I love Morgan Maassen’s work. He is such a fantastic still photographer and clearly is equally adept with motion. His eye for color, composition, pacing and ability to evoke emotion, while showcasing the beauty of life puts him among the elite in his profession. It’s no wonder Maassen works with some of the world’s premiere brands and media. Of course, Red Epic/Dragon cameras, and surfers like Kelly Slater, Dane Reynolds, Stephanie Gilmore don’t hurt; but there’s so much more that goes into creating art like his- some of it learned, but most of it, God given.
While Morgan absolutely has his own signature style, some of his imagery reminds me of Chris Bryan’s work. I’d love to see those guys collaborate, if they haven’t already. I’m sure that whatever they produced together would be mind-blowing.
You may notice at the beginning of the film, that there’ an African American photographer shooting images. Shawn Theodore is a Philly-based artist and photographer who shoots really cool images (mostly portraits) of vanishing African American landscapes. I know Maassen has said that he is inspired by Theodore’s work (and the man himself), and it looks like Morgan included Shawn in this piece, filming the photographer doing his thing. If you want to see some beautiful, vibrant imagery, then check out Theodore’s Instagram feed at @_xst (and Morgan’s at @morganmaassen). Great stuff! Also dig the music here. That’s “After Gold” by Kelpe. Enjoy it!