The photographer Chris Brown allegedly punched in the face says the beatdown was so brutal he's missing work, prepping for a lawsuit and pressing charges with cops.
Bennie Vines tells us his busted lip is just one of several injuries he got when the fight broke out. TMZ broke the story ... Vines says Brown "sucker punched" him, and beat him to a pulp after he snapped a few pics early Monday morning inside a Tampa nightclub.
Vines says he's pissed because he was basically assaulted for doing his job. He filed a police report, and cops are now investigating Brown for battery -- but Vines says that's just the start.