Chris Beckman

Luxembourg 2026

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I’m not sure what I expected from Luxembourg, but it didn’t disappoint. Luxembourg City had incredible museums (don’t sleep on the Mudam!), shopping, and food. In contrast, University of Luxembourg’s campus in Belval was like something out of a surreal high concept architectural fever dream, with massive blast furances repurposed as decoration and a library built out of the scaffolding of a former factory. It’s a tiny country, but there’s a lot to see.

New York City 2025

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I’m very conscious of the photographic history of New York City. Winogrand, Levitt, Maier, Weegee. This was my first time, but walking around, you can see why. The place just gives and gives and gives. Visually, I’m not sure what more anyone wants. Turn a corner, take a photo, and lord knows what you’ll find!

San Francisco 2025

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

What struck me most on my trip to San Francisco was the endless fog. And I do mean endless. It never fully left, so much so that I felt like I only ever saw half a block at a time. I know I don’t need to sell anyone on San Francisco, but it was absolutely gorgeous.

Utah 2025

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I was visiting for business, but managed to sneak away enough to put together this series. Utah is obviously gorgeous, but I particularly enjoyed driving off the beaten path and finding small towns and red, red rock. Oh, and my goat buddies. Could have hung out all week with them. So chill.

Kauaʻi 2024

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The best farmer’s market I’ve ever been to. Cliffside hiking trails. Drives through the desert (yes desert!). Kaua’i is incredible. Be kind to the place and those who live there. Don’t give money to those who are out to ruin it. But goodness, I feel so lucky to have visited. It’s stunning and gritty, small and massive, and so many other things, all at the same time.

Türkiye 2024

Wed, 01 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

It’s horrible to visit Türkiye for as little time as I did, but it left a mark anyway. Highlights from the trip included a water tour of Istanbul that I snagged a spot on due to a cancellation, and the incredible Topkapı Palace. On the plane home, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I left unseen, and how much I wanted to come back. Come for the history, stay for the Gözleme.

Theta range

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Somewhere out there, some intelligent being is clearly trying to communicate with us using various painted lines, ridges, cones, and signs. I’m still pretty uncertain about what it is it all means, though. While traversing the city, I find they are as likely to put me in a trance as to let me know the right way to go. The average urban street marking goes in circles, stops abruptly, or fades into nothing. In Theta Range, I decided to document these structures found during my daily errands and commutes.

Wise bodies

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Every year, my spouse goes to a craft fair in Seattle’s Magnuson Park. Every year, I go, wander around the area, and take photos. Over time, this has become something of a tradition. The park is the former Naval Station Puget Sound, condemned by the federal government in 1926, and its former buildings are now inhabited by artist studios, tennis nets, and burger joints. What is it these wise bodies have to say?

A blaze in the beginning

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

A Blaze in the Beginning is a series about urban wayfinding. Have you ever visited a new city, and found yourself struggling for landmarks? Perhaps what you thought was a path home is really a common motif, repeating block after block. This is how I feel about Spokane, WA, a strange but wonderful city on the other side of Washington State.

Iowa courtrooms

Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000

So much happens in a courtroom. People’s lives change. Power structures alter. And we know it too; we dress them up to make clear their power. Each room performs a version of seriousness: domes, polished wood, brass fixtures, chairs arranged for an audience the room expects. In Iowa Courtrooms, I resist the performance long enough to look at the staging of these public places that in theory we all own, but in reality most people rarely enter.

About

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Chris Beckman lives in Seattle, where he works as a software engineer. He holds a B.F.A. in photography, a B.A. in journalism, and a J.D. from the University of Iowa.

Chris’s love of photography started with his first film 35mm camera, a handed-down Canon AE-1 that had an incredible high pitch and bizarre shutter noise. He treats it as a conceptual practice: a collection of readymades, with a little bit of printmaking thrown in.

Contact

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Thanks — your message is on its way. I’ll respond as soon as I can.

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