To Save The Earth in New York City (“It was unreal”); the NYC Affordable Art Fair; a solo show at 4 Times Square in New York City, a.k.a. the headquarters of global publishing juggernaut Condé Nast; and Art Basel in June. For Chris Leidy, life really is a day at the beach.