Nate Gowdy (b. 1984; Elkhart, Indiana) is a Seattle-based documentary fine-art photographer, printer, and bookmaker whose work circles performances of American identity, public memory, civic accountability, and archival preservation.

As staff photographer for Seattle Gay News, Gowdy began his career documenting the city’s gay nightlife and drag communities. In 2012, he dedicated himself to Washington state’s campaign for marriage equality. From 2011 to 2024, he served as the official photographer for the Seattle Pride Parade, helping preserve a formative period in the city’s vibrant queer and trans history.

Since 2015, Gowdy has self-funded coverage of hundreds of political events across 27 states and Washington, DC. His portrait of Bernie Sanders appeared on the cover of TIME in 2016, and his editorial clients include Rolling Stone, Mother Jones, and national and international publications. His long-form projects foreground the rituals, spectacle, and polarization of American political life.

In 2019, Gowdy launched The American Superhero, a collaborative portrait and storytelling series featuring individuals across the cultural spectrum. The following year, Seattle Public Schools commissioned him to co-author Our Students, Their Stories, a 100-page 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 devoted to the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol. Featuring Gowdy’s timestamped photographs and contextual captions, the book offers a visceral, ground-level account of the day’s events. It has sold more than 1,700 copies and is available at nategowdy.com and Elliott Bay Book Company.

Gowdy holds a journalism degree from Indiana University. He founded Pigeon Editions, a photobook publishing imprint whose first titles include MORE PAINT by Brandon Bye, NO MAN’S LAND by Britland Tracy, RIGHTEOUS by Maxim Elramsisy, and EYES ON: OPERATION METRO SURGE, which brings together the work of photojournalists who witnessed it firsthand in Minnesota. His fine-art prints are represented at Monroe Gallery of Photography in Santa Fe.

For work, print, and book inquiries:
nate.gowdy@gmail.com