Interviews

Chaos at the Capitol - Photographs from Jan. 6th, 2021, Stop the Steal / Save America Rally /  by Chris Suspect

Honored to have my photographs featured on LFI - Leica Fotografie International Magazine’s blog for my work during the Stop the Steal / Save America Rally on the National Mall and at the Capitol Building on Jan., 6, 2021. The post also features a brief interview with me about my impressions of the day and what it was like documenting the surreal scene that unfolded before my lens.

The atmosphere was a bit surreal to say the least. Never have I seen anyone storm the Capitol in such a fashion. Some of the things I overheard Trump's supporters say were very telling, and sum up their feelings quite well I think. Many were claiming that this is the start of the next US civil war. A few supporters were in tears over how the Capitol Police treated them that day, and called them traitors to America. At the bitter end of the day, when the police were finally able to disperse the crowd, many were wondering out loud what there is to do now, like they have lost their purpose all of a sudden.

You can see the photos and read my interview here.

Miami Street Photography Festival Virtual 2020 - Complete Schedule of Events /  by Chris Suspect

I will be co-hosting Miami Street Photography Festival 2020 Virtual on Friday, December 4, and Saturday, December 5. We will be live-streaming on MSPF's YouTube channel from a broadcast studio in Miami. We have some amazing guests and live critiques. Check out the schedule below:

FRIDAY, DEC 4

2 PM EST - Turkuaz Street Collective
Meet the members and see the work of this street photography collective based in Turkey

3 PM EST - Meg Hewitt
Australian photographer, member of UP Photographers collective, will show her latest work and discuss street photography.

4 PM EST - MSPF Photo Slam
An MSPF original event. Live review of images submitted during the festival. Also called The Olympics of Street Photograph it features Melissa O'Shaughnessy, Meg Hewitt and Dotan Saguy as the judges. Visit MSPF's website and sign up for the newsletter to get the submission alert (form is at the bottom of the page).

5 PM EST - Eli Reed
Meet MAGNUM photographer Eli Reed. Presenting his work, including his book Black in America, a documentation of African-American experience over more than twenty years, from the 1970s through the end of the 1990s.

SATURDAY, DEC 5

2 PM EST - Melissa O'Shaugnessy
New York photographer and member of UP photographers collective. Melissa will talk about her new book Perfect Strangers.

3 PM EST - Khalik Allah
New York-based MAGNUM photographer and filmmaker who practices "Camera Ministry" with an eye as open as his heart. The resulting work has been described as “street opera” and noted for its beautifully visceral humanity.

4 PM EST - MSPF FINALISTS BLAST-OFF
Brand new live 2 hour event featuring MSPF 2020 finalist judges Eli Reed, Meryl Meisler and Jeff Mermelstein. They will do a live discussion and review the top 25 finalists from this year's Singles Contest.

6 PM EST - MSPF AWARDS 
Live announcement of the winners of the Singles and Series competition.

Biden Wins! Photographs from Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C. /  by Chris Suspect

Last Saturday was an amazing day. I have never seen DC party that hard. People were climbing bus stops, guzzling champagne, dancing, and no one could hide their smiles underneath their masks! I ran into a lot of fellow photographers, artists and family friends, most of which I haven't seen since March. It was a beautiful day.

It's been a minute since I have felt safe enough to go out and photograph protests and events like these. I avoided these situations out of fear of COVID-19. At the start of the Black Lives Matter protests this summer there was still a lot of uncertainty about how the virus spreads. Now we know how masks are effective and social distancing at 6 ft is key.

Well, I couldn't pass up shooting at Black Lives Matter Plaza in DC on Election Day and on Saturday when Biden was projected by the news networks to win, and it has paid off. I posted a few pics on IG and then was contacted quickly by The Metropolitan, an arts and culture site out of Detroit, who wanted to run them as a story. And then on Saturday, WTOP, a local news and radio outlet, published and aired an interview with me while I was out shooting in Black Lives Matter Plaza.

You can check out both of those published photo galleries here:

Old Customs on the Leica Camera Blog /  by Chris Suspect

Very excited to have my work featured this week on the Leica Camera Blog. I have been using Leica Cameras since 2012, specifically the M9 and the M-P (Typ 240). I can’t imagine shooting with anything else.

Having grown up for a time in Russia, Suspect was aware of the ideals and ideology prevalent in neighbouring Romania, and was keen to get a sense of their current attitude towards life and what remained of Communism. The format he used for his photography was new for him, combining a mixture of street photography and conceptual art. His Old Customs series, that has been published as a book, presents observations made on the beach of a town that, of itself, has a very special vibe.

Click here to read the full story and interview.

Old Custom's Featured on The Pictorial-List /  by Chris Suspect

Based in Australia, The Pictorial-List magazine just posted a book review/feature on Old Customs. Written by Melanie Meggs, the review goes in-depth about the history behind the book and touches on the different photographic styles presented within.

“Old Customs” is a mix of different approaches that work well together within the context of Chris’s body of work. Reflective and whimsical, this book opens up other possibilities for street photography, taking us on a journey to discover traditions, customs, folk stories and mythology, and revealing the incredible richness of ordinary human life experiences in Vama Veche.

You can read the full article here.