WHO?
My name is Max Sturgeon, US born and raised. I now call Austin, Texas and Warsaw, Poland home, although I spend most of my time on the road either for my job or shooting photos. As a profession I work in film/TV production in the US. This job enables me plenty of time off to travel and work on my photography projects.
WHAT?
The type of photography I shoot is ever evolving. I tend to get bored doing the same things and often change techniques, subjects, styles, or medium. I almost always prefer shooting with one fixed lens (usually 28mm), and recently shoot mostly with flash, either on or off camera. It’s something I said I would never do a few years ago but once I got over the fear of approaching people and shooting them with the flash I fell in love with the experience and results. Adding your own lighting to a scene for often surreal effects. I’ve also been shooting with film a lot recently, especially with panoramic cameras (Xpan and Horizon Perfekt) and plastic cameras like a Holga. I shoot both in color and BW.
The last few years I mostly shoot for projects rather than single photos. This also helps keep my many different styles or techniques a bit more consistent within the particular project. My favorite types of photos are those that are a bit unique and not too cliché, something that feels a bit cinematic or captures a mood and evokes a strong feeling.
WHERE?
I prefer to mostly shoot overseas, in environments that are foreign and strange to me. I find this more inspiring than shooting in the US, especially places like Austin, where I live. Although I did do a recent project traveling around the US during the pandemic, this was more out of necessity and also was during a strange time which I tried to draw inspiration from and find some uniqueness in. While in Poland I enjoy shooting a lot as it feels like a strange and different place than the US. I also have 2 long term projects I’m working on in two regions I love to travel to, around the Black Sea and the Bay of Bengal (photos attached are from this project).
WHEN?
My life in photography coincided with the start of my life in traveling. As soon as I finished college I fell in love with seeing the world and I also loved capturing those experiences. Back then of course I would use a SLR with a zoom lens. And looking back most those photos are not very good, but I still loved the experience of capturing those moments. My real turning point in shooting street photography started in 2017 when I did my first workshop with UP photographer Maciej Dakowicz and then the following year with Vineet Vohra. Through these workshops and then traveling with and shooting with so many great photographers around the world I’ve really grown and fell in love with the art. I’ve learned so much and taken so much inspiration from all these fellow street photographers I’ve been blessed to travel and shoot with.
With my background in film and TV I’ve recently become obsessed with shooting for projects and telling a story visually. To me this takes photography another step and is a fun way to really push the medium beyond just taking a single photo.
WHY?
I used to be a really shy person. When I first started photography I would mostly shoot without people being aware. Now days I not only use flash but I also like to make eye contact with the subjects to have a special connection right as I capture the image. I’ve always been a very visual person and a people watcher so photography was a natural progression. But I’ve found that it helped me get over my shyness and even more recently helped me get through some very difficult times when I needed some kind of outlet. So for me I’d say it’s more than a hobby but part of who I am.
