LeRoy Grannis grew up in Hermosa Beach and spent his childhood not far from the sea. At the age of 14, he built his own wooden board and went surfing. Grannis completed a classical training as a dentist assistant. As a compensation for his job, he became more and more occupied with his hobby of photography. In his garage, Grannis set up his own darkroom, followed his passion, and promptly began a great career as a photographer. As an enthusiastic surfer he went with his board to the sea to photograph the surfers at close range. The photos of the now 42-year-old appeared soon afterwards in the newest surf magazines, such as Surfer, Reef and Surfing Illustrated. Grannis quickly became a synonym for the entire Californian and Hawaiian surfing scene of the 1960s and 1970s. In California and Hawaii he photographed the best surfers in the world. He became an image editor at Surfing Illustrated and co-founder of International Surfing. His pictures give an insight into a time when photography was still in its infancy and surfing meant a sense of freedom. For him surfing was more than a sport, it had become a lifestyle.
In 1966, the photographer was admitted to the International Surfing Hall of Fame and received the SIMA's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.
Grannis died at the age of 94 in his birthplace.
