Kathy P. Leistner was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and raised in West Lafayette, Indiana where she was a photographer for Purdue University’s newspaper, and upon graduation was a Media Specialist for Purdue Photographic Services.
She has a Masters Degree from Perdue University (Art, Communication, & English) and from Adelphi University (Exercise Physiology).
Early photographic influences were her father, Professor John Tuite, who was a serious amateur photographer, and her uncle, a NYC street photographer, Harold Maloof.
She was a photo editor for two national fitness magazines, the first full-time woman photographer for the Sarasota herald-Tribune, and her photographs have been included in numerous publications. She currently is a free-lance photographer for The Herald Community Newspapers of Garden City, NY. In the past ten years at The Herald, she has won multiple awards from the New York Press Association and The Press Club of Long Island.
Two years ago, she co-founded CLIPP (Club of Long island Professional Photographers). It is a cooperative group that works to share knowledge among Long Island professional photographers and curates exhibits at The Screening Room Gallery, 350 Hempstead Ave., Melverne, NY.
She is a member of The Long Island Center of Photography, Professional Women Photographers, National Press Photographers Association, Long Island Arts Council at Freeport, CTC, and The Wantagh Pipe Band.
Kathy has a portrait studio in East Rockaway where she shoots commissioned and fine art portraiture.