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Diving for CLERC: Meet Professional Underwater Photographer Chris Parsons

This week we highlight Chris Parsons – another CLERC Professional Underwater Photographer. Yes, it’s another Chris, but a very different one at that!

Partly because this Chris did something most people only dream of: leave everything behind to pursue his dream. Once a very successful software consultant, he left civilization behind to pursue his life-long passion for the oceans. He bought a boat, moved to Florida (USA), and started living for sailing and diving exclusively.

The results? Over 2,000 dives, 500 hours on re-breather, Coast Guard certified to captain 200 ton ships, accomplished sailor, and of course, thousands of amazing professional underwater photos and videos to his credit. Just visit Chris’ website for a small sample of his underwater artwork.

“I absolutely love the ocean, and am in awe of it. If I had my way, every day would be on (or under) the water. I am concerned about its well being though, and I hope that through my images I can, in some small way, help people be aware of how fragile it is.”

Chris’ work has been published in major magazines including Alert Diver, Sport Diver, Scuba Diving, Southern Living and River Watch. Loggerhead Marine Life Center, Sea Shepard, National Geographic, and the Tennessee Aquarium have all featured his photographs.

TM_585These days, Chris dives with a CLERC Hydroscaph Central Chronograph on his wrist. He likes the chronograph’s striking visibility at depth in the lowest of light conditions. Orange is the last color the human eye can distinguish under water. And of course, the CHY-585 – Clockwork Orange as it’s called – is the toughest, most rugged diving watch he owns.

He will soon be heading out to Belize and Honduras to bring us some more spectacular underwater content so stay tuned for that!

Here are some of the numerous spectacular shots Chris has been sending our way for the past months:

Diving for CLERC: Meet Professional Underwater Photographer Chris Leidy

They work during day or night, and spend their lives changing time zones using boats or airplanes. They travel to the most exotic and challenging dive sites on earth. They’re more at home 100 feet under water than anywhere on land – except maybe for the local hotspot bars – and they can carry, fix and field-strip and reassemble video equipment faster than the most seasoned TV war correspondent.

They’re super tough, infinitely persistent, resourceful, and consummate professional divers. But most importantly, they’re passionate. Passionate about the oceans, passionate about sea life, and passionate about getting the right shot or film no matter what it takes.

These rare and talented CLERC Professional Underwater Photographers are the amazing folks who help us deliver unique underwater content to the world on a regular basis. They don’t run the streets. They’re difficult to find – it’s a very small community. Word of mouth matters. And because of this, they’re also booked most of the year. Most of them have packed agendas many months ahead.

Meet professional underwater photographer Chris Leidy. Aka: “TRUE TACK” – His motto: Move in truth against the winds of life. We like it 🙂

Chris travels the world connecting with people through the language of his photographs. Throughout his long career, he’s been to Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Micronesia, Vanuatu, Coco’s Islands, Sumatra, Tonga, and the Solomon Islands, to name a few. Never one to follow guidebooks, he lets fate define his experience while experiencing different cultures and settings. Chris will often spend months in a given location – sometimes in draconian conditions – while he absorbs the local culture and fauna through his lenses.

He is a master at conquering his fear and makes an art form of living on the edge. These difficult and dangerous locations give him solace and allow him to re-connect with his soul.

In the ocean, in its mysterious and unpredictable depths, among the landscapes and creatures that he encounters is where he snaps his extraordinary photographs, bearing testimony for the rest of us. Chris consistently attracts the attention of art collectors, ocean enthusiasts, and photography buffs who often bid on his works. Several months ago, he attracted the eye of CLERC CEO GĂ©rald Clerc, who was then able to track him down and sign him on as one of our official CLERC underwater photographers.

IMG_0132Chris embodies the values of our brand: courage, curiosity, an insatiable appetite for exploration, discovery, and pushing the boundaries. That, and the ability to thrive in the most extreme conditions of life. That’s why he likes to wear one of many CLERC Hydroscaphs from his multi-series collection (Central Chronographs and H1) on his underwater missions.

Chris is the grandson of renowned designer Lilly Pulitzer and great-grandson of Joseph Pulitzer, but namesake aside, he has clearly established his own legacy. His work has been featured in numerous group and solo exhibitions across the country including a prominent place in the Elle DĂ©cor Show House at Miami’s Art Basel. Chris’ photos have been featured in major publications including Wall Street Journal, Forbes, House Beautiful, Architectural Digest, Ocean Home, Conde Nast Traveler, and Domino Magazine, to name a few.

See Chris Leidy’s work on our CLERC Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts. And visit his website or his Instagram account to learn more about the man and his work. Here are some of his most celebrated shots: