Photo by Charles Steck

 

Chris Suspect is a street and documentary photographer hailing from the Washington, DC area. He specializes in capturing absurd and profound moments in the quotidian. His street photography work has been recognized internationally and has been exhibited in Miami, Belgium, Germany, Mexico, Italy, Romania, Georgia, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.

In 2024, Suspect had a major exhibition with over 115 photographs on 4 years of street protests during the Donald Trump presidency, at Flashback Habitat Museum in Torino, Italy. In 2023, he was a featured photographer at the Mexico Street Photography Festival. In 2022, hewas named the winner of the Zeitgeist Award by Abbey Road Studios (UK) for the photograph that defined music in 2021. In 2021, WhiteWall sponsored a large retrospective of Suspect’s work at Photopia in Hamburg, Germany. In 2020, Suspect was a featured lecturer for the London Street Photography Festival. And in 2019, he was a guest exhibitor at Xposure in the UAE, the largest photography festival in the Middle East.

His documentary work on the underground music scene in Washington, D.C., is held in the Leica Galerie Archives and the DC Public Library.

Suspect has published four critically acclaimed photo books, including Gratuity Included (2020), Old Customs (2020), Leather Boyz (2020), and Suspect Device (2014).

His work has been featured in Rolling Stone, Vice, the Huffington Post, Photo District News, LFI Magazine and on the Leica Camera Blog. He also has published photographs in the Washington Post, Washington City Paper, CNN, The Atlantic, Forbes and many other media outlets in the US, Germany, Canada and Brazil.



Books/Publications

  • Path to Insurrection (1st Edition), 156 pages, 6 x 8.25 in, soft cover, in edition of 150, published by King Koala Press (2024)

  • Truly Blessed (1st Edition), 128 pages, 8 x 10, soft cover, 3 variant half cover jackets, in edition of 500, published by King Koala Press (2024)

  • Bad Day (1st Edition), 80 pages, 10 x 8, soft cover, hand numbered in edition of 200, published by chrissuspect.com and DCSPC (2020)

  • Old Customs (1st Edition), 80 pages, 5.5 x 8.5 in, soft cover, translucent jacket with gold text, hand numbered in edition of 150, published by chrissuspect.com (2020)

  • Leather Boyz (1st Edition), 80 pages, 5.5 x 8.5 in, soft cover, blue film jacket, 3 gatefold spreads, and numbered in edition of 150, published by chrissuspect.com (2020)

  • Gratuity Included (2nd Edition), 70 pages, 5.5 x 8.5 in, soft cover, published by chrissuspect.com (2020)

  • Gratuity Included (1st Edition), 76 pages, 5.5 x 8.5 in, soft cover, red film jacket and inserts, hand numbered in edition of 150, published by chrissuspect.com (2020)

  • Stop Motion 2019: A Year in Review, soft cover zine, 48 pages, Published by Slow Dance Press (2019)

  • World Street Photography 5 (2018/2019), 237 pages, 24 x 19.5 cm, hard cover, published by Gudberg Nerger

  • Stop Motion 2018: A Year in Review, soft cover zine, 40 pages, Published by Slow Dance Press (2018)

  • UnPresidented: The Inauguration of Donald J. Trump and the Peoples’ Response, 152 pages, Hard Cover, Published by Cosmic Smudge Media, 2017

  • World Street Photography 3 (2015/2016), 200 pages, 24 x 19.5 cm, Hard Cover, published by Gudrun-Verlag, 2016

  • Suspect Device (2nd Edition), 68 pages, 8.5 x 11 in, soft cover, hand numbered in edition of 250, forward by Alec MacKaye, published by Empty Stretch, 2015

  • Suspect Device (1st Edition), 68 pages, 8.5 x 11 in, soft cover, hand numbered in edition of 100, forward by Alec MacKaye, published by Empty Stretch, 2014

Lectures, Presentations and Workshops

  • Maryland Meadworks, “Truly Blessed Book Talk,” Washington, DC (2024)

  • Lost Origins, “Truly Blessed Book Talk,” Washington, DC (2024)

  • Liberia Antigone, “Truly Blessed Book Talk,” Milano, Italy (2024)

  • Da Emilia, “Truly Blessed Book Talk,” Torino, Italy (2024)

  • Mexico Street Photography Festival, “How I Found My Voice,” Queretaro, Mexico (2023)

  • Day of the Dead Street Photography Workshop, Oaxaca, Mexico (2022)

  • Mount Pleasant Public Library, “Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary,” Washington, DC (2022)

  • Mount Pleasant Public Library, “Chris Suspect In Conversation with Alec MacKaye,” Washington, DC (2022)

  • Photo Feedback with Mike Browne, “Special Guest: Chris Suspect,” United Kingdom (2021)

  • PhotoWorks at Glen Echo Park, “Hindsight is 2020,” Maryland (2021)

  • London Street Photography Festival, “4 Books x 1 Year,” London, UK (2020)

  • MSPF Workshops, “Day of the Dead,” San Miguel de Allende, Mexico (2019)

  • Xposure, “Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary,” Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (2019)

  • VSLO, “Project Minded” and “Making Order Out of Chaos,” Vama Veche, Romania (2019)

  • StreetFoto San Francisco, “Suspect Device, Leather Boyz & Gratuity Included,” Harvey Milk Center for Photography, San Francisco, CA (2019)

  • Street Photo Milano, “Suspect Device, Faith & Gratuity Included,” BASE, Milano, Italy (2019)

  • Gallery O on H, Panel Discussion “From the Streets of Washington,” Washington, DC (2019)

  • Miami Street Photography Festival, “Faith,” Miami, FL (2018)

  • MSPF Workshops, “Day of the Dead,” San Miguel de Allende, Mexico (2018)

  • VSLO, “Gratuity Included,” Vama Veche, Romania (2018)

  • VSLO, Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary Workshop, Vama Veche, Romania (2018)

  • Focus on the Story, Festival Chairperson, Washington, DC (2018)

  • Focus on the Story, Street Photography Workshop, Washington, DC (2018)

  • Miami Street Photography Festival, “Live Podcast Interview - The Candid Frame with Ibarionex Perello,” Miami, FL (2017)

  • Brussels Street Photography Festival, “Gratuity Included,” Brussels, Belgium (2017)

  • London Street Photography Festival, “Street Photography Panel Discussion,” London, UK (2017)

  • VSLO, “The Trump Inauguration,” Vama Veche, Romania (2017)

  • VSLO, Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary Workshop, Vama Veche, Romania (2017)

  • Brussels Street Photography Festival, Panel Discussion “Documentary versus Street Photography,” Brussels, Belgium (2016)

  • Leica Gallery DC, “Suspect Device,” Washington, DC (2015)

Exhibits

  • Lost Origins Gallery, “Truly Blessed,” Washington, DC (2024)

  • Symphony Hall, “Abbey Road Music Photography Awards,” Birmingham, UK (2024)

  • Flashback Habitat, “Path to Insurrection,” Torino, Italy (2024)

  • Mexico Street Photography Festival, “MXSPF 2023 Exhibition,” Queretaro, Mexico (2023)

  • Zinc Bar, “Insurrection,” Milano, Italy (2023)

  • Lito Studio, “Truly Blessed,” Milano, Italy (2023)

  • Athenaeum Gallery, “Fleeting Moments | Street Photography," Alexandria, Va (2023)

  • Abbey Road Studios, “Music Photography Awards,” London, UK (2023)

  • Exposed DC, Winner, Lost Origins Outside, Washington, DC (2023)

  • DC Street Photography Collective, "Hiding in Plain Sight," Exhibit at Project Create. Washington, DC (2023)

  • Saatchi Art, “Visions of the Future,” The Other Art Fair, Los Angeles, CA (2022)

  • Day of the Dead group show, Central del Arte, Oaxaca, Mexico (2022)

  • Exposed DC, Winner, Lost Origins Outside, Washington, DC (2022)

  • Abbey Road Studios, “Music Photography Awards,” London, UK (2022)

  • Photopia, “Chris Suspect,” Hamburg, Germany (2021)

  • Exposed DC 15th Anniversary, Alley at Ellē, Washington, DC (2021)

  • Photo LA, “Round Hole, Square Peg,” Los Angeles, CA (2020)

  • The Centre for the Promotion of Culture “Gaude Mater,” 1st International Biennale of Street Photography "Moment," Częstochowa, Poland (2019)

  • Praxis Gallery, “After Dark,” Minneapolis, MN (2019)

  • The Cheshire, “Low Brow Invitational,” Washington, DC (2019)

  • Exposed DC, “Road Trip,” Crystal City Underground, Arlington, VA (2019)

  • Stop Motion, 7th Edition, “Street Photography,” Washington, DC (2019)

  • Xposure, “Unpresidented,” Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (2019)

  • Stop Motion, 6th Edition, “Black & White Photography,” Washington, DC (2019)

  • Exposed DC, “Color Study,” Crystal City Underground, Arlington, VA (2019)

  • Community Collective Pop Up Series Vol. 4 - Light, Creative Hands Studio, Washington, DC (2019)

  • Eyewitness in Brussels, Winner, The Jewish Museum of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium (2019)

  • Exposed DC, Winner, Touchstone Gallery, Washington, DC (2019)

  • Stop Motion, 3rd Edition, “Black & White Photography,” Washington, DC (2018)

  • Exposed DC FotoWalk Exhibition, Crystal City, Arlington, VA (2018)

  • The Other Art Fair Bristol, “Secret Auction - Art on a Postcard,” Bristol, UK (2018)

  • Focus on the Story International Photo Festival/Lost Origins Gallery, “Gratuity Included,” Washington, DC (2018)

  • Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, “The Ties that Bind: The church, identity, activism, & community in the African American experience,” Washington, DC (2018)

  • VSLO Photo Festival, “Suspect Device,” Vama Veche, Romania (2017)

  • Leica Gallery DC, “From Dusk till Dawn,” Washington, DC (2017)

  • Millepiani Space, “LoosenArt.com’s The Street Experience,” Rome, Italy (2017)

  • Gallery O on H Street, “UnPresidented,” Washington, DC (2017)

  • Community Collective Photography Showcase, Capital Fringe, Washington, DC (2017)

  • Exposed DC FotoWalk Exhibition, Crystal City, Arlington, Va. (2017)

  • Photoworks at Glen Echo Park, “United/Divided,” Glen Echo, MD (2017)

  • Exposed DC, Ajax Gallery, Washington, DC (2017)

  • HistoryMiami Museum, “Miami Wild Life,” Miami, FL (2016)

  • National Geographic Museum, “FotoWeek DC,” Washington, DC (2016)

  • DC Public Library, “DC in the House,” Washington, DC (2016)

  • Galerie Ravenstein, “Brussels Street Photography Festival,” Brussels, Belgium (2016)

  • Penn Social, “Pancakes and Booze,” Washington, DC (2016)

  • Gudberg Nerger Gallery, “World Street Photography 3,” Hamburg, Germany (2016)

  • Hole in the Sky, “DZ Tapes 5 Year Anniversary,” Washington, DC (2016)

  • Joe Goode Annex, “StreetFoto International Street Photography Awards: Finalists Exhibition,” San Francisco, Ca, (2016)

  • Kolga Tblisi Photo Festival, “Kolga Award 2016 Exhibition,” Tblisi, Georgia (2016)

  • Exposed DC FotoWalk Exhibition, Crystal City, Arlington, Va. (2016)

  • Damaged City Art Show, Open Studios, Washington, DC (2016)

  • Exposed DC, Winner, Carnegie Library, Washington, DC (2016)

  • FotoWeekDC, “Photographers Choice,” Washington, DC (2015)

  • The W Hotel Lomowall, Washington, DC (2015)

  • Leica Gallery DC, “Unforgettable,” Washington, DC (2015)

  • Doomed Gallery, “Zine World”, London, UK (2015)

  • La Columbe/Blagden Alley, “Photography After Dark”, Washington, D.C. (2015) 

  • Kolga Tblisi Photo Festival - Karvasla Tblisi History Museum, “How did punk do it?” Tblisi, Georgia (2015)

  • Hole in the Sky, “ARTSHOW_11: Erotica – An Exploration of Trash-Pop Sexuality” Washington, DC (2015)

  • Leica Gallery DC, “Suspect Device,” Washington, DC (2015)

  • Laser Cat, “Laser Cat at the Yards,” Washington, DC (2015)

  • Hole in the Sky, “(pho)tography,” Washington, DC (2015)

  • Miami Street Photography Festival, Miami, FL (2014)

  • Leica Galerie at Photokina presents “Suspect Device,” Cologne, Germany (2014)

  • Leica Gallery DC presents “Faith” by STRATA Collective, Washington, D.C. (2014)

  • Govinda Gallery presents 4x6 East Coast Rock and Roll Photography 2014, Hill & Dale Records, Washington, D.C. (2014)

  • Washington Project for the Arts 33rd Annual Gala and Auction, Select 2014, Artisphere, Arlington, Va. (2014)

  • Govinda Gallery presents 4x6 East Coast Rock and Roll Photography, Gypsy Sally’s, Washington, D.C. (2013)

  • Miami Street Photography Festival (2013)

  • FotoWeekDC - FotoNOMA: The District Experience (2013)

  • Leica Gallery, Washington, D.C. - “DC as I See It” Juried Exhibition - Winner (2013)

  • DCist Exposed 2013

  • Chicago Photographic Society - First Annual Street Photography Contest - Honorable Mention (2013)

  • Miami Street Photography Festival (2012)

  • Submerge DC (2012)

  • FotoWeek DC (2012)

  • Corcoran Gallery of Art – Body in White Sheet (2012)

  • Busboys and Poets - Occupy (2012)

  • artDC Gallery - Emerging Hyattsville (2011)

  • artDC Gallery - 12x12 (2011)

  • Franklins Restaurant & General Store (2011)

Media/News

Publications

  • The Atlantic Monthly

  • Buzzfeed.com

  • Chicagoist.com

  • CNN.com

  • DCist.com

  • Forbes

  • Fuze Magazine (Germany)

  • LondonFuse (Canada)

  • NPR - All Things Considered (Website)

  • Oregon Humanities magazine

  • Roanoke Times

  • Science

  • ScientificAmerican.com

  • The Street Photographer’s Notebook, Vol. 1

  • Washington City Paper

  • Washington Post Express

Events

  • TEDxMidAtlantic (2016)

  • TEDxMidAtlantic (2012)

  • TEDxMidAtlantic (2011)

  • Nonprofit 2.0 (2011)

  • Surreal (2010)

  • Digital East (2010)

WORK | PRINTS

If you are looking for prints or would like to inquire about photography rates, please email me at csuspect1 [at] gmail [dot] com or call +1-202-230-6400.