Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Chris Usher graduated from Indiana University at Bloomington in 1988. He interned at the Louisville Courier-Journal and the Miami Herald before accepting a staff position at the Orlando Sentinel. In 1990, he went freelance and moved to Washington, D.C.
Currently living in Alexandria, Virginia, Usher's work appears regularly in domestic and international monthly and weekly publications. In between assignments, Usher continues his documentation of behind the scenes moments at the White House for his Behind the Velvet Rope project which is currently touring as an exhibition. The next scheduled venue is the Southeast Museum of Photography in 2008.
His latest personal project, entitled One of Us, documents the ongoing aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Begun on August 28, 2005, Usher photographed and interviewed residents of the Gulf Coast for three weeks. He returned 3 months later, and again, six months later. For the one year anniversary, he will return to the Gulf Coast area and then spend two months traveling across the United States capturing portraits and interviews of first responders, volunteers, and evacuees who never returned.
When he isn't working on assignments or projects, Chris would rather be fly-fishing in Montana.
