Chris Tuite is a freelance photojournalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has always been fascinated with how a moment can be frozen in time with the click of a shutter. He found early inspiration in photos of the 1960’s, through timeless classic rock photographs and iconic imagery from the Civil Rights Era and the Vietnam War .

Chris was born at Stanford Hospital in 1986 and moved to Humboldt County with his parents at just over two years of age. He spent the next twenty-five years of his life growing up amongst the majestic redwoods and beaches of the North Coast. He followed a long-time passion of his and began photographing concerts and events professionally in 2006, while working toward his Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from Humboldt State University. He graduated in 2010 with an emphasis on photojournalism. During his junior year he was honored with the opportunity of working on an internship with Rolling Stone in New York City, where he learned a lot about the business and how to conduct himself as a professional.

The focus of his career for the next fourteen years continued in live music documentation and he has photographed many of the biggest bands and artists in the world, enjoying every minute of it. He built up his photo business along the way and was hired for numerous weddings, maternity shoots and family portraits, in addition to freelancing for the Times-Standard Newspaper. In 2013, Chris decided to move back down to the Bay Area to pursue his career on a larger scale.

When COVID-19 hit and entire career and livelihood vanished in the uncertain, new reality, he rediscovered his passion for photojournalism and found constant inspiration and purpose in documenting protests and unrest following the death of George Floyd. Chris quickly realized that change can be inspired by just one photograph that incapsulates injustice and pain and that the humanization of people in conflict through imagery is imperative to a proper understanding. He began traveling the United States, documenting the time capsule that was 2020 and met many people who would help shape his career and push his aspirations to new heights in the photojournalism field. He photographed events surrounding the 2020 Presidential Election in Washington D.C., the Derek Chauvin trial in Minneapolis, Minnesota and in the midst, the aftermath of the killing of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. His photography is currently syndicated via ImageSPACE and has been published all over the world in highly respected media such as TIME, Rolling Stone, CNN, The New York Times and many others. He frequently works with Live Nation, creating content during their events and is the House Photographer for Shoreline Amphitheatre, Concord Pavilion and Toyota Amphitheatre. His current and past clients also include BottleRock Napa, LA Pride, AIG, Rolling Stone, IHeartRadio, People, Setlist.fm, CBS SF, Rounder Records, San Jose Theaters, August Hall, The Neon Trees, Wilderado, Oliver Tree, Buzzfeed, Pitchfork , The Times-Standard and Complete Probe Solutions. He is available for worldwide photojournalism assignments and tour documentation and is a member of the National Press Photographers Association.

For rates and availability, please reach out via email at christuite16@hotmail.com


Photo: Alex Kent