INSURRECTION

On January 20, 2017, photojournalist Nate Gowdy stood at the U.S. Capitol, incredulous, as Donald J. Trump—with right hand raised and left atop the Lincoln Bible—took the presidential oath of office, vowing to end “American carnage.”

Four years later, on January 6, 2021, Gowdy returned to Washington, DC, prepared to document one last MAGA rally: the outgoing president’s “Save America” speech at the Ellipse. Instead, he found himself amidst right-wing extremists, fervently inscribing that day into the annals of history.

The result is Gowdy’s debut monograph, INSURRECTION, where surreal scenes unfold: militants marching, kneeling in prayer, posing for group photos, breaking for hotdogs, rampaging against the Capitol’s sworn protectors, and leading thousands to defile the Inauguration Day stage.

Twice assaulted for being deemed “fake news,” Gowdy persisted in exposing the truth. Shot on assignment for Rolling Stone, his stark, unflinching images depict the US Capitol as it becomes a haunting set piece in a dystopian tableau of domestic terror—an inside job.

This 150-page hardcover stands as the sole book of photojournalism dedicated to one of the darkest days in modern American history. Its timestamped photographs and contextual captions chronicle one of democracy’s most rarified spaces, once reserved for solemn and dignified assembly, as it is overwhelmed with—you guessed it—American carnage.

Foreworded by DC Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges, who risked his life defending the Capitol and was almost crushed to death, INSURRECTION captures a chilling chapter in American politics, spotlighting the fragility of a nation’s ideals.

INSURRECTION
Photographs, text & design by Nate Gowdy
Foreword by Officer Daniel Hodges
Introduction by Michael Rowe
Edited by Lisa van Dam-Bates
Printed and bound in the USA

• 124 duotone plates
• 150 pages
• 6x8 Hardcover
• Published by Pigeon Editions, January 2023
• ISBN-13: 978-1-7354812-2-7
• Print run of 1000

Available here and at select Seattle bookstores, such as Elliott Bay Book Company.
Shipping on this site is USA only (contact nate.gowdy@gmail.com for exceptions).
You will receive an email notification when yours ships the next business day!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nate Gowdy (b. 1984; Elkhart, Indiana) is a Seattle photographer of 14 years whose work examines the performance of American politics and identity through a documentary fine-art lens.

A former staff photographer for Seattle Gay News, Gowdy began his career documenting the city’s queer nightlife and drag communities. From 2011 to 2024, he served as the official photographer for the Seattle Pride Parade, contributing to the visual depth of the city’s vibrant LGBTQIA+ history. In 2012, he dediced himself to Washington state’s campaign for marriage equality.

Since 2015, Gowdy has self-funded coverage of hundreds of political events across 27 states and Washington, DC. His portrait of Senator Bernie Sanders ran on the cover of TIME in 2016, and editorial clients include Rolling Stone, Mother Jones, and other national outlets. His long-form projects often foreground the spectacle and polarization of partisan gatherings, particularly on the American right.

In 2019, Gowdy launched The American Superhero, a collaborative portrait and storytelling series featuring individuals across the cultural spectrum. The following year, he co-authored Our Students, Their Stories, a 100-page coffee table book celebrating LGBTQIA+ students, families, and staff—the first publication of its kind commissioned by a U.S. school district.

In 2023, he published INSURRECTION, the only photojournalistic monograph to chronicle the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Featuring Gowdy’s timestamped photographs and contextual captions, the books offers a visceral, ground-level account of the attack. It has sold over 1,500 copies and is distributed at nategowdy.com and Elliott Bay Book Company.

Gowdy holds a journalism degree from Indiana University.  He is the founder of Pigeon Editions, a small press focused on photobook publishing, and his fine-art prints are represented by Monroe Gallery of Photography in Santa Fe. Beyond his projects, he divides his days between teaching, kayaking, being with loved ones, and wondering what happens next.

AWARDS & HONORS

• PX3—The Prix de la Photographie Paris (2023: 1st Place, Book Photographer of the Year; Gold in Book, Documentary; Gold in Press/Political)
• American Photography (Selected: 2023 [x4], 2022 [x2])
• Communication Arts Photography Annual (Books, 2022; Editorial, 2021)
• International Photography Awards (2022: 1st Place in Book, Self Published; 3rd Place in Editorial/Press, War/Conflict; Best of Show [Guest Curator, Dr. Mark Sealy])
• Lucie Photo Book Prize (2022: Independent Category Finalist)
• Society of Professional Journalists Western Washington’s 2022 Passion Project Grant
• Philipson Foundation’s 2022 Public Documentation Grant

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

“Gowdy's pictures show how close we came to losing our democracy. His book reminds us that we cannot and must not look away and that the threats against our fragile republic are as present as ever. I encourage everyone to page through this courageous work with eyes wide open to the violence, hatred, and lies that have swept up our politics.”
— Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)

“INSURRECTION moves readers through the day in timestamped, chronological order, bringing them a firsthand, up-close account of not just the insurrection, but what it was like to be a journalist on the front lines of a battle for democracy.”
— Mark Murrmann, Mother Jones

“First, I want to thank you for photographing what you do. Kudos. I think you are a first-rate journalist. As soon as the insurrection occurred, I started looking at images I felt portrayed the event the best—yours always came out on top.”
— Will Michels, co-curator of WAR/PHOTOGRAPHY: Images of Armed Conflict and its Aftermath, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

“Gowdy’s photos are a searing reminder of the threat our democracy faced on January 6, 2021. His courage in documenting the images of that fateful day in American history have also been key to ensuring that insurrectionists who incited and executed the attack on our nation’s Capitol are held accountable for their actions.”
— Donald Sherman, Chief Counsel, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

“The book looks amazing and is such an incredible document and reminder of a historically significant day. It’s wildly moving seeing it presented the way you have. Very well done.”
— Griffin Lotz, Rolling Stone

“Wow, Gowdy’s images from Jan. 6 are powerful. I can see why he sold out the first print run.”
— Charles Whitaker, Dean of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism

“Nate Gowdy's masterful monograph is photojournalism at its finest. As we are asked to reject the evidence of our eyes and memory hole January 6th, INSURRECTION shatters those fragile lies and shines the light of truth on those harrowing few hours. Haunting and beautiful, this photographic storytelling showcases a craftsman at the peak of his art.”
— Andrew L. Seidel, author of The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is Un-AmericanandAmerican Crusade: How the Supreme Court Is Weaponizing Religious Freedom, author of the seminal report Christian Nationalism and the January 6, 2021, Insurrection

“Gowdy has an eye for identifying essential truths in a sea of noise. Our country will be reckoning with the fallout of January 6 for years to come, be it the injuries and traumas sustained, the criminal records acquired, or the weakening of our democratic institutions. Turn these pages. The best way to prevent this from happening again is to understand who brought this about. Guard against what they stand for, and thwart the ideologies they represent—in your neighbors and your families, and within yourself.”
— Officer Daniel Hodges, DC Metropolitan Police Department, in his Foreword

“The journalists who take risks to bring us the stories like the ones told here in this book would dismiss the notion that they are doing anything but their jobs. Most would be embarrassed to be called “heroes,” but none would ever countenance being called “the enemy of the people.” That’s an autocrat’s phrase, one usually wielded by politicians and power brokers for whom the real enemy is the truth—which is what journalism, and especially photojournalism, is, at its best. And INSURRECTION is photojournalism at its very best.
— Michael Rowe, award-winning novelist, in his Introduction

“For what it’s worth, I’m staying with my mom right now, who cut her teeth protesting the Vietnam War. When she leered through this book, and these images, she immediately said, ‘This is like the photos the journalists sent home from Vietnam.’ This book is a damn important work of art.”
— Reader review

“I follow the news, on both sides, and have never had a better understanding of what actually happened that day, and who all was involved, than after seeing this book. And as a photographer, I’m inspired to up my game to capture so much story in singular moments in time. Absolutely stunning!”
— Reader review

“The book is amazing—well-conceived and laid out with dramatic, evocative photos and ‘in the moment’ text blocks. The timestamps are genius, and, together with the photos, give the book a propulsive feel that keeps the reader engaged, flipping the pages, one after another. It deserves a higher profile, and I honestly feel it should be sent to every member of Congress.”
— Reader review

“Hi Nate, we were visiting a family friend of yours last night and saw your photo journal of January 6th. As hard as it was to view, here I am in the middle of the night attempting to purchase the book. Huge congrats on the softcover first-edition being sold out. I hear you may have a hardcover version coming out, which means maybe we can still get a copy? Please let me know. It’s something I want my grandchildren to see, study, and know.”
— Reader review

PRESS

February 2025 | Columbia Journalism Review
“I Photographed January 6. Trump’s Pardons Can’t Erase What I Saw.”

March 2023 | Town Hall Seattle
“Nate Gowdy — The Insurrection in photos”

March 2023 | International Examiner
“Photographer probes an American heart of darkness in INSURRECTION photo book”

Spring 2013 | Indiana University Alumni Magazine
“Nate Gowdy: Capturing political moments”

January 2023 | PetaPixel
“Photojournalist releases intense images from the Jan 6 riot”

January 2023 | Seize the Moment Podcast
“Nate Gowdy — Storm of the Capitol: The Insurrection of January 6th”

January 2023 | Seattle Gay News
“Nate Gowdy captures history in the making in his new book, INSURRECTION”

January 2023 | Forthright Radio
“Nate Gowdy’s INSURRECTION”

January 2023 | Nicole Sandler Show
“No Insurrection whitewashing allowed here with Nate Gowdy”

January 2023 | PBS NewsHour
“The 'melee' of Jan. 6, through a photographer's lens”

January 2023 | Mother Jones
“INSURRECTION: January 6, up close and firsthand: A new photo book brings you face-to-face with the fight for the Capitol”

January 2023 | Crosscut
“A Seattle photographer's firsthand account of the Jan. 6 chaos”

September 2022 | Post Alley | Seattle (originally for PublicDisplay.Art)
“From Bernie Sanders to immigrant superheroes to January 6th, Seattle photographer Nate Gowdy chronicles the intimate and the dangerous of American Politics”

January 2023 | Talk Louisiana
“Photojournalist Nate Gowdy reflects on the January 6 insurrection on its two-year anniversary”

January 2023 | Thom Hartmann Program
“‘Jan 6th insurrectionists attacked me during coup attempt’”

January 2023 | Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins
“Reflections on the January 6th Capitol attack, two years later”

December 2022 | Surreal News
“Interview with photographer Nate Gowdy”

July 2022 | KBCS.FM
“INSURRECTION: A photo compilation from Jan 6, 2021”

January 2021 | KING5
“Seattle-based photographer Nate Gowdy recalls violent day at US Capitol”

January 2021 | Malcontent News
“Photographer Nate Gowdy reflects on Washington D.C. Insurrection”

January 2021 | KBCS.FM
“Behind the Lens at the nation's Capitol during an Insurrection”