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Max Stanley
@m4xms
Landscape photographer based in England
As a child, I spent a fair amount of time travelling back and forth between Hong Kong and London visiting relatives. There are obviously large differences between Eastern and Western cultures and I adapted to Hong Kong quite easily because it’s similar to London in terms of being very multicultural. It’s fascinating to experience cultures so different from your own that you can’t help but want to see more. I guess that’s what’s stuck with me as I’ve grown up, and has more than likely contributed to my love for travel and exploration.
"Photography wasn't something I grew up with; I've always been passionate about art, and within the last few years especially, social media has played a large role in my pursuit of photography."
The moment that significantly impacted my journey to becoming a photographer was a photo I had taken of a goldfish sculpture hanging from the ceiling in a shopping centre. This became my first Instagram post. (It’s still there on my feed if you scroll back far enough). That was also the moment I decided to post one photo a day just using my phone. I liked the convenience of carrying a camera in my pocket and didn’t like hauling around anything heavier. This went on for four years before I eventually picked up a “real” camera in order to push my photography further.
When I first started photography, I think I just wanted to share cool pictures of places I’d visited. As my experiences have grown, I’ve met plenty of amazing people and have come face-to-face with many issues the world is experiencing – it’s very different from sitting at home and watching a David Attenborough documentary from the comfort of your own sofa.
Creating with that goal in mind gives a deeper meaning to my work. Photography is escapism for me. It’s an excuse to travel, to see new countries, to experience different cultures, and to learn more about the planet we live on and the impact we are having on it. And if I can capture memories of my moments along the way, inspire others to do the same, and share what I’ve learned, then I’m happy.
I feel like I don’t have a particular niche; I always carry my camera with me because big cities are just as breathtaking to me as sweeping, panoramic landscape views atop a mountain. In order to avoid burnout from capturing landscapes all the time, I recently started photographing wildlife and portraits. Human or animal, so much emotion can be conveyed through the eyes, and I love capturing that emotion.
It’s easy now to see amazing photos from so many talented photographers around the world and to draw inspiration from that. But it’s also very easy to end up suffering from imposter syndrome; you compare your photographs to other photographers’ work and feel that yours aren’t good enough. I like to travel with an open mind; I’m there to experience the moment for myself and share things from my own point of view.
"A particular experience that comes to mind was last year sailing and living on a boat in the East Greenland Fjords."
One day we were navigating through icebergs cast off from a nearby glacier and all you could hear was the cracking of ice all around us, no other sounds at all. And then suddenly a loud crash cut through the stillness as tons of ice plunged from the glacier into the water below. It was a mixture of feelings, honestly. The feeling of being so far removed from civilisation in one of the most remote locations on the planet, coupled with the awe of seeing the effects of global warming first-hand was a sobering experience.
Another photo that is special to me is one that I took of the sunset in Namibia over the Namib desert, accompanied by a couple of my close friends. I was hanging outside a helicopter to get a shot of the view behind us. I wouldn’t say it was necessarily serene or peaceful with the helicopter blades spinning above my head, but looking down at the desert stretching away from us in all directions just brought me a sense of calm.
Even though I grew up travelling, camping and hiking were never really my go-to choices when deciding on destinations. However, I realised that I needed to push myself out of my comfort zone in order to grow both as a photographer and as a person.
"No one ever takes a photograph of something they want to forget."
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